Animosity between the Russians and Chechens eventually exploded into a brutal bout of ethnic fighting leaving the present-day status extremely sketchy. The entire issue is complex and volatile. In order to gain a sense of what is currently happening in Chechnya, this paper will explore a number of aspects of the conflict: what caused the war, who was involved and why, and what, if any, developments are being made towards peace. After examining those topics, we will try to decide if there is any hope for the future; will recent events will lead us towards peace or further hostility and warfare.

In 1991, immediately following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Chechen r

There was also a division among the Chechens, as there were those who were far more extremist than others. Although there were various opinions on how to accomplish their goals, they somehow became united in their cause; total independence from Russia, and replacing Russian law with Islamic rules. "They are united only in their opposition to domination by Christians" (Fielding). The ironic thing that arises here, is that Muslim Chechens, so adamant about enforcing Islamic law, do not adhere to any of the fundamentalist Islamic rules. Smoking and drinking is commonplace among men, and virtually no women comply with the "covering your head" requirement (Fielding). For a group of people who spend a great deal of energy appealing to their God "Allah", it seems odd that they ignore basic rules of the Muslim religion. Obviously this contradiction did not affect the Chechens, because they still relentlessly persevered to achieve their objectives. (However, this divergence from fundamentalist rules is certainly not isolated to just the Chechens. It is understandable how people's morale becomes clouded when they are expending so much energy fighting for their country in a Holy War.)

"Full-scale warfare in separatist Chechnya ended almost a year ago, but a series of recent kidnappings and bombings there and in neighboring regions signifies that the aftershocks of the conflict have not subsided" explains Daniel Williams in the Washington Post July 9th, 1997.

While some Russians would love to go into Chechnya, and finish off what they started, so to speak, moderate politicians are opting for more civil and realistic approaches. "Some people in power want to settle the problems in Chechnya according to the old Bolshevik principle...strike first and think later" (Williams Jan 26th/1998). Obviously this type of reaction is not going to prove effective. Either they will be forced to accept Chechen independence or continue fighting. Since the latter option is growing increasingly undesirable, hopefully they will at least lean towards granting independence.

Just like killing won't solve the problems, waiting around for 6 years won't either. Action must be taken soon, before there is the risk of another explosion between Russia and Chechnya. When the International community recognizes Chechnya as separate, and independent, maybe it means it is time for Russia to recognize it as well. Lately the word secession is considered a taboo; countries like Russia have difficulty coming to terms with its ramifications. Nevertheless, especially when countless other countries have already departed, is it really worth immense bloodshed just to keep Chechnya around? The only hope for the future is that someone will come to their senses and realize that secession is the solution, like it or not.

Chechnya simply wanted the armed forces expelled from their homeland so they could conduct their own elections (Naudet), start to rebuild their ruined republic and get on with being independent. No matter how much Russia persisted, the only viable solution to ending the war was for them to leave. "They started this war. As long as they remain on our territory we will fight them" proclaims one Chechen rebel, demonstrating just how tenaciously they fought, and were willing to continue to fight, in their plight for freedom. (Womack).

Some common words found in the essay are:
Russians Chechens, Apparently Yeltsin, Alexander Lebed, Fielding Regardless, Chechnya Ichkeria, Chechnya Putting, Aug10th/96 Russia, Williams Jan, War Chechnya, Muslim Chechens, coming terms, towards peace, difficulty coming terms, muslim chechens, soviet union, fielding people, roskin 285, alexander lebed, hope future, holy war, yeltsin's plan,
Approximate Word count = 2592
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)