The article reviews the process of transformation of management strategies of politic management elite in the regions of North Caucasus. The scientific analysis is carried out in the context of social conditions of modern value-institutional crisis. The author considers the changes in values of North Caucasus peoples and inner and outer factors that lead to the modification in the character of managing these regions. The article studies the practices of power transition and making an own system of power by new leaders. It deals with such factors influencing the management of regions as increasing the meaning of religion and religious extremism, the meaning of ethnic mobilization strife mechanisms. The influence of these factors is shown on the examples of the Republics of North Ossetia-Alania, Dagestan, Kab ardino Balkaria, Chechnya, Ingushetia. The author examines the possible strategies of how Russian federal authorities may react on conflicts in regional elite and principles of their interaction with regional elite.

The paper discusses the problem of difficult conflicts, whose dynamics is characterised by intensifi cation of factors influencing the course of a conflict, and conflicts which are considerably difficult to resolve. Among many conflicts of high intensity and escalation it is legitimate to identify a specific group of conflicts which can be viewed in a special way due to their parameters. The author of the paper suggests that they should be distinguished and regarded as a specific type of conflict called an expansive conflict. Expansive means expanding in size or scope, aiming at extension of influence or power, or in another sense: insistent and intemperate in expression of feelings, quick-tempered, effusive. Expansiveness means striving for enhancement of one’s impact, impulsiveness and effusiveness, as well as a kind of possessiveness manifested in extending one’s influence to more and more new areas. Therefore, asking about expansiveness, we pose questions: why – who – where – how strong – how fast. Th ese are the questions about the origin, parties to the confl ict, its place, force and rate of spreading. This uncomplicated model can be used to describe a conflict. The introduction of the notion of an expansive conflict can be justified and applied in practice for conflict processes of the extraordinary course, especially in relation to macro conflicts originating in the sphere of politics (superpower policy versus democratisation), economy (corporations) or culture (expansion of mass culture).