Chechnya at War and Beyond

Iran and the Caucasus, 2017

The review article analyses several key publications on the Chechen conflict in the light of the portraits of Maskhadov and other prominent figures of the post-1991 Chechen insur-gencies, with a view on the inner controversies between secularist and jihadist wings of this anti-Russian separatist movement.

Ethnopolitics

Souleimanov’s book offers familiar facts and perspectives on the Russian–Chechen conflict. Its first three chapters identify the historical roots of Chechen–Russian confrontation. Other books do this just as well, or even better. Similarly, subsequent chapters on the independence movement and the first Russo–Chechen war add few new facts or insights. Still, for readers unfamiliar with the conflict the book offers as good an introduction as any. It contains, however, a wealth of new information on post-1996 developments (chapter 6 onwards). Souleimanov’s description of the incursion of Salafi-Jihadist fighters into Dagestan in late 1999 (especially pp. 144–150), for example, covers a neglected episode.

Kritika 5:3 (2004): 543-560

The Russia-Chechnya relations have a long history of both, violent and low-level protracted insurgency. Recently, however, the events in Ukraine and Syria region have caused concern, not least because Chechen rebels, amongst others, have been ‘spotted’ on the ground. The presentation will seek to analyze the current situation and the potential future scenarios of the security nexus within the region, and determine what motivates the Chechen rebels in their move from a purely separatist ideology to a more extremist one.

Within five years of the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, ethnic conflicts spilled throughout its territory, most of them in the Russian Federation. An analysis of scope and intensity of a conflict with one of Russia’s two hundred ethnic minorities is the focus of this book. The conflict in Chechnya erupted into two full-scale wars, fought during the decade of Russia’s turbulent transition from communism toward democracy. Using a variety of sources–governmental documents, monographs, diaries of military and political leaders, reports, and contemporary periodicals–the author examines the roots of the conflict and responses to the wars from the media, political parties, and diplomatic circles in Russia and the United States. The Chechen wars have demonstrated the limits of the concept of self-determination for an abused minority population. The military operation in Chechnya has eroded Russian democracy and strengthened those within the military and security forces who call for a return to the old ways. For many in today’s Russian elite, the restoration of the lost Soviet empire might be the ultimate objective. The developments in the future deserve the world's attention.

This paper brings to light the history between the Chechen and the Russian people discussing the Chechen rebels perspective, the Russian peoples perspective, and the Chechen peoples perspective in the most recent conflict in Chechnya. It, with the help of Anna Politkovskaya's excellent book "a small corner of hell" sheds light on the concentration camps, and civil rights abuses that the Russian government has perpetrated against the Chechen people. Additionally, it also brings to light the perspective of the Chechen people who are caught between appeasing the Russian government and facing the brunt of of a group that denigrates everything they hold dear, the Chechen rebels (who they call "Wahabbi's"), or the alternate reality, pleasing the rebels and facing the full brunt of the Russian military. It finally discusses the transformation of those that would eventually become these rebels. It documents their transformation from freedom fighters in the early 1990's, to the criminals they are today. This paper discusses the history of the Chechen's search for independence by attempting to highlight the struggle on all sides and coming to the conclusion that the only people hurt in this struggle are the Chechen people themselves.

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2014

The present survey deals with the causes, dynamics and termination of the Second Chechen war. At a preliminary stage, it offers a brief overview of the main theories applied for explaining the emergence of internal conflicts. Then, it deals with the formal outbreak of the Second Chechen war and examines whether the Second Chechen war does prima facie constitute a civil war. Afterwards, it focuses on the main causes that led to this conflict. In this respect, factors such as previous wars, fragile institutions as well as activities and interests of so-called entrepreneurs of violence are briefly discussed. Hereafter, it examines the financial and organizational opportunities of the Second Chechen war. The ideological transformation of the conflict is followed by the analysis of its dynamics and termination. In this context, issues concerning its weakening, the course to normality as well as the recourse to terrorist methods are to be examined.

This chapter deals with the way in which the period between the two Chechen wars (1996)(1997)(1998)(1999) was sabotaged by spoilers. Maskhadov, who was head of the Chechen army in Ichkeria-though elected President of Chechnya in 1997-was rapidly weakened by other Chechen ex-combatants, grouped mainly around the Islamists. Taking into account Moscow's inf luence on the young independent state of Chechnya and its possible collusion with spoilers inside the country, this chapter attempts to analyze how the nonreintegration of ex-combatants into the postwar social and political framework fostered the spread of violence and undermined the authority of the newly elected president. All this in a context of quasi-total destruction and the absence of a political tradition of the state in Chechnya, along with the growing power of the Islamists.

Anthropological Quarterly, 2005