Caucasus-wide conflict?

Turkish Daily News - Unrest threatens to engulf Russia

There is no denying that the security situation in Russian-run Northern Caucasus is deterioating.

Dagestan has been in particular focus lately. Even President Putin felt compelled to pay a brief visit to the security forces there just before the summer. The ethnic diversity of Dagestan, and the strong Islamist undercurrents obviously to be found in some groups, make it a particuilarly demanding place.

The roots of the insecurity goes deep, as the linked article tries to explain. And the present policies of repression rather seems to make things worse.

According to a security source interviewed for the article, "there is a 90-percent chance of a Caucasus-wide conflict."

Such a conflict will affect all of Russia - and indirectly us as well.