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The Continuation of an Old Pattern?
After World War II the Soviet Union emerged as a superpower, one of the most influential forces on the planet. It dominated nations around the globe and was ruthless in its quest for power and domination. Nations that attempted to free themselves from the grip of the Soviet Union, such as Hungary in 1956 and Czechoslovakia in 1968, were met with displays of overwhelming military force.
With the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Chechen separatists moved to gain independence from what they perceived as a weakened Russia. However, Russia didn’t believe it could lose any more territory or population and fought throughout the mid 1990’s to crush the Chechen insurrection and maintain control of Chechnya. Even though Russia’s response to Chechnya was similar in many ways to the actions of the Soviet Union in Hungary and Czechoslovakia, the results were very different. The Russians were unable to quell the Chechen independence movement. Some referred to Chechnya as "Russia’s Vietnam," as yet again a large nation experienced frustration and ultimately failure in battling a vastly outnumbered, but highly motivated, enemy. In 1997 the Russians withdrew their military forces from Chechnya, although the situation remained far from resolved.
Emboldened by the Russian failure, the Chechens renewed their quest for independence in the late 1990’s. They formed alliances with any number of Islamic groups, including, some contend, al-Qaeda. In 1999 Chechen fighters launched an attack on neighboring Dagestan, in what many saw as the first step in the creation of a new Islamic nation. In the face of this threat, Russia believed it had no other choice than to resume its military action in Chechnya
Do you agree with the Russian contention that it was justified in taking military action in Chechnya? Are you concerned that Putin was using Chechnya as a means of advancing his political fortunes? Does this alter your view of the Russian action in Chechnya?
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