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In all, 271 men were apprehended, most of whom were foreign migrants from Afghanistan and Egypt. The Islamic threat in the region of St. Petersburg could be compared with the situation in the North Caucasus. The people detained were against secular power and advocated the establishment of a caliphate.
Thus, a steady process of the politicization and radicalization of Islam and Islamic groupings has been observed in the country during the post-Soviet period due to the weakening of the institutions of state power and under a strong influence from abroad. This process was aggravated by the weakness and disunity of traditional and official Russian Islam and separatist projects in certain regions of the country, primarily in the North Caucasus. Due to a number of objective and subjective factors stable groupings of radical Salaphites have emerged and consolidated on the territory of Russia, particularly in the North Caucasian region. The ideas of jihad has spread throughout the North Caucasus, and recently this process has engulfed the Volga and Ural areas and West Siberia, as well as "Muslim "enclaves" in Russian big cities.
"Nauchnaya mysl Kavkaza," Rostov-on-Don,
2012, pp. 23-30.
M. Astvatsaturova,
Political analyst
INTERETHNIC CONTRADICTIONS AND CONFLICTS IN STAVROPOL TERRITORY
The essence of ethnopolitical and ethnocultural processes in Stavropol Territory is largely determined by the situation in the North Caucasian Federal Region (NCFR). Its formation in January 2010 in accordance with a decree of the President of the Russian Federation of
January 19 has led to a definite acceleration of all socio-economic processes and laid an emphasis on political and social relations between regional communities. The development of NCFR today is determined by the aims and tasks of the "Strategy of socio-economic development of the North Caucasian Federal Region up to 2025." This document determines the guidelines and means to achieve the strategic aims of stable development and ensure national security of the Russian Federation in NCFR up to 2025. As a political doctrine this document emphasizes the economic aspects and the development prospects of the various branches of the economy of the region, as well as analyzes the socio-economic and demographic situation, the labor resource potential, and migration processes in the region.
The "Strategy' contains a special section on interethnic relations. The ethnopolitical processes in Stavropol Territory are largely determined by the general situation in NCFR and in the North Caucasus (NC) as a whole. The ethnopolitical sphere of NCFR is very complex due to a number of historical circumstances and factors, among which one can single out the problems of national-state construction in the region during the Soviet period. There are definite conflict factors in the region due to a misbalance of the regional ethnopolitical system. Any exacerbation of interethnic relations is caused by post-Soviet and political-administrative tendencies: democratization of socio-political relations, ethnopolitical sovereignization, implementation of the administrative and municipal reform, strengthening of the vertical of power, and improvement of relations between parts of the Russian Federation and the Federal Center.
At the same time dangerous trends continue to develop in NCFR. Above all, there is a strong influence of the so-called terrorist syndicate -"Imarat Kavkaz." It is especially active in Kabardino-Balkaria, and Karachayevo-Circassia. Terrorist acts are committed quite frequently
against government and law-enforcement agency officials, employees of local municipal bodies, public figures, journalists, and clergymen of traditional trends. Apart from acts of terror, radical Wahhabi cells are functioning which propagate extremist views, money is extorted from rank-and-file Muslim parishioners for jihad, and men are recruited to illegal armed units. This is accompanied by nationalistic and xenophobic rhetoric, corruption, and various criminal acts; all of this is taking place against the background of conflicts between regional and local elites and clans. This is combined with unprofessionalism of the special services, the low prestige of regional and local elites, and loyalty of the population toward members of armed units and radical religious cells.
A result of these tendencies is the growing activity of terrorists and their greater influence on the population. This influence is felt by interethnic relations, as well as by political and managerial processes. Terrorism constantly breeds nationalism, ethnic separatism and religious extremism, because many actions of terrorists and extremists are justified by ethnic and confessional interests. According to statistical data, the greatest number of terrorist acts takes place in the Republic of Daghestan, Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, and Karachayevo-Circussian Republic. In just six months of 2011 there were 110 acts of terror committed in Daghestan. Several armed groups act in the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, and the traces of the terrorist explosion in the Domodedovo airport near Moscow led to the North Caucasian Republic of Ingushetia.
