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Security concerns loom in North Caucasus ahead of 2014 Winter Olympics

Associated Press

The deadly bombings at the Boston Marathon and security concerns about the upcoming winter Olympics in Russia have a common link: the North Caucasus. This rugged region between the Caspian and Black Seas is beset by a violent Islamic insurgency.

The two brothers suspected of setting off the bombs in Boston are ethnic Chechens with ties to neighboring Dagestan, an even more volatile, semi-autonomous republic. And the 2014 Olympics are being held in the resort city of Sochi on the Black Sea, close to the Caucasus.

Earlier this month, both the director of America’s FBI and the prime minister of Britain visited Sochi to discuss security at the Olympic games.

This week on Global Journalist, we’ll dig into the roots of terrorism in the North Caucasus, and the strong presence of Islamic militants fighting Moscow's rule. In the second half of the program, we’ll discuss the proposed shield law to protect U.S. reporters, with the president of the Society of Professional Journalists.

Guests:

Alexey Malashenko, Scholar-in-residence, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Thomas de Waal, Senior Associate, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Sonny Albarado, President, Society of Professional Journalists

Note: There is no video for this episode of Global Journalist.

Rehman Tungekar is a former producer for KBIA, who left at the beginning of 2014.