The North Caucasus in 2013: the conflicts are escalating

The most obvious feature of the situation in the North Caucasus during last year was the disturbance of the fragile balance which had apparently begun to form in the preceding period, the escalation of existing conflicts and the emergence of new ones, including those related to resources. What was the cause of this escalation? What are its possible consequences? How does all this affect the economic situation in the region? These are the key questions which the authors aim to answer in this paper.