The situation surrounding the Caucasus, a region rife with Islamic militancy, is becoming tense. As the U.S. administration of President George W. Bush prepares for a war with Iraq, cracks are developing in the U.S.-Russia coalition against terrorism. The fighting between Russian troops and Islamic rebels in Chechnya has intensified again, spilling over into neighboring Georgia, a pro-Western state with U.S. backing.
After the 9/11 attacks, the United States and Russia joined hands to remove the Taliban and al-Qaeda terrorists in Afghanistan. Chechnya is a different story. The breakaway republic is a part of the Caucasus, where the former Cold War archrivals have been vying with each other for influence since the collapse of the Soviet Union. How the Chechen conflict will affect other parts of the region is, therefore, a serious concern.
Tensions mounted in this strategic region in late August when Russian military aircraft bombed border areas in Georgia, causing civilian casualties. Moscow all but ignored a protest issued by the Georgian government. The U.S., which has spy satellites tracking military movements around the globe, criticized the bombing as a violation of Georgian sovereignty.