Chechnya : from nationalism to jihad / James Hughes.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hughes, James, 1959-

Series:

National and ethnic conflict in the 21st century

National and Ethnic Conflict in the 21st Century

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Nationalism--Russia (Federation)--Chechnia.

Nationalism.

Radicalism--Russia (Federation)--Chechnia.

Radicalism.

zChechnia (Russia)--History--Civil War, 1994-.

zChechnia (Russia).

Physical Description:

1 online resource (297 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Philadelphia : University of Pennsylvania Press, c2007.

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

The sheer scale and brutality of the hostilities between Russia and Chechnya stand out as an exception in the mostly peaceful breakup of the Soviet Union. Chechnya: From Nationalism to Jihad provides a fascinating analysis of the transformation of secular nationalist resistance in a nominally Islamic society into a struggle that is its antithesis, jihad. Hughes locates Chechen nationalism within the wider movement for national self-determination that followed the collapse of the Soviet empire. When negotiations failed in the early 1990's, political violence was instrumentalized to consolidate opposing nationalist visions of state-building in Russia and Chechnya. The resistance in Chechnya also occurred in a regional context where Russian hegemony over the Caucasus, especially the resources of the Caspian basin, was in retreat, and in an international context of rising Islamic radicalism. Alongside Bosnia, Kashmir, and other conflicts, Chechnya became embedded in Osama Bin Laden's repertoire of jihadist rhetoric against the "West." It was not simply Russia's destruction of a nationalist option for Chechnya, or "Wahabbist" infiltration from without, that created the political space for Islamism. Rather, we must look also at how the conflict was fought. The lack of proportionality and discrimination in the use of violence, particularly by Russia, accelerated and intensified the Islamic radicalization and thereby transformed the nature of the conflict. This nuanced and balanced study provides a much-needed antidote to the mythologizing of Chechen resistance before, and its demonization after, 9/11. The conflict in Chechnya involves one of the most contentious issues in contemporary international politics-how do we differentiate between the legitimate use of violence to resist imperialism, occupation, and misgovernment, and the use of terrorism against legitimate rule? This book sets out indispensable lessons for understanding conflicts involving the volatile combination of nationalist insurgency, jihad, and terrorism, most notably for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Contents:

Front matter

Contents

Preface

Chapter 1. The Causes of Conflict

Chapter 2. Russia's Refederalization and Chechnya's Secession

Chapter 3. A Secular Nationalist Conflict

Chapter 4. Dual Radicalization: The Making of Jihad

Chapter 5. Chechnya and the Meaning of Terrorism

Chapter 6. Chechnya and the Study of Conflict

Chapter 7. Conclusion

Appendix 1

Appendix 2

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Acknowledgments

Notes:

Series from jacket.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [251]-268) and index.

ISBN:

9780812202311

0812202317

OCLC:

859161058