the fate of the former Soviet Asian republics

Read an article today in BBC about Dagestan. "Nearly 200 members of the security forces have been killed since 1999. Either during counter-terrorist operations, or as a result of assassinations by terrorists-extremists," "Allegations of police brutality, torture, kidnappings and disappearances persist in Dagestan." What is happening in those parts of Russian Federation and the former Soviet republics? There is almost no flow of information coming to us from that area. We're not allowed to "interfere with Russian inner policies", so we get no or little insight on what is happening in Dagestan, Chechnya, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and others. Should we have a better access to that information? Does it affect us directly or indirectly? Has that area become a breeding ground for new wave of terrorists recruitment? Will the next attack on US be carried out by someone born in Dagestan? Already there are terrorist cells from Uzbekistan causing trouble on Afghan/Pakistani border. Those areas are an economical and a cultural mess. Perfect grounds for the Islamic extremism finding new blood. And it's going to blow up in our face one day. But our liberal media doesn't want to "alarm" the nation. Terrorist threat is not a popular theme. It might, just might, even justify us going to Iraq. It's much more popular to discuss how the war on terror is overblown.