RUSSIAN ETHNICITY

Russia III   Geography: Meet the Profs  Map test: Europe and Russian Federation only: 20 questions  Review  End of Russian Realm – Chechnya and Conflict – Mackinder’s Heartland Theory – Transcaucasian Republics

North Caucasus  Distance decay and periphery of Russian empire  Putin’s centralism  3 Muslim republics: Islamist movement  Strategic resources: –Oil wells –Pipelines  Russification, Stalin’s deportations, guerilla warfare

Roots of the Chechen Conflict I   Russian conquest of Chechnya, Ingushetiya and Dagestan c   Chechens deported to Kazakhstan and Siberia by Stalin   Chechen-Ingush ASR restored by Krushchev   Agriculture in north   Oil installations and urban core, Grozny in centre – –Dagestan is vital oil source within Russian Federation   Caucasus in south, difficult to control – –crestline forms boundary with Georgia

Roots of the Chechen Conflict II   In 1992, Chechens attempt to put their leader in place over Ingush   Partitioned by Moscow with Chechen capital in Grozny   Chechens refuse to sign Russian Federation Treaty in 1992   Russia invades in 1994, Grozny destroyed   Local guerrillas vs. Russian conscripts   Terrorism – –335 children killed in Beslan, North Ossetia (Christian) in 2004 – –Moscow theatre hostage-taking kills 115 in 2002

CHECHNYA: Regional Issue  IN SUPPORT OF RUSSIAN CONTROL –Infighting after independence was granted in 1991 –Chechens installed a separatist leader –Attacks on Russians –Chechen terrorism  WHY CHECHNYA DESERVES INDEPENDENCE –Muslim region, fought against the Russian imperialists in nineteenth century –Soviets rearranged the borders to include non- Chechen homeland, Russifying the internal republic – Massive persecution during Stalin’s regime –1991 Declaration of Independence

Halford Mackinder  Educated at Oxford, Mt Kenya 1899  Established geography as academic subject  Director of the London School of Economics  View of Eurasia as the geographical pivot and "heartland" of history.  Theory gets little attention in Britain or USA  Heartland as natural seat of power adopted in Germany and was used to support Nazi aggression

How geographic facts influence policies Pivot Area Consisted of the Moscow region, the Volga valley, the Urals, Central Asia, and western and central Siberia. MACKINDER’S WORLD

Heartland Who rules East Europe commands the Heartland; who rules the Heartland commands the World Island; who rules the World Island commands the World. HEARTLAND THEORY

Heartland Land Rim SPYKMAN’S RIMLAND Who controls the Rimland rules Eurasia; who rules Eurasia controls the destinies of the world.

TRANSCAUCASIA Azerbaijan Armenia Georgia

Transacaucasian Republics  Georgia – Tbilisi – 4.4 million –Eastern Orthodox –Caucasian language family –Black Sea coast  Armenia – Yerevan – 3.8 million –Armenian Orthodox Church,  Mount Ararat –World War I genocide in Ottoman Empire  ‘Young Turks’ –Nagorno-Karabakh – an Armenian exclave in Azerbaijan

Ethnic Cleansing of Armenians in Turkey

Azerbaijan  Baki (Baku) million  Azeris also in northern Iran  Shi’ite Muslim, Turkic language family  Conflict with Armenia over Nagorno- Karabakh  Naxcivan: Azeri exclave between Armenia and Iran  Massive oil in Caspian basin  Pipeline to Novorossiysk, Black Sea

RUSSIA’S EXTERNAL CHALLENGES  Natural resource distribution –Many natural resources now in former soviet republics  Irredentism –Concern for Russians outside its borders  National pride –Determined to remain the champion of Slavic interests – Pan-Slavism?? –Desire to remain a world power  Centrifugal forces –Caucasian periphery