Chechnya: Calamity in the Caucasus

Rating:
Summary: An account of the first phase of the conflict
Review: As of the writing of this book, the Chechnyans had successfully repelled the Russian army and achieved a de facto independence that was not recognized by the rest of the world. Subsequent events have shown that Russia was not through with Chechnya by a long shot. This is a fascinating and grusome account of how Russia first attempted to pacify its rebellious province and how the Chechnyan hatred of the Russians goes back well over a hundred years. Stalin deported the entire population of the area to Central Asia during World War Two, cementing the Checnyans hatred of Moscow. That the West has allowed the slaughter in Chechnya to continue without more than a peep of a protest is shameful. This is a compelling book that deserves a wider audience, as well as a sequel.

Rating:
Summary: An account of the first phase of the conflict
Review: As of the writing of this book, the Chechnyans had successfully repelled the Russian army and achieved a de facto independence that was not recognized by the rest of the world. Subsequent events have shown that Russia was not through with Chechnya by a long shot. This is a fascinating and grusome account of how Russia first attempted to pacify its rebellious province and how the Chechnyan hatred of the Russians goes back well over a hundred years. Stalin deported the entire population of the area to Central Asia during World War Two, cementing the Checnyans hatred of Moscow. That the West has allowed the slaughter in Chechnya to continue without more than a peep of a protest is shameful. This is a compelling book that deserves a wider audience, as well as a sequel.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent survey of the Chechen Conflict
Review: I found this book an excellent survey of the causes, conduct, and results of the Chechen conflict. The only distracting item is that the authors switch from the third person to the first person,without any transition, when recalling interviews or situations while they were in Chechnya. This book is a must for students of contemporary history of Chechnya, Russia, and the Russian military's ineffectiveness in this conflict. This story is far from over and this book helps one understand how the Russians and the Chechens got to where they are today.

Rating:
Summary: good account, but superficial
Review: It is funny how the public opinion of many small European countries is reluctant to recognize necessity of a burden, which large states -USA, China, India or Russia must carry. This burden is opposing terrorism (regardless of it's origin). These small countries it seems to me are enjoying being an impediment. For example, Danish authorities have refused to extradite Akhmed Zakayev to Russia. Russia wanted him, because allegedly this spokesman of the Chechen guerillas was involved in the terrorist activities. The Danes disagreed and let him freely leave the country. The Belgian embassy in London issued him a European Visa several months before. Some Dutchmen unfortunately are no better. The Netherlands is home country of the publisher of `Moscow Times' and the authors of `Chechnya' - who were also correspondents of this paper in 1997. I think the paper is alright, and both Gall and de Waal obviously have some strong journalistic qualities. But I think they have totally failed to give a balanced account on Chechnya, to the point where some pages sound to me like a mouthpiece for the Chechen rebels.

Coming back to my point, these small countries are enjoying being on the sidelines, comfortably placed in the Northern fringes of Europe. And all they do is criticizing countries, which stuck with unpleasant role. Why? May be these two authors of `Chechnya' are seeking in Chechens the qualities that they don't have, or their home countries don't possess? They don't have high mountains, deserts or the Islamic Shariah Law, for sure. May be the bored European intellectuals are tired the liberal democracy and seek truths in Islam or, perhaps, Whirling Dervishes? May be some of them are like this kid from the West Coast family of means - John Walker Lindh - who joined Taliban in Afghanistan. I do not know, may be Vanessa Redgrave knows. But it is strange to read a book, in which none other than Shamil Basayev is called `a gifted commander', or `witty' and `personable'. Although the authors know perfectly well that in Russia this person is like Osama bin Laden for the United States. Enemy number one.

The Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev started out with high-jacking of a Russian plane to Turkey in 1991. Then he personally headed the devastating raid to the Russian town of Budyonnovsk in 1995 when the biggest ever number of hostages was taken - more than 1,000 people. Many people were killed during this incursion. Basayev personally ordered execution of some of the hostages, as it is described in the book. Nevertheless, Gall and de Waal took the position, which is not uncommon in the European intellectual circles. This position boils down to the following: the Chechens have the noble intentions; this is the Russians who force them to do bad things. And the Russians deserve it anyway.

At least this is a position. Sure, the Russian army didn't manage the Chechen war well from the humanitarian point of view. The war was messy and brutal as sometimes war is. Often they acted heavy-handedly, not only because they faced the fiercest resistance from the Chechens, but also they were not ready. The Russians were unprepared for the war, since the country was in economic and political turmoil after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Many were avoiding the draft. Russian army was demoralized and wasn't even trained for this kind of mountain guerilla war, where would be no fixed front line and where wouldn't be possible to tell enemy from the friend. The internal armed insurgency led by the group of tough thugs fanatically devoted to their cause was something new to the Russians, and they were not ready to deal with it. It turned out Russians couldn't just coax the Chechens with compromises - they had to fight, if they wanted to keep the Russian federation alive. But it also turned out that the way the Russians started to fight was wrong.

But was it there an alternative to fighting? The authors are silent. The danger was further disintegration of Russia, as others would be looking to chip away like Chechnya. Chechnya was not Afghanistan. Not only it was a member of Russian Federation, it is also had 250,000 -strong Russian community. Also the huge difference with Afghanistan was the fact that the Chechen Mujaheddin, unlike the Afghani Mujaheddin, could speak Russian, look like Russians, act like Russians. That made them a very dangerous enemy.

I think this book, which was written in 1997, didn't pass the test of time. Unfortunately, it has failed to make a meaningful analysis of the conflict and predict the future events. The chip on their shoulders is way too big. I suspect the book was not intended as an analysis, but rather `war journalism', in which the authors catalog the `crimes'. Unfortunately, all the crimes are Russian, while the Chechen are romantic freedom fighters, described with warmest feelings.

The book has failed to tell the truth, i.e. the fact that with Russian withdrawal from Chechnya and disintegration of the power-base, the thuggish element took the upper hand in Chechnya in 1991-1995 and then again in 1996-1999. These thugs are describes as freedom fighters. The journalistic style is also little weird: sometimes the authors use the first person, sometimes they don't - I assume a difficulty of writing book together. I believe that they were told about many events in the book, rather than witnessed them directly. Much was told by Dudaev, Basayev, Raduyev, and by other Chechen separatist leaders directly to Carlotta Gall. It is known how objective these guys are (or were) - and the book suffers from the same symptoms. I can't recommend it, unless you are a Mujaheddin looking for summer reading.

Rating:
Summary: Very good overall account
Review: The book is a little slow in the begining going back far in the history of the Chechens but to understand what is going on today you need to know what happend awhile ago. Once you get brought up to date the book goes quickly....great writing/reporting.

Rating:
Summary: Decent (but skewed) Overview
Review: This book is a decent introduction for non-specialists who didn't necessarily follow events as they were unfolding a few years ago. However, to its discredit I have to say that it is clearly pro-Chechen, almost to the point of being propaganda in some places. The authors seem to buy into the romantic, historical image of the Chechen freedom fighter, but only emphasize the atrocities committed by the Russians. I suppose that's an occupational hazard faced by war journalists who spend a lot of time covering a conflict among the forces of one side. After all, every point of view has limitiations.

Rating:
Summary: Chechnya: Calamity in the Caucasus
Review: This is a well-researched book. From media reports, the question often asked is Chechnya a "rogue province of Russia or independent state?" You can form you own opinion by reading this book, among others that cover this conflict.
There is a lot of general information about the Chechens and their culture in this book. It paints a picture of who these people are. Chechen history and their relationship with Russia has been mired in conflict for centuries. From the author's point of view, the Chechens have been not treated very well by their mammoth neighbor to the north, and constant intrusions upon them has caused them to suffer because of this oppression. The deportations of Chechens to Kazakstan by Stalin are among other things that fuel the conflict today, and the operation and ramifications of their exile were explained in a full chapter. The cultural norms cited in the book are very interesting. Traditions, dances, swords and feuds, and a fervent desire for autonomy. Beheading takes place, with the head of the enemy shown around the town. This book did appear to sympathize with the Chechens. But that's for each individual to decide.

A lot of information is given about the internal Chechen and Russian political, diplomatic, and military events and strategies that occurred during and after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The actions of Dudayev and Yeltsin are noted throughout the book.

Rating:
Summary: A Little Break from History
Review: When journalists start to write history--beware. There will be some limitations. Those are apparent here in the method--what was learned by two journalists assigned to Chechnya for a 3 year period, approximately, in the mid-1990s. The book was published in 1998.

Despite those method weaknesses, and others pointed out by other reviewers, I recommend this book for a few reasons. It is a harkening back to the time of Yeltsin, whom it seemed the American administrations were very fearful of living without--now we have some history with Mr. Putin. And, we know the epilogue is continued problems with the Chechens, and Islam. In this regard the book is a very readable prologue to what we faced after 9/11, and provides some historical background. It doubt that 1 of 100 Americans could find Chechnya on a map, yet this is part of the world region that will determine the fate of the world.

Highly recommended for intelligence and counterintelligence enthusiasts, because you have to learn a new way of thinking to understand this conflict. It isn't the Cold War, and it isn't the Holocaust.