"We must remember, too, that the Russian population of the Caucasus are to a large extent Muslims, and the areas such as Georgia which have aspirations of their own"
About this Quote
The intent is pragmatic. By foregrounding that much of the Caucasus is Muslim and that places like Georgia have “aspirations of their own,” Khan pushes back against any policy framework that treats the region as simply “Russian” terrain or a chessboard square in a larger power contest. The phrasing “to a large extent” is telling: he’s measuring his words, as if too much certainty could be politically radioactive. Yet the point lands anyway: identity is plural, and loyalty is conditional.
The subtext is sharper: ignore religion and nationalism at your peril. In the mid-20th century, the Caucasus was an old imperial frontier inside a formally “Soviet” map, where suppressed national projects never really disappeared. Khan is reminding his audience that Moscow’s administrative borders don’t erase cultural realities, and that Muslim populations complicate simplistic Cold War binaries. Georgia’s “aspirations” isn’t romantic nationalism; it’s a forecast of friction. He’s not selling idealism. He’s arguing that stability requires recognizing the local as political, not decorative.
Quote Details
| Topic | Freedom |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Khan, Aly. (2026, January 17). We must remember, too, that the Russian population of the Caucasus are to a large extent Muslims, and the areas such as Georgia which have aspirations of their own. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/we-must-remember-too-that-the-russian-population-38755/
Chicago Style
Khan, Aly. "We must remember, too, that the Russian population of the Caucasus are to a large extent Muslims, and the areas such as Georgia which have aspirations of their own." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/we-must-remember-too-that-the-russian-population-38755/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"We must remember, too, that the Russian population of the Caucasus are to a large extent Muslims, and the areas such as Georgia which have aspirations of their own." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/we-must-remember-too-that-the-russian-population-38755/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.



