The purpose of this publication is, as the title indicates, to give Chechen scholars the opportunity to present to the English-speaking world their version of what has happened to Chechnya. Over the years, a great many books and articles dealing with this tiny republic in the Russian Federation have been published in Western academia, but we seldom hear from Chechen scholars. It is high time for them to take part in the discussion.

It might be easier to achieve a more ‘objective’ analysis of a conflict from the outside: however, those caught up in a conflict have not only the...

The events of the past decade have again put the Chechen Republic in the world news limelight. Chechnya has become the subject of renewed discussion (albeit without much success) on the part of such international organizations as the UN, OSCE, PACE, the Council of Europe, and influential human rights organizations, in addition to the parliaments and presidents of various democratic countries.

This article focuses on the events of 1999–2005: From the beginning of the second war, disguised under the euphemism of an ‘anti-terrorist operation’, right through to the election of the parliament, which finalized the formation of the governmental...

Today’s Chechen Republic is facing problems in economic and social development. In the 1990s, Chechnya was deeply submerged in armed conflict that set development back by decades. The republic has undergone a virtual humanitarian disaster. Rectifying this situation is largely dependent on the policies of the federal authorities and the capacity to deal with multiple challenges within a short timeframe. Chechnya needs to rise above the ruins of destruction, resolve social problems, and integrate the republic with the wider economic and legal framework of the Russian Federation.

In this contribution, the author traces the dynamics of the economic reconstruction of...

The North Caucasus has become known as a conflict-ridden part of the Russian Federation, in large part because of the severity of the ethno-political conflicts found there. These conflicts are rooted in territorial feuds, separatism, religious extremism, military operations, and acts of terror. In many respects, these processes are interlinked with the broader complex of often contradictory socio-economic, political and cultural transformations underway throughout the Russian Federation.

The Islamic revival in the North Caucasus is a specific phenomenon. Its substance is driving the revival impulses of traditional Islam, which had, for many years, been guided by the dictates of Communist...