Field Reports
GEORGIAN GOVERNMENT ACCUSED OF ESTABLISHING ARMED MILITIA
By Niklas Nilsson (3/21/2012 issue of the CACI Analyst)
The most recent dispute in Georgian politics contains serious allegations of government misconduct ahead of the October 2012 elections and ambitions to form armed militias to intimidate opposition supporters. The allegations come as campaigning for the parliamentary election in October gain speed and can be viewed in the context of a framing contest between the government and opposition that has been ongoing for several years, the ultimate price of which is the international legitimacy of power in Georgia.
RUSSIA TRANSFERS TROOPS TO DAGESTAN
By Olof Staaf (3/21/2012 issue of the CACI Analyst)
On March 14, Russia began transferring troops from Chechnya to the unstable highland- and forest districts in Central Dagestan. This move was effectuated after a series of violent events during the transition period between winter and spring had demonstrated that the aforementioned regions will very likely continue to be the core of the North Caucasus insurgency.
DOUBTS REMAIN AS RUSSIA AND PARTNERS HEAD FOR EURASIAN ECONOMIC UNION
By Georgiy Voloshin (3/21/2012 issue of the CACI Analyst)
On March 19, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev met with the leaders of the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEc) to discuss the prospects of regional integration. In his statement to the press, he reconfirmed the intention of EurAsEc member states to work out a comprehensive treaty establishing the Eurasian Economic Union by January 1, 2015.
AZERBAIJANI JOURNALIST THREATENED
By Mina Muradova (3/21/2012 issue of the CACI Analyst)
Khadija Ismayilova, an outspoken Azerbaijani journalist with a reputation for investigating the “secret” business of President Ilham Aliyev’s family, has been targeted by threats and blackmail. She believes that ruling circles are behind the smearing campaign aiming to silence her, whereas officials deny any connection to the blackmailing.
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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.