Overview
In 1994, the mountain territory of Chechnya was witness to the largest military campaign staged on Russian soil since World War II. The Russo-Chechen war is examined within the context of the bitter history between the two peoples, culminating in the expression of conflict from 1994-1996.Synopsis
In 1994, the mountain territory of Chechnya was the target of the largest military campaign staged on Russian soil since World War II. In 1996, the Kremlin eventually ordered its 40,000 strong troops to withdraw from what had been a savage conflict with the Chechen guerillas. This book charts the bitter history between Russia and the Chechens and explains why the war took place. Points are raised about the nature of Soviet politics and army and the successes and failures of the transition from Soviet to post-Soviet political values.
Booknews
Rather than an account of the war, this thoughtful and well-researched study attempts to put the current war in a historical perspective, showing that some of the most important reasons for the war lay in Moscow and age-old Russian-Chechen politics and mutual distrust. The roots and nature of this distrust are examined in detail in the lengthy initial historical narrative. The 1994-1996 war and its causes take up another two-thirds of the book; Seely (a journalist) discusses the 1999-2000 war in a lengthy afterword. Distributed by ISBS. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)