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 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. It 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 movement or revitalise armed struggle. Re-evaluating the IK’s ideology helps us better understand the past and future of armed struggle in the North Caucasus. -- .
Introduction
Part I Background and framework
1 The IK in historical context
2 Insurgent ideologies
Part II Ideology across space and time
3 Ideology at the centre
4 Dagestan — going to extremes
5 Kabardino-Balkaria — social roots and sophistication
6 Ingushetia — indistinct insurgency
Part III Interpreting the ideology of insurgency
7 Variance, continuity and change across the IK
8 Locating the IK on the jihadist landscape
Conclusion: Lessons from the ideology of the IK
Appendix: Methodology -- .
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