The territories of Dagestan and Chechnya until a decade ago were all part of the Soviet Union, whether they liked it or not. Although these areas boasted a long tradition of independence from the Russian authorities from the north, they had been firmly brought and kept inside the Soviet orbit by Stalin and his successors. However, with the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 the outer republics such as Chechnya began to declare their independence from Moscow. Then in 1994, Chechnya and Russia fought a war that ended in Chechnya humiliating Russia and bringing about de facto independence. Chechnya, and neighboring Dagestan, are both bitterly poor nations and devoutly Muslim. Much of the drive to be independent of Russia carries with it an Islamic contingent; in Chechnya, the most radical anti-Russians are those who have declared a "jihad" against the powers in Moscow. Russia has fought to subdue the peoples of the Caucuses to its rule for hundreds of years, and the latest rounds of fighting appear to be just another act in that play.
Questions to keep in mind: How big a role does Islam play in the revolts in Chechnya and Dagestan? How is Islam practiced or seen differently in Dagestan and Chechnya? What was the motivation for Russia and Chechnya in the 1996 war? What was the outcome? Do people in Chechnya look at themselves as "Chechnyans" or "Russians"? Do the people in Chechnya support the Muslim separatists or the Russian government? Why is Russia attacking Chechnya now? What do you think will be the outcome? How have Muslims from the Middle East affected the struggle?
RESEARCH LINKS
Check out Caucuses coverage at Yahoo! and BBC: Battle for the Caucasus. Radio Free Europe also has a good Chechnya section; and don't forget to check out The Conflict in Chechnya, a great source of information. For an overview of rebellion, check this out: CNN 1996 Year in Review: Chechnya and the Guardian Unlimited's Special Report on Chechnya.
Stay up to date with latest news! Check out: The Chechen Times- The First Chechen newspaper in USA; ABCnews Latest news related to Chechnya; Yahoo News Headlines related to Chechnya.
Check out Jihad in Chechnya, the Jihad of Imam Shamyl, An Organization Promoting the Interests of the People of Chechnya.
Read all the great articles about Chechnya at Britannica. Cool links! Check it out!
Get good Chechnya pictures here and here. Also at Chechnya Photos (Excite) and Eddy van Wessel Photography, Chechnya - Grozny.
WAR IN CHECHNYA: Russia declared victory in Chechnya, but the conflict isn't over. After a background report, two experts examine the conflict over the breakaway republic.
Russia Today, Chechnya as seen on RuAn Organization Promoting the Interests of the People of Chechnyassian TV, Unofficial Chechnya Homepage, Time Magazine . June 10, 1996 -- "For votes in a hated war, Yeltsin negotiates a truce.", Time Magazine. December 12, 1994 -- Secessionism in Chechnya, and "Chechens chafe under Russian rule."
The Lost American, story of an American killed in Chechnya, and Kidnappers Give Chechnya a Bad Name is of a similar nature. Excellent section at Killing Chechnya. Also check out the cool and comprehensive Unrest in the Caucuses and Revolt in Dagestan. Check out this link about oil in Central Asia: Political Pipeline. Know this article about the tension between a "Chechnyan" vs. "Russian" identity and a Chechen view of Russia's war (BBC News),.
Crisis in North Caucasus - analysis, interviews, maps, and research. From the Center for Defense Information. What's Going On In Chechnya? - transcript of interview with Sergei Plekhanov, an expert on Russian affairs and York University professor. RealAudio version on the interview also available. From the CBC, October 5, 1999. Human Rights Watch: Chechnya - press releases/reports on the Russian incursion into Chechnya. Oneworld.net: Chechnya - includes news reports, background information, and analysis. Russia vs. Chechnya: Round Two - timeline and backgrounder from Infoplease.com. Chechen Republic Online - news, maps, audiovisual content, and more on the Republic. Russian Government Yahoo! Clubs: Chechnya - online communities with message boards, chat, calendar, and other tools. Dagestan - introduction to the area, with pictures, and maps that put the republic in geographical and ethnic context. Also check out Dagestan Coverage at Yahoo!
The Lost American, story of an American killed in Chechnya. Excellent section at Killing Chechnya. Also check out the cool and comprehensive Unrest in the Caucuses and Revolt in Dagestan. Also, read "The Chechen War and Russia's Identity Crisis" by Dmitri Shlapentoky.
Check out this link about oil in Central Asia: Political Pipeline. Aslo, read an Abridged History of Central Asia by William M. Brinton and pay attention to oil.
NPR: Islam in Central Asia, Russia and Religion, Religious Freedom and Russia, Schismatics, Russian Dagestan
Russians Continue Push on Grozny -- NPR's Anne Garrels reports that residents in the Russian control town of Gudermes are displeased with the Russian presence in their town. Russian troops now control one third of the Chechen capital, Grozny, and are fighting their way to the center of the city still held by Islamic militants.
Check out all these Jim Lehr Newshour reports:
January 19, 2000 - Former Russian Prime Minister Yegor Gaidar, the first prime minister after the collapse of the Soviet Union reveals his perspective on the political turmoil that Russia has undergone from the Kremlin to Chechnya.
January 3, 2000 -- Russia's New President Analysts Michael McFaul, a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; Dimitri Simes, president of the Nixon Center for Peace and Freedom and author of After the Collapse: Russia Seeks Its Place as a Great Power; Leon Aron, a resident scholar at American Enterprise Institute; and Stephen Cohen, professor of Russian studies at New York University and author of Rethinking the Soviet Experience discuss Russia’s change in leadership.
December 17, 1999 -- Bombs and Ballots Correspondent Simon Marks of Feature Story News reports from Moscow on Sunday’s Chechnya-laden elections in Russia.
November 18, 1999 -- The Chechen Conflict Martha Brill Olcott, senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; Frederick Starr, chairman of the Central Asia Institute at Johns Hopkins University; and Dimitri Simes, president of the Nixon Center, discuss the Clinton-Yeltsin differences over the war in Chechnya.
November 18, 1999 -- The Chechen Conflict Martha Brill Olcott, senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; Frederick Starr, chairman of the Central Asia Institute at Johns Hopkins University; and Dimitri Simes, president of the Nixon Center, discuss the Clinton-Yeltsin differences over the war in Chechnya.
October 25, 1999 -- The Continuing Chechnya Conflict Gwen Ifill discusses the Russian attack on the breakaway republic with Michael McFaul, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Stanford University and William Ury, Associate Director of Harvard University's program on negotiation.
August 12, 1999 -- Holy War? Three years after fighting in Chechnya ended, a new revolt has begun in the Russian republic of Dagestan. What will it cost Russia to keep Dagestan from breaking away?
September 29, 1997 -- Religion In Russia A new Russian law limits all religions outside the Orthodox Church.
