ABSTRACT
This chapter presents all basic political, economic, and demographic data on a territorial unit of the Russian Federation. Valerii Kokov dominates Kabardino-Balkaria almost completely, having wiped out almost the entire opposition. Although Kabardino-Balkaria belongs to the relatively peaceful and stable western section of the North Caucasus, Kokov must work carefully to prevent the outbreak of interethnic violence. The Kabardino-Balkar Republic, which was founded in 1922, brings together two very distinct ethnic groups indigenous to the Caucasus. Kokov’s current position regarding the Kabardino-Balkaria Republic is that it should remain a united republic that is part of the Russian Federation. Kabardino-Balkaria has the status of a free economic zone, which has aided the republican administration in offering various tax incentives to foreign investors and further developing the region’s industry. Kabardino-Balkaria has a much larger population than Adygeya and Karachaevo-Cherkessia and so it plays a leading role in the western part of the North Caucasus.
