Conflict+in+Chechnya

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__**Current Policy **__ The Chechens are a largely Muslim ethnic group that has lived for centuries in the North Caucasus region. For the past two hundred years, Chechens have resisted Russian rule. In August 1999, Chechen militants invaded neighboring Dagestan to support a separatist movement, and the following month a series of bombs exploded in Moscow killing nearly 300 people. The Russian government responded by launching the Second Chechen War, which ended with the destruction of the Chechen capital of Grozny.



On October 2002 40 to 50 armed Chechens who claimed allegiance to the Islamist militant separatist movement in Chechnya took 850 hostages and demanded the withdrawal of Russian forces from Chechnya and an end to the Second Chechen War. The siege was officially led by Movsar Barayev. However the siege was ineffective and just two and a half days later Russian Spetsnaz forces took control of the situation.

Today, this type of full-scale military action is no longer a part of Russian policy due to the decentralizing of Chechen militant separatist movement in the wake of their defeat. The Federal Security Service, President Medvedev, and Prime Minister Putin, who control current policy-making and implementation regarding Chechnya, view the self-proclaimed "freedom fighters" as terrorist networks. Often the Russian government goes as far as to blame failure to end the conflict or to prevent specific attacks upon the ties that Chechen terrorists have to other international terror networks.

 In order to combat the compartmentalized and loosely connected network of separatist fighters, Moscow has supplied the local government in Chechnya with the weapons and other resources necessary to deal with any crisis, such as a hostage situation. The Federal Security Service is responsible for tracking down leaders of these groups, who are nearly as likely to be assassinated as captured for questioning upon discovery. Medvedev recently suggested that ethnic and religious tensions in the Norther Caucasus could be relieved by increasing infrastructure and economic development in the area. Unfortunately, this position was not supported by the Chechens nor the Russian nationalists and Medvedev did not further pursue this area of policy.

Go to the following link for information on Current Situation in Chechnya

__**Public Opinion **__
 * || Dec 99’ || Mar 00’ ||  || Dec 94’ || Jan 95’ ||
 * Continue Operation || 67% || 70% || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">Continue Operation || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">30% || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">16% ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">Enter Negotiations || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">22% || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">22% || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">Oppose Bombardment || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">36% || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">71% ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">Don’t know || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">11% || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">8% || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">Immediate Withdrawal || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">23% ||  ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">Source: VCIOM Survey 1999-2000; 1994-1996 ||

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">The Russian people as a whole support United Russia and the Liberal-Democrats in their war against Chechnya. They see Chechnyans as terrorists, and, due to propoganda administered by the government, they are constantly fearful of bombings, kidnappings, and other such things by the Chechnyans. This view can also largely be attributed to the state controlled media of Russia. This current (as views have not changed much while United Russia has been in control) opinion poll also highlights the difference between the public opinion towards the first and second wars in Chechnya. In the first, there was a healthy amount of freedom of press, and a lack of propaganda by the newly formed democratic government. This allowed people to see what was truly happening in Chechnya, and they (the people) openly disagreed with it. However, in the second Chechnyan war, the government under Putin has had a much tighted reign on the media, and has published much more propaganda. Thus, many more people have supported Russia's actions against this "terrorist" federation.

__**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">Political Parties Stances **__

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;"> //United Russia//: United Russia supports the suppression of the rebellions by the Chechnyans. Notably, in the autumn of 1999, Prime Minister Putin's popularity soared to double digit figures after he decisively sent troops to the rebellious Chechnya republic in response to terrorist bombings in Moscow and other cities and in response for the Chechen invasion of Dagestan. Putin's war effort was hugely popular and positively endorsed by government controlled media outlets. Since then United Russia has continued to support at tough stance on rebellious minority regions like Chechnya.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">//Liberal Democrats//: Like United Russia, the Liberal Democrats, marked by their extreme Russia nationalism, are also supporters of the suppression of Chenchyan rebellions.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">//Communist Party//: The Communist party, marked by a uniquely Russian character that has consistently invoked Russian patriotism and nationalism, also supports the suppression of the rebellions. They feel that the rebellions are attacks against the Russian nation and must be suppressed. The Communist party gains support for the actions in Chechnya by claiming that they, "are for the defense of the Motherland."

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">//Yabloko//: Yabloko doesn't see that actions in Chechnya as acts of terrorism, but instead as the desire for peaceful relations. This doesn't come as a surprise considering how pro-democracy and pro-liberalism the party is. Furthermore, Yabloko is opposed to the violations against human rights violations, including the killing of innocent civilians.


 * __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">Implications __**

<span style="display: inline !important; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The policies adopted by Moscow have impacted the political system in numerous ways. First, the dependency of the Chechen local government that was put into power and is maintained by the Russian central government has created a misbalance of local versus national powers in an already largely one-sided federal system. Second, the fact that Moscow has chosen to ignore the acts of predigest violence against non-rebel and non-violent Chechens has forced these individuals to seek out less legitimate forms of interest articulation, including actual "terrorist" groups that Russian officials are trying to eliminate. Third, the power of the bureaucracy and the President were increased by the creation of the Federal Security Service in 1995 and the numerous actions of which they are now legally capable, including targeted killing of terrorist leaders.