Russia Confronts Chechnya: Roots of a Separatist Conflict

This book provides the background necessary to understand the reasons for the Russian military invasion of Chechnya in December 1994. The history of the Chechens is traced carefully, and their sufferings under the tsars and communists are documented. The role of the Chechen leader, Dudaev, and the breakdown in negotiations in 1994 are examined closely, as the author asks whether this bitter conflict could feasibly have been avoided.

"Mr. Dunlop...shows how the various elements in the Chechen identity--linguistic, religious, social, political--evolved and combined to create the sense of national solidarity essential for semipermanent warfare....Mr. Dunlop's more detached views enable him to discern perhaps more clearly than those closer to the action the logic of the increasingly entangled political events in the Russian camp." Robert Cottrell, New York Review of Books

"The Dunlop book is a clearly written and balanced account of the origins of the conflict." Choice

"The book belongs in the library of every specialist on Russia. It will also interest members of the media and diplomatic and military personnel." Dale R. Herspring, Perspectives on Political Science

"...this excellent book provides valuable background to the ongoing tragedy in the Russian North Caucasus." Matthew Evangelista, Slavic Review

"...a complete understanding of this war, crucial for the insight it provides into both the failure of Russia's political culture to evolve as well as for the dynamics of the Caucasus, cannot be had without this well-written and insightful book." Canadian Journal of Political Science

"All of these books are helpful in understanding the ongoing conflict in Chechnya, and they complement each other in this regard...I recommend thse works to anyone who wants to understand the ongoing conflict in Chechnya." Slavic and East European Journal