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Political Minorities in the CaucasusMany Independence-Minded Minorities Have Homelands in the Caucasus
You may have never heard of Dagestan or Abkhazia. They are small political entities left over from the Soviet era. There are about a dozen of them in the Caucasus.
The political structure of the former Soviet Union was based on the concept of ethnic autonomy. The USSR was made up of 15 of these ethnic republics - one for the Russians, one for the Ukrainians, one for the Kazakhs, one for the Estonians, etc. When the USSR collapsed in 1991 those 15 republics became independent countries. Unfortunately, most of the newly independent countries had smaller politically autonomous ethnic enclaves within them and these political units have agitated for their own independence. Nowhere is this more true than in the Caucasus, where there have been six armed conflicts over ethnic independence since 1991. The major political enclaves of the Caucasus regions are: The Republic of AdygeaSurrounded by the Krasnador District on the Black Sea coast, Adygia has a population of about 447,000. Just under 25% are ethnic Adyghe. They are sometimes also called Circassians. Most Adyghe are Sunni Muslims. The Karachai-Cherkess Autonomous OblastAlso part of the Krasnador District, the independent oblast has a population of about 440,000. The Turkic Karachai make up about 39% of the population. They are Sunni Muslims. The Cherkess (related to the Adyghe) make up 11% of the population. The Kabardino-Balkar RepublicPart of the Stavropol District, it has a population of over 900,000. The Kabardin people make up 55% of the population. They are related to the Adyghe. Most are Sunni Muslims, though some are Orthodox Christians. Balkars (Sunni Mulsims, Turkic) make up 11% of the population. North and South OssetiaTwo separate units stradling the greater Caucasus. North Ossetia is in Russia, South Ossetia is in Georgia. North Ossetia has a population of 710,000 - 62% Ossetian. South Ossetia has a population of about 100,000 - 66% Ossetian. The majority of ethnic Ossetians are Orthodox Christians, although many are Muslims. There was an Ossetian-Ingush war from 1989-91 in North Ossetia. South Ossetian forces have been working for independence from Georgia since 1989. The 2008 conflict between Russia and Georgia is partly a result of the struggle for Ossetian independence. Republic of IngushiaFormerly part of the Chechen-Ingush ASSR, separated as a result of two wars in the Chechen Republic.Population of 467,000 - 77% Ingushes. Sunni Muslims. Chechen RepublicLocated in Russia's Southern Federated District. Population 1.1 million - 94% Chechens. They are Sunni Muslims. Two wars for independence from Russia: 1994-96 and 1999-to the present. DagestanThe largest of the region's ethnic enclaves. Dagestan is about the size of Georgia and rests along the Caspian Sea. It has a population of about 2.6 million. A dozen major minority groups live in Dagestan. The Avars (Sunni Mulsims) make up 29% of the population. The Muslim Dargins make up 17% of the population. The Lezgins (split between Sunni and Shi'ite Islam) make up 13% of the population and another 600,000 Lezgins live in neighboring Azerbaijan. AbkhaziaFunctionally independent from Georgia after a 1992-93 war. Population 215,000 - about 45% Abkhaz. The Abkhaz people are divided between Orthodox Christianity and Sunni Islam. Nagorho-KarabakhAn ethnic Armenian enclave of Azerbaijan. At war with Azerbaijan from 1988-94.
The copyright of the article Political Minorities in the Caucasus in European Affairs is owned by Greg Cruey. Permission to republish Political Minorities in the Caucasus in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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