Islamist Danger and Antisemitism in Dagestan (the Russian Federation)

Despite the Russian authorities’ undeniable responsibility for the current difficulties in the region, Islamism and the virulent anti-Semitism it engenders are themselves a serious problem in Dagestan. Neither the leadership nor the population of Dagestan should enjoy the condescending attitude of the West.

Ukraine and American Prospects

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has posed a direct challenge to the national sovereignty of an independent country, just as it continues to lead to extensive suffering, especially due to the attacks on civilian infrastructure. Yet beyond these direct consequences for Ukraine and the Ukrainians, the invasion represents nothing less than an assault on the established international order, an effort to redraw recognized state borders through the use of force.

Armenia and Georgia: Two Very Different Protests. Part 2.

Russia has long been developing plans to strengthen its influence in Georgia, and today they are close to materialization. The main goal is to strengthen its influence in the country, and how Russia gets Ivanishvili to do it is not really important. The protests in Georgia are aimed at opposing this turn.

Ethno-political Profile of Dagestan

The June 23 terrorist attacks on Christian and Jewish places of worship in Derbent and Makhachkala have once again drawn attention to Dagestan as one of the centers of radical Islamism in the Russian Federation. The exact number of practicing Muslims in Russia is unknown, but the peoples who traditionally practice Islam (so-called “ethnic Muslims”) make up more than 10% of its population.

BESA Post-Soviet Conflicts Research Digest No. 9 (June 2024)

In June 2024, the materials published by the BESA Post-Soviet Conflicts Research Program covered the recent developments in the South Caucasus, as well as the projections of the regional dynamics on the geopolitical stances of Israel and France.

Seminar “Vectors and Cleavages of Post-Soviet Conflict Dynamics”

On June 27th, 2024, the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies at Bar-Ilan University organized a seminar titled “Vectors and Cleavages of Post-Soviet Conflict Dynamics”. The seminar has symbolically marked the first year of the work of the Post-Soviet Conflicts Research Program (PSCRP) established at BESA in summer of 2023.

The Crisis In Georgia And Prospects For Restoring Its Territorial Integrity

A number of observers compare the current situation in Georgia with the events in Ukraine in late 2013, when President Viktor Yanukovych abandoned the European course and chose a pro-Russian one, which led to the Revolution of Dignity and the overthrow of the pro-Russian regime. The ruling party Georgian Dream, controlled by billionaire and former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, has been compared to the dissolved Ukrainian Party of Regions. However, the main difference is that the Russian occupation of Georgian territories began even before Ivanishvili and his party appeared on the political scene.

France, Russo-Ukrainian War and the Struggle for Military-Political Leadership in Europe

France's statements of possibility to deploy troops to Ukraine, military-political rapprochement with Armenia and Moldova—all of this indicates Paris' aspiration to play the leading role on the European and world stage. Confrontation with Russia is considered a long-term factor, while Europe has to gain "strategic autonomy."

Official Russia’s Interpretation of the Terms “Genocide” and “Holocaust” : Between Israel And Ukraine

Russian authorities continue dialogue with Israel and leave themselves the possibility to change their approach at any time if this corresponds to their interests in the constantly changing situation. This is typical of Putin's style of Realpolitik in foreign policy.

Armenia and Georgia: Two Very Different Protests. Part 1.

The South Caucasus has been in a zone of political turbulence since September 2020, when after 44 days of fighting Azerbaijan managed to regain control over most of the occupied territories. Much more could have been achieved, however in November 2020 Moscow intervened, whose aggressive actions forced Baku to sit down at a virtual negotiating table with Armenia. However, subsequent events turned out to be extremely favorable for Azerbaijan and extremely unfavorable for Armenia.