North Caucasus: Multifactoral Ethnopolitical Tension

Abstract

The article considers the main factors contributing to the tension in interethnic relations in the Russian North Caucasus: contradictions and conflicts between the federal center and the subjects of the federation; ethnic territorial conflicts; ethnic status conflicts associated with the relationship of the titular and non-titular population; ethnic economic conflicts related to ethnic preferences in labor activity and redistribution of property; ethnic confessional problems caused by the use of a religious factor in ethnic political mobilization; political contradictions between the subjects of the federation within the North Caucasus Federal District. Beyond all these elements, the danger posed by the revitalization of radical Islam / Islamic fundamentalism in the region is also discussed and emphasized. Although according to many experts, there is currently no reason to designate North Caucasus as a region characterized by ethnopolitical crisis and in permanent conflict, the author indicates several problematic issues. The main focus of analysis, indeed, looks at the problems of inefficiency of both, the corrupted North Caucasian ethnocratic elites and the officials of the North Caucasus Federal District. This unsolved problem makes still possible the return to a negative scenario of ethnic political development of the whole region.

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