Tag: Karachayevo-Cherkessia

Why are Only Some Non-Russian Republics Led by Members of Their Titular Nationalities?

November 3, 2015

Staunton, November 3 – In the final decades of the Soviet Union, many in the non-Russian union republics began to ask why some of them were headed by members of their titular nationalities and others by Russians and increasingly demanded that members of the titular nation occupy key posts. Over time, Moscow backed down, first […]

Is Another Bi-National Republic About to Come Apart in the North Caucasus?

July 9, 2015

Staunton, July 8 – One of the most cynical methods the Soviet government employed to divide and rule non-Russian nations was the establishment of republics with two titular nationalities because such arrangements guaranteed that the two were more likely to view the other as a problem and threat than to see Moscow as responsible. At […]

Economic Crisis Accelerating Russian Flight from North Caucasus

June 6, 2015

Staunton, June 6 – The economic crisis is leading to the de-industrialization of parts of the North Caucasus and that in turn is contributing to the flight of ethnic Russians from the region, a departure that is fundamentally changing the ethnic balance in many republics in that region. That trend can be clearly seen in […]

Rural Areas In North Caucasus And South Russia Emptying Out Rapidly

February 22, 2015

Staunton, February 22 — As elsewhere in the Russian Federation, people are leaving rural areas in the North Caucasus and adjoining areas, leaving villages deserted or half-deserted, undercutting prospects for agricultural growth, and changing the security situation in many places. Indeed, in many of these places, the only things that remain are cemeteries. In an […]