Chechen Terrorism

1. Where in the Russian Federation would you find Chechnya?

In the Russian Federation you would find Chechnya in the Northern Caucasus
region.
2. How are the Chechens different from the Russians?
The Chechens are different from the Russians because they are largely muslim
ethnic group and have resisted Russian Rule for the past two hundred years.
3. Did the Chechens gain independence from tsarist Russia after the 1917
Russian Revolution? Explain.
After the 1917 Russian Revolution, Chechnya and the Chechens never gained
independence from the tsarist Russia. Four years after the Russian Revolution they
joined four other nations to form the Mountain Autonomous Soviet Socialist
Republic, but it didnt last long.
4. What did Stalin do to the Chechens during WWII? Why did he do this?
During WWII Stalin accused the Chechens of cooperating with the Nazis, forcibly
deporting the entire population to the nations of Kazakhstan and Siberia. He did
this because the Chechens resisted the Russian rule for hundreds of years.
5. Who changed their fate, and how was their fate changed?
The person who changed their fate was Nikita Khrushchev, the successor to Stalin,
who restored the province amid de-Stalinization. Khrushchev changed their fate
because they were not allowed into the Soviet Union when Stalin ruled, and now
that Stalin no longer ruled, the Chechens could now go back into the Soviet Union.
6. What was the first Chechen War? [Who started it? When? Why?
Results?]
The first Chechen War was when Russian President Boris Yeltsin opposed the
independence of Chechnya and said that Chechnya was an important part of Russia.
For two years from 1994 to 1996, Chechens fought the Russians in the First
Chechen War. The results were that thousands of civilians died while fighting, but
Chechnya got independence due to Russia's failure to win control of the nation.
7. When was the second Chechen War? [Who started it? When? Why?
Results?]
The second Chechen War was when the military of Chechen invaded Dagestan, with
five bombs exploding the next month. After the bombs exploded, Moscow blamed
Chechens for the explosion, with the second invasion of Dagestan and the
bombings making Russia launch the second Chechen War. The results from the
second war were similar to the first war, in that thousands were either killed or
wounded, but this time Russia was able to capture the Chechen capital Grozny.
8. Prior to his death in 2006, the separatist Basayev was deemed to be
responsible for the most notorious event to that point in time. Identify this

event. How many deceased militants in this event were NOT Chechen? Why
might this be a significant change in the Chechen Wars?
Prior to his death in 2006, there was an explosion that killed tens and thousands of
Chechen and Russian troops, putting a bad name over Basayevs head. He was
deemed responsible for the five bombings over Russia that killed over three
hundred civilians, and less than fifty non-Chechen militants. Since the bombing,
violence in the region has increased significantly, with violence rising from 795 in
2008 to 1,100 in 2009, and suicide bombings quadrupling in 2009.
9. According to the American ambassador to Russia, what terrorist group
is assisting the Chechen rebels? How/why might Americans who were once
sympathetic to the Chechen cause for independence from the Russian
Federation have changed?
According to the American ambassador to Russia, the terrorist group al-Qaeda is
assisting Chechen rebels. The terrorist group al-Qaeda is assisting the rebels
because they have links with their finances to the Arabian Peninsula. The views of
the Americans who were once sympathetic to the cause for independence from the
Russian Federation might have changed because the terrorist group al-Qaeda has
attracted some Islamist who want to fight with them.
10.
Do you believe the Russians should grant Chechnya their
independence? Why or why not? [Answer this question in paragraph format
(minimum of six sentences).]
In my opinion, Russia should not grant Chechnya their independence. If this nation
was not apart of Russia it would flourish more and do better. Even though Chechnya
fought long and hard for what they believed in, it was done with more violence than
necessary. If Chechnya was able to fight for what they believed in without using the
amount of violence they did, they should be granted their independence. Also, if
Chechnya was to gain their independence, they would have to adopt a brand new
economy, system of government, and laws. It would take a long time for this nation
to be able to grow and become stable if they gained their independence. For this
reason, Chechnya should not be granted independence from Russia. This nation
needs someone to be able to lead them and show them the ways of being
independent, causing them to become lost and crumble once granted
independence.

Works Cited:
Bhattacharji, Preeti. "Chechen Terrorism (Russia, Chechnya, Separatist)." Council
on Foreign Relations. Council on Foreign Relations, 08 Apr. 2010. Web. 27 Apr.
2015. <http://www.cfr.org/separatist-terrorism/chechen-terrorism-russiachechnya-separatist/p9181>.