The North Caucasus remains a highly turbulent region that has been wracked by war and conflict for more than a decade. A seemingly unending cycle of violence has engulfed the region, as major surges of bombings and suicide attacks in a war once neatly confined to Chechnya have spread to the other neighbouring republics. Instability is now ever-present in most of the republics that make up the North Caucasus as militant insurgencies simmer from the Caspian shores of Dagestan to the Circassian heartland in Russia's Black Sea provinces.

In Volatile Borderland leading experts on the North Caucasus provide an in-depth look at the key developments, movements, and personalities that have shaped the region since the start of the second Russo-Chechen war in 1999.

The book is designed to be an important reference tool for Western policymakers who seek a better understanding of the key issues driving conflict and instability in Russia's restless frontier.