- Paperback: 352 pages
- Publisher: Brookings Institution Press (Nov 12 2002)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0815724993
- ISBN-13: 978-0815724995
- Product Dimensions: 2.3 x 1.5 x 0.2 cm
- Shipping Weight: 386 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #911,439 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
Review
"It is... well researched, drawing on both a sizeable secondary literature and numerous Russian language sources.... his arguments are convincing and any who believe that Russia under Putin is still on a reform path or moving towards democracy must engage with the points raised in this work, as the war in Chechnya remains central to the development of post-communist Russia." —Paul Kubicek, Oakland University, International Affairs, 1/1/2004
"... provides a fascinating and well structured picture of the background for and events leading up to the two wars. Evangelista's work should be required reading for anyone with an interest in Russia and its relationships with its federal partners.... This is an important book, and makes a significant contribution to the limited library of literature on Chechnya.... It is not only for experts, even those who have a very limited knowledge of the situation will be enlightened by it." —Graham Dyson, Centre for Peacebuilding and Conflict, International Journal on World Peace, 12/1/2003
Book Description
Following the breakup of the Soviet Union, Boris Yeltsin improvised a system of "asymmetric federalism" to help maintain its successor state, the Russian Federation. However, when sparks of independence flared up in Chechnya, Yeltsin and, later, Vladimir Putin chose military action to deal with a "brushfire" that they feared would spread to other regions and eventually destroy the federation. Matthew Evangelista examines the causes of the Chechen Wars of 1994 and 1999 and challenges Moscow's claims that the Russian Federation was too fragile to withstand the potential loss of one rebellious republic. He suggests that the danger for Russia lies less in a Soviet-style disintegration than in a misguided attempt at authoritarian recentralization, something that would jeopardize Russia's fledgling democratic institutions. He also contends that well-documented acts of terrorism by some Chechen fighters should not serve as an excuse for Russia to commit war crimes and atrocities. Evangelista urges emerging democracies like Russia to deal with violent internal conflict and terrorism without undermining the fundamental rights and freedoms of their citizens. He recommends that the United States and other democracies be more attentive to Moscow's violations of human rights and, in their own struggle against terrorism, provide a kind of role model.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
In December 1994 the government of the Russian Federation launched a devastating war against the separatist republic of Chechnya. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
In December 1994 the government of the Russian Federation launched a devastating war against the separatist republic of Chechnya. Read the first page
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Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sober, involving reading,
By Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Chechen Wars: Will Russia Go the Way of the Soviet Union? (Paperback)
The Chechen Wars by Matthew Evangelista (Professor of Government and Director of the Peace Studies Program, Cornell University) is a close, meticulous study of the root causes of the Chechen Wars of 1994 and 1999, and an informative, scholarly examination of the impact these conflicts had on both Chechnya and Russia following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Stressing the importance of dealing with violent conflict without undermining citizens' freedom and rights, as well as calling for the United States to be more attentive and provide a role model applicable to Russia's conflicts, The Chechen Wars is sober, involving reading and a very strongly recommended addition to International Studies reference collections in general, and Chechen/Russian Studies reading lists in particular.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.5 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews) 7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sober, involving reading,
By Midwest Book Review - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Chechen Wars: Will Russia Go the Way of the Soviet Union? (Paperback)
The Chechen Wars by Matthew Evangelista (Professor of Government and Director of the Peace Studies Program, Cornell University) is a close, meticulous study of the root causes of the Chechen Wars of 1994 and 1999, and an informative, scholarly examination of the impact these conflicts had on both Chechnya and Russia following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Stressing the importance of dealing with violent conflict without undermining citizens' freedom and rights, as well as calling for the United States to be more attentive and provide a role model applicable to Russia's conflicts, The Chechen Wars is sober, involving reading and a very strongly recommended addition to International Studies reference collections in general, and Chechen/Russian Studies reading lists in particular.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best analyses on the Russo-Chechen wars yet!,
By C. Veit - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Chechen Wars: Will Russia Go the Way of the Soviet Union? (Paperback)
Matthew Evangelista's book addresses many of the most pertinent questions surrounding the conflict. His analysis is powerfully informed by a vast array of sources and rests in a solid background of international relations theory. If you'd like to understand the dynamics of the Russo-Chechen war more, this book is an excellent read! Particularly the section on 'International Responses' is quite illuminating.
10 of 16 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not balanced enough,
By RM - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Chechen Wars: Will Russia Go the Way of the Soviet Union? (Paperback)
Evangelista believes that Russia would not have disintegrated (in the sense that other autonomous regions would not have tried to break away from Russia) if Chechnya had been granted its independence. This may be a valid point. The thing is, Evangelista seems to lay the blame entirely on the Russian government and the military. No one will deny that the Chechen people have suffered horribly since 1994 due to Russian bombardment of civilian areas and deliberate massacres of Chechens.However, this is looking at the conflict only through the eyes of the Chechen perspective, while not really considering the Russian one. Evangelista also seems to try and minimise terrorist attacks on Russians by Chechen fighters and then when the operation leads to loss of life, once again places blame on the Russians. I also found it offensive when he wrote that there is reason to believe that the Russian FSB (successor to the KGB) deliberately placed explosives in Moscow apartment blocks in 1999 which led to the deaths of over 300 civilians. He believes this was done so that the Russian government would have an excuse to invade Chechnya a second time. This really is ludicrous, to my mind. I remember that the actress Vanessa Redgrave on Sky News after the Beslan terrorist attack stated that the two plane bombings in Russia recently were also the work of the FSB, not the Chechen fighters! And then a few days later, Shamil Basayev himself admitted that he was responsible for the plane bombings. These are ridiculous and highly offensive comments (and I'm not even a Russian) so one can only imagine what the Russians must think of these "theories" All in all, this book was just a little too one-sided and critical only of the Russians, while trying to keep criticism of the Chechens down to a bare minimum. |
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