Influence of the Islamic State on the Russian North Caucasus
Profound socio-political transformations in the Middle East as a result of the «Arab Spring» as well as the change in the regional status quo with the rise of Islamist threat triggered serious challenges no only to the Middle East but far beyond the region. These processes bear special risks for the security and stability of the North Caucasus - one of the less stable and most susceptive to foreign influence regions in Russia The paper analyzes key channels in the Middle Eastern dynamics influencing the Caucasus as well as assesses prospects for developments of these rather negative trends.