The Caucasus Emirate

The Caucasus Emirate was more than just the main insurgent group challenging Russia's control of the North Caucasus between 2007 and 2015 - it also represented a radical reimagining of local identities and relations with actors in and beyond the region.

Insurgency has plagued the North Caucasus since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Between 2007 and 2015, rebels waged their struggle under the banner of the Caucasus Emirate (Imarat Kavkaz, IK). This explicitly jihadist project radically reimagined the group's goals, allegiances, and identity. Yet it has rarely been studied in depth. This book systematically examines the IK's ideology to explain what the group claimed to be fighting for and against and how it sought to mobilise people behind its cause. The book reveals a group with a weakly developed political programme, which aligned itself with global jihadism but consistently prioritised local concerns. It demonstrates the priority rebel leaders afforded to shaping local identities, but also their failure to forge a unified group, address pragmatic concerns, or respond to emergent challenges.

Re-evaluating the IK's ideology helps us better understand the past and potential future of armed struggle in the North Caucasus.