Neil Hauer is a journalist and analyst based in Tbilisi, Georgia. His work focuses on the Syrian conflict, primarily Russia's role, as well as conflict and politics in the North and South Caucasus, especially Chechnya, where he conducts regular fieldwork. He holds an MA in post-Soviet studies from Canada's Carleton University and served as a senior intelligence analyst at The SecDev Group, an Ottawa-based consultancy, for three years.