By Michael Coffey (10/3/2007 issue of the CACI Analyst)

Plans to send more contract troops to the northern Caucasus, trained specifically for mountain and counterinsurgency operations, is a sign that the Russian defense ministry has a firm grasp of the security needs for the region. Still, despite some progress on the security front, poverty and lawlessness remain acute problems in Dagestan, as elsewhere in the Caucasus. The appointment of a new, reform-minded president, and the reported deaths of significant terrorist leaders, suggests authorities may be replicating Chechnya’s modest success.

By Nicklas Norling and Niklas Swanström (10/3/2007 issue of the CACI Analyst)

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization recently held its annual summit in Bishkek. Energy-security was reported to be the primary focus of the summit while the Sino-Russian military exercises Peace Mission 2007 held a few days later attracted much attention. Even if these recent events suggest that China-Russia relations may be at an all-time high, the strains between them in the energy sector will likely impede a further strengthening of bilateral ties.

By Richard Weitz (10/3/2007 issue of the CACI Analyst)

At the end of September, Gurbanguly Berdimuhammedov undertook his first visit to the United States as Turkmenistan’s new president. His five-day sojourn has revived speculation about the direction of his administration’s foreign policy. Berdimuhammedov has indicated that he might reconsider several of Niyazov’s isolationist policies.