Chechnya

Group member:Mehala A/p Gopalakrishnan

(214972)Muganthini A/p Kumaran (214956)

Mukhlisa Rasulova (218152)Mohamad Fikri Azman (214650)

Muhammad Syukhri Shafee (214783)

Introduction

Have two section of introduction- Summary about Chechnya situation- Brief about background of Chechen

people

Muhammad Syukhri bin Shafee

Summary

• This paper/slide will discuss about the Chechnya people demanding their independent state from Russian.

• But at the same time, Russian don’t allow this state get independent because of several reason.

Background of Chechen

• Chechnya is located in between Black Sea and Caspian Sea in East European part.

• Become part of Russian empire after conquered in 1861.

• Citizen in that place is named Chechens ethnic or Vainakhs (which means"our people" in Chechen) from Nakh people family. Vainakhs people group also can found in Ingushetia state.

• Majority people whose lived in Chechen are Muslim and they speak Nakh language and at the same time can speak Russian language

• Chechen status now is autonomy state and not become independent state until now.

• Natural resources had in Chechen are

Outline For This Paper

• Introduction• Chechnya under Soviet Union and Russian?• Why Russian did not give independent to

Chechen?• Struggle of Chechen• Conclusion

**HISTORY CONFLICT****LOST OF HOMELAND**

***ASSIMILATION POLICY***

CHENCNYA UNDER RUSIA AND SOVIET UNION

Mehala A/p Gopalakrishnan

TURCO-PERSION-RUSION CONFLICT

• Ottoman and Safavid Empires fought for influence over the Caucasus

• The rivalry was between Sunni and Shia Islam and the regional conflict of the two empires.

• Relations with Russia was seen as a possible balance to the Ottoman and Safavid Empires, and a pro-Russian camp in Chechen

• In reality, the most favored empire from the beginning was the Ottoman Empire, but that did not mean the Chechens were not wary of a potential Ottoman attempt at conquering them.

• A positive hope toward Russia relations ended in the early 19th centuries when tensions with the Cossacks escalated and Russia began trying to conquer the Caucasus, starting with Georgia.

After this point, many Chechens sealed, forever, their preference towards Istanbul against Estafan and Moscow by converting to Islam in an attempt to win the sympathy of the Ottomans

However, they were too late- the Ottoman Empire was already well into its period of decline and