Well-known figures of science and culture, education and literature, as well as clergymen have been killed by terrorists in NCFR, which has a very negative effect on public opinion in the region. One of such negative phenomena is a manifestation of "Russian and non-titular Wahhabi trends" in Stavropol Territory. Expert assessments of
the reasons for still continuing influence of terrorism on the population are concentrated around several arguments: the unfavorable economic situation in the region and the low social status of the population, high unemployment, the absence of social lifts for young people, to mention but a few. Apart from that, there is the low competence of the law-enforcement agencies, special services, and municipal management. Government bodies and public organizations do not carry on proper ideological and information work among the local population. Confessional leaders (both Islamic and Russian Orthodox Christian) are not active enough in their opposition to radical extremist trends.
The problem of employment of young people is the most pressing one in the region. The uncontrolled flow of migrants to Stavropol Territory continues. The demographic disproportion increases, and this creates additional threats of conflicts not only to the North Caucasus, but also to entire Russia as a poly-ethnic and multiconfessional country. Besides, the ideas are now current of certain exclusiveness and incompatibility of "North Caucasian civilization" with Russian civilization, as well as "negative hereditary features" and social practices of the North Caucasian people (vendetta, the alleged sponger practice and parasitic existence of the NC on the "healthy body" of the Russian Federation), which are extremely harmful for relations between Russians and North Caucasians.
The still continuing manifestations of terrorism, extremism and separatism breed negative public sentiments which serve as catalysts for interethnic tension and conflicts. These sentiments destabilize the situation in NCFR and around it and have a negative effect on the ethnopolitical situation in Stavropol Territory which could be considered as stable and based on a balance of interests between the ethnic groups there. At the same time relations between them are
marked by a hidden conflict potential, which is sometimes manifested in local clashes between young people and expressions of everyday nationalism and xenophobia. This can be seen in different districts of Stavropol Territory - from eastern ones to the district of the Caucasian spa.
The difficult situation in NCFR, including Stavropol Territory, has been a subject of discussions at various political and administrative levels. For example, President V. Putin said at a meeting devoted to the problems of the NCFR socio-economic development that Russia should not renounce competitive advantages of the Caucasian region. The presidential representative in charge of managing the region A. Khloponin emphasized that difference between total corruption in the Caucasus and total corruption in the European part of Russia lies only in its nationality.
Despite all political and managerial efforts of the government of Stavropol Territory and various official councils and committees, and public organizations, there are still contradictory, even conflictogenic, projects current there: for instance, the creation of Stavropol Russian Republic, withdrawal of Stavropol Territory from NCFR and its joining the Southern Federal Region, or even the Republic of Belarus.
Stavropol Territory has been included in the "Caucasian plans" of the Federal Center. The latter plans to develop health and tourist resorts in the territory and allocates big sums for the purpose, to say nothing of spectacular socio-economic development plans.
Purposeful measures are being taken at a regional level to neutralize terrorist threats and ethnopolitical risks. Special anti-terrorist and anti-extremist programs have been evolved and are now implemented. Work in the sphere of interethnic relations has notably improved. A ramified network of specialized organizations and
information centers has been set up which contributes to the stabilization of interethnic relations. A public organization called "Union of People of Stavropol Territory for Peace in the Caucasus" has been created, uniting twenty-six national and cultural organizations. Confessional institutions continue to develop. For example, the Spiritual Board of Muslims of Stavropol Territory has started "educational jihad," that is, enlightenment and information "war" against radical religious teachings.
Stavropol Territory, just as other parts of NCFR of the Russian Federation plays a major role in the stabilization of interethnic relations and the strengthening of national identity of all members of the North Caucasian community, and ethnocultural security. At the same time, the task is to unmask and denounce terrorism, extremism, nationalism and xenophobia. Much is being done to make Stavropol Territory a unique and attractive region culturally.
"Etnopoliticheskaya situatsiya v Rossii i sopredelnykh gosudarstvakh v 2011," Moscow, 2012, pp. 99-104.
A. Stepkina,
Astrakhan State University
THE CASPIAN REGION
IN THE PROCESS OF GLOBALIZATION
For centuries, the Caspian region has played an important role in the military-political and socio-economic processes in the entire geopolitical space of Central Eurasia. It is situated at the crossroads of the Eurasian land and sea transportation routes, and has been a subject of rivalry between states seeking to establish their dominance in the region for several centuries.
