ABSTRACT
Although the conflicts that have attracted most international attention in the postCold War era have been those of the Transcaucasus, another area of both potential and actual turmoil is the North Caucasus. The first example of serious conflicts in the area, naturally, is the war in Chechnya. However, the existence of this war, and its astonishing cruelty and devastation, have been instrumental in obscuring the other grievances that exist in the area, and that have the potential to escalate into open conflict. These can be divided into two main categories, which, however, spill over into one another. The first type of conflict is those among the peoples of the region; the second type is conflicts between these peoples and Russia.
