Zaman, Turkey
Aug. 11, 2006

What can be Done for Chechnya?

I had written two consecutive articles on the Chechen issue under the
headline, `A Chechnya Accounting,’ and tried to develop an approach
to the background of this dramatic problem. I promised I would write
on what could be done to end this tragic situation, which is rapidly
wearing down a nation.

Unfortunately, I was unable to keep my promise until now, because as
I was trying to draw attention to the forgotten Chechen issue, the
Palestine and Lebanon issues surfaced. The two problems drag on today
before the helpless eyes of the world community. Elected Palestinian
MPs are still in Israeli jails. As children are being killed in
Lebanon and its cities bombarded, western powers are engaged in
cease-fire debates that would even make crocodiles laugh.

I doubt I would be able to draw attention to the Chechen issue amid
new developments. Nonetheless, it is necessary to deal with this
almost-forgotten but challenging problem with common sense. A glance
at some statistics released by the pro-Russian government in Chechyna
will help understand the magnitude of the problem. Chechnya’s Deputy
Prime Minister Dukvaha Abdurrahmanov announced that 300,000 people
have been killed and over 200,000 others wounded since the war began
in 1994. These numbers represent nearly half the Chechen population.
One should add the four Chechen leaders killed while fighting for
independence, after the era of Dzhokhar Dudayev, to this death toll.

In my two previous articles I emphasized the necessity to evaluate
the problem. This is an evaluation of all those associated with the
Chechen cause, the Chechen people in particular and answers to the
following questions: What strategic and tactical errors have been
made during the course of the struggle? Why weren’t rogue armed
groups and ransom hackers in Chechnya controlled? Was the
international conjecture analyzed properly? Could the victory of the
Afghan mujahedeens over Soviet Union have been an example for
Chechnya? In this context, was independence the right choice?
Wouldn’t a broad-based coalition, like the one in Tataristan, have
been better for Chechnya? What should be done now?

Also in my previous article, I wrote how the Chechens are fervently
in favor of independence. However, However, whether this admirable
idealism was equally backed by realism was doubtful. This is because
it was almost mission impossible for Chechen leaders, under the most
difficult conditions, to learn about the world’s realities
immediately after the disintegration of the Soviet Union. I could
hardly find a sincere Chechen leader willing to deliver a
pro-democracy speech. A comparison could be made among Bosnian,
Albanian and Armenian leaders who were faced with similar problems
during those turbulent years.

I think the situation has not changed for the better. Chechens living
abroad have serious responsibilities. I wish a convention,
representing all Chechens, could be held to find answers to the
above-mentioned questions and to develop a vision for the future of
the Chechens.

There is a striking point included in reports by international human
rights organizations on Chechnya. These reports say most Russian
soldiers have returned to their barracks and that most of the raids
against the Chechen people are carried out by the pro-Russian
government troops. The current president of Chechnya is Ramazan
Kadirov, who is the son of former Chechen President Ahmed Kadirov who
was killed by Chechen insurgents. According to a Human Rights Watch
report, Kadirov is interim prime minister because he is under 30 and
is marking his authority everywhere with the help of a security
forces that include renegade insurgents.

Many Chechens, who wish to remain anonymous, believe this force is
more dangerous than the Russian force. Unfortunately, among Chechens,
the war of independence has the potential of turning to a blood shed.
Therefore, it is crucial for Chechens to unite and develop a common
vision that is compatible with the realities of our contemporary
world.

I will continue with `What can be done?’ in the next article.