CACI Analyst, May 01, 2013
Theories On The Caucasus Link In The Boston Bombings
by Emil Souleimanov (05/01/2013 issue of the CACI Analyst)
During the Boston marathon on April 15, two bombs exploded leaving three dead and 264 injured. According to the FBI investigation, two brothers of Chechen/Dagestani origin, Tamerlan (26) and Jokhar Tsarnaev (19), permanently residing in the U.S., organized and carried out the bombings. Given the terrorists’ ethnic profile and supposedly religious motivation, questions arise as to whether the Tsarnaev brothers acted on their own or in cooperation with or on instructions of a Jihadist group either within or outside America, for instance, in their native North Caucasus.
CACI FORUM: Investing in the Caucasus, Greater Central Asia and Mongolia: Challenges and Opportunities
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
CACI FORUM
"Central Asia-Caucasus Analyst"
Investing in the Caucasus, Greater Central Asia and Mongolia: Challenges and Opportunities
CACI FORUM: Iran and the Caucasus
Thursday, March 14, 2013
CACI FORUM
"Central Asia-Caucasus Institute"
Iran and the Caucasus
Iran's expanding activities with respect to the three independent states of the Caucasus have scarcely been noticed, but warrant close attention. To what extent are these normal and simply a revival of the commercial and cultural relationships dating back centuries before the Russian Empire expanded into the region? To what extent are they, rather, the product of destabilizing ideological or geopolitical aspirations in Tehran today? And, if the latter, what are their broader implications to the region and to the world order and how should the U.S. respond?
CACI FORUM: The Impact of Events in the Arab World on Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Turkey, Part II
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
CACI Forum
"Central-Asia Caucasus Institute"
The Impact of Events in the Arab World on Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Turkey, Part II
On April 18 CACI offered a program on “Impact of Events in the Arab World on Central Asia, the Caucasus and Turkey” featuring US diplomats and experts. On April 26 we return to the same subject, this time with analyses and views from seven rising leaders from Central Asia and the Caucasus, CACI’s current Rumsfeld Fellows.
Rebirth of domino theories following the upheavals that began in Tunisia and Egypt were first applied to other Arab countries. What are the arguments for and against such a hypothesis as it applies to the countries of Central Asia and the Caucasus? The purpose of this session will be to gain fresh perspectives from young opinion leaders from the region on how their respective states and publics are responding to the Arab events including the likely course of developments in each one.
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Joint Center Publications
Analysis Niklas Swanström and Leah Oppenheimer, "Invisible Ink: Looking for the Lost Trade between China, Russia, and Central Asia", ISDP Policy Brief, 13 March 2013. 
New Silk Road Paper S. Frederick Starr with Adib Farhadi, Finish the Job: Jump-Start the Afghan Economy, December 2012.
Conference Report Cheryl Benard, Eli Sugarman, and Holly Rehm, Cultural Heritage vs. Mining on the New Silk Road? Finding Technical Solutions for Mes Aynak and Beyond (in cooperation with the Alliance for the Restoration of Cultural Heritage) December 2012.
Article Svante E. Cornell, "The 'Afghanization of the North Caucasus: Causes and Implications of a Changing Conflict", in Stephen Blank, ed., Russia's Homegrown Insurgency: Jihad in the North Caucasus, Carlisle, PA: U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute, 2012.