The Chechen knot

Abstract

The conflict between Russia and the separatists Chechen forces from December 1994 and August 1996 may be seen by future generations as a decisive period in Russian and probably the world history. In later years it might not be the actual consequences of this conflict, but the dissolution of Russia as a great and Imperial power, which will be of interest to the historians. The causes of the defeat of Russia in Chechnya root in evolving processes of Russian demography, society and culture, in the essential weakness of contemporary Russia, which is not only due to the collapse of Soviet Union and its consequences, but to the process of privatisation of state and power, which started over thirty years ago. Chapter 1 deals with the so called two hundred years war, illuminating the history and the context of the Russian and Chechen conflict with a condensed description of the Russia wars against the mountaineers. This description is followed by a resume of the situation in pre-revolutionary Chechnya as well as of the North Caucasus after revolution and under Soviet Rule. In chapter 2, I deal with the origins of war between Russia and Chechnya from 1991 to 1994, by giving a detailed account of the Chechen revolt of the 1990s. This account is then followed by a description of Dudayev's regime from 1991 to 1994, which by mid 1993 had led to a wide spread disillusionment and growing support for the Chechen opposition. The then situation had called for Russia's decision to intervene. Chapter 3 concerns itself with the beginning of the actual war, which by February 1996 is estimated to have cost the life of 50,000 people, made 250,000 homeless and driven 500,000 into refuge. The war raged on and let to the storm of Grozny. Then I give an account of victory and defeat from January 1996 to January 1997 and their consequent evolution. Chapter 4 deals with the concerns of the role of the OSCE and the situation if human rights in Chechnya by fist longer concentrating on OSCE's role in the conflict of my subject, followed by an outline of the state of human rights in post war Chechnya. In the final. part of my work I concentrate on the North Caucasus knot and elaborate the implications of the conflict in Chechnya. There is no doubt that the Russian government chose the wrong methods in dealing with the growing conflict. What the war really shows is the weakness and corruption of the Russian administration and the law enforcement bodies. Developments in Chechnya will inevitably affect long term development in the Caucasus and this development will inevitably affect other regions and countries.