Chechnya: From Past to Future

by Richard Sakwa (editor)

' from Past to Future' creates a historical framework against which the most pressing issues raised by the Chenchen struggle are considered, including the rights and wrongs of Chechen secessionism, the role of Islamic and Western international agencies in defending human rights, the conduct of the war, changing perceptions of the war against the backdrop of international terrorism, democracy in Chechnya itself and the uncertain fate of democracy in Russia as a whole.

302 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Richard Sakwa (born 1953) is Professor of Russian and European politics at the University of Kent. He writes books about Russian and Eastern European communist and post-communist politics.

Sakwa is currently Professor of Russian and European politics at the University of Kent. From 2001 to 2007 he was also the head of the University's Politics and International Relations department. He has published on Soviet, Russian and post-communist affairs, and has written and edited several books and articles on the subject.

Sakwa was also a participant of Valdai Discussion Club, an Associate Fellow of the Russia and Eurasia Programme at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, a member of the Advisory Boards of the Institute of Law and Public Policy in Moscow and a member of Academy of Learned Societies for the Social Sciences.

Reviews

[Anyusha Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is rare to find an essay collection, especially in conflict studies, in which every chapter is as engaging as the last. This book is one of them. In 'Chechnya: from past to future' Richard Sakwa has compiled a fascinating selection of analyses discussing the violent complexities of the Chechen wars. Most interesting of all is Robert Ware's 'Mythology and Political Failure in Chechnya', which argues against the anti-Russian conspiracy theories that proliferated between 1996 and 1999 (such as their responsibility in the apartment block bombings), and reconsiders definitions of Chechen guerillas as 'separatist' groups.

[Mehmet Koç · Rating 4 out of 5]

An important collection of articles on different dimensions of the 'Chechen question'. However published in 2005. Pavel Baev's article on Russian military and Chechen wars; Valentin Mikhailov's comparison between Chechnya and Tatarstan cases in 1990s; and Tom de Waal's article on international aspects of the Chechen-Russian relations are particularly recommended.