Chechnya

Chechens have lived since ancient times in the foothills and mountain valleys they inhabit today, growing crops and herding livestock. Almost all Chechens are Muslims Sheikh Mansur: elected sheikh 1780s: Muslim Chechens had retaken the area 200 years after his death, Sheikh Mansur continues to inspire Chechens resisting the Russian army's assault on their land

Chechnya and Russia, to 1936 Though repeatedly forced to submit to Russian domination for two or three decades at a time, Chechens never fully accepted incorporation by Russia. They periodically rebelled, as during the Russo-Turkish Wars in 1877 and After the imperial Russian government was overthrown in 1917, the Chechens joined other North Caucasians in setting up a Mountaineer Republic. The Soviets responded by first taking it over and then spent several years breaking it up, “giving” ethnic groups separate territories. This enabled the Russians to play one group against another, making it easier to control the ethnic populations. In 1936 the Chechens and the Ingush were joined in a newly created Chechen-Ingush ASSR, a component of the giant Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic.

During Soviet Control One of 21 Russian republics Part of the joint Chechen-Ingush autonomous republic of Soviet Russia from 1936 until 1991, when it declared itself independent The Russian government refused to recognize Chechnya’s independence Why do you think there is little record of Chechen rebellions during Soviet rule?

Since 1991 December 1994 Russian troops invaded the republic Fighting between Russian and Chechen forces continued until August 1996 Resulted in more than 40,000 deaths In August 1999 hundreds of Islamic guerrillas crossed into Dagestan from Chechnya and occupied several villages, claiming the formation of a separate Islamic territory In late September Russian warplanes began a campaign of air strikes against targets in Chechnya. In October Russian ground forces entered Chechnya with the goal of capturing the region. This renewed fighting between Russian and Chechen forces in 1999 left thousands more dead and the republic in ruins under Russian military occupation.

In May 2000 Russian president Vladimir Putin declared that Chechnya would be ruled federally. Akhmad Kadyrov was appointed by the Kremlin to replace Chechen president Maskhadov. Maskhadov ignored the federal government’s demand for his unconditional surrender and became one of the principal leaders of the Chechen insurgency. In 2003 a new constitution affirmed Chechnya’s status as a republic within the Russian Federation.

Russians Shell Chechnya Russian soldiers shell a Chechen town east of Groznyy in February Analysts estimate that the war in Chechnya has taken at least 20,000 lives, including civilians. BETTMANN/Viktor Korotayev/REUTERS

An anguished Chechen woman wiped away tears as she stood in front of the wreckage of her home in Groznyy, the capital of Chechnya. Groznyy was almost completely destroyed after Russian forces invaded Chechnya in late 1994 to suppress the republic’s moves toward independence.

Halted Peace March in Chechnya Russian troops occupied the republic of Chechnya to suppress a separatist movement there in late The Russian government’s decision to use force against the Chechen separatists, which produced thousands of casualties, was criticized both domestically and internationally. Here, women on a peace march to Samashki in western Chechnya are turned back by Russian troops on April 15, AP/Wide World Photos/Huynh Cong

Recent events In October 2002 a band of 41 Chechen guerrillas seized a theater in Moscow, taking about 800 civilians hostage and rigging the theater with explosives. They demanded the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from Chechnya. Russian special forces stormed the theater after pumping an opiate-based gas into the building to disable the rebels, all of whom were killed. Most of the 129 hostage deaths were due to the effects of the powerful gas. Shortly after the hostage crisis, Putin announced a referendum would be held in Chechnya on a proposed new constitution that affirmed Chechnya’s status as a republic within the Russian Federation.

The vote was held in Chechnya in March Official results showed extremely high voter turnout and an overwhelming majority vote in favor of the new constitution. Under the constitution, Chechnya is allowed an unspecified level of autonomy and an elected government but is subordinate to federal law. Chechen rebels claimed that the vote, which they had boycotted, was a political farce and stated their intent to continue their secessionist struggle Do you think the Chechens are right? Was the vote legit?

Why Chechnya? Is it oil? Groznyy oil was valuable to Russia. In the 1960s, however, new fields in central Asia and Siberia eclipsed those in the Caucasus. The wells in Chechnya and Azerbaijan continued to produce, but Moscow invested little in them Oil specialists who examined the Chechen wells and refineries judged the costs of rehabilitation too high to justify the risk of investment in the face of legal and political uncertainties. Russian President Boris Yeltsin has never mentioned oil in trying to justify the invasion. The real reasons for the invasion seem to be Russian nationalists' resentment of the Chechens' desire for independence, and fear that if the Chechens succeeded, other ethnic groups would follow their example.

Chechnya as a symbol How does Chechnya represent Russia’s problems with federalism? How does Chechnya represent the ethnic tensions in Russia? What do you predict Russia will do in Chechnya? Why do you think Russia continues to pursue Chechnya?

Other Russian quarrels Legislative vs Executive Social Welfare? Regional power vs Central government Separatist question- Chechnya? Role of individuals in political system Fraud, corruption, secret police Terrorism Ethic or religious differences Inflation Free rides vs pay as you go Tsar era vs Soviet era vs modern Western cultural influence Treatment of women Relationship to former Soviet states Reform vs Stability Slow transition or quick Political process or rule by decree Oligarchs and monopoly Loans and debt Capital flight Control of media US/Russia Relationship Expansion of NATO Poverty Alcoholism Russia vs minorities Westerizers vs Slavophiles United Nations, Security Council