CONFLICT IN CHECHNYA

March 2003
		The struggle for independence in Chechnya, now more than ten years old, has claimed thousands of lives and stunted economic growth in the small republic. What drives the conflict? Thomas de Waal, a journalist who has written extensively on Russia and the Caucasus, answers your questions on the complex situation. Mr. de Waal is editor of the Institute for War and Peace Reporting's weekly Caucasus Reporting Service, which carries regular reports from Chechnya and can be found at www.iwpr.net.

Online NewsHour Special Report: Conflict in Chechnya Forum Introduction Why is Russia not letting Chechnya go since others were let out of the old Soviet Union? Do you feel that the Russian government's main interest in Chechnya has been the oil line that runs through the territory? If the Cold War is supposedly over, why does the American Press so play up the unrealistically anti-Russian angle of "the Chechens are (supposedly) freedom fighters, and the Russians are oppressors?" Are there any lessons to be learned from the struggle in Chechnya in terms of urban warfare and the particular challenge it presents? Do you see any chance for a future potential political settlement between Moscow and separatist Chechen leaders?

Karl from Boston, Massachusetts asks: If the Cold War is supposedly over, why does the American Press so play up the unrealistically anti-Russian angle of "the Chechens are (supposedly) freedom fighters, and the Russians are oppressors"? I lived in Russia for two years (and my wife is Russian), and one of the safest generalizations about expatriate Americans in St Petersburg is, they've learned so little (in comparison to what they knew of Russia when they were back in the States), but they are quick to presume that now, they know it all, and they've got it down cold. No American coverage of the Chechen conflict takes into consideration Chechen mafia activities in Moscow or Petersburg. And it was only with the Moscow theatre incident that the U.S. began to understand that, in fact, Russia is here dealing with terrorists. End of rant. But seriously, can America possibly learn a little less arrogance, as we roam about the globe and "report" the news? Thomas de Waal responds: Dear Karl: I can mainly judge from the British press, rather than the American press, but I wouldn't agree with your first statement. Last October I was struck by a very hostile and prejudiced tone towards Chechens in a lot of the reporting of the Moscow theatre siege. One BBC reporter, interviewed live from Moscow, said that roughly that, "I have reported a lot from Chechnya and they are bloodthirsty bunch, who are ready for to commit any act of violence." He made no distinction between different kinds of Chechens. In the 1994-6 war the Chechen fighters did get good press in the Western media and I can understand why as I was one of the reporters who spent time among them. Ordinary Chechen fighters and their supporters amongst the civilian population were exceptionally generous and helpful to foreign reporters, while the Russian military refused to cooperate with us at all. Were we being manipulated? Yes, probably in retrospect. But that resistance movement did certainly have mass support among the population -- which can't be said for the current group of fighters, who are much more radical. Even now, I would say that the Chechen rebel movement breaks down into lots of different parts. There is a fringe who we can definitely call "terrorists" and there are criminal elements, but there are still a large number who are similar to the sort of politically-motivated rebels we see all over the world, whether in Kosovo, Iraqi Kurdistan or many parts of Africa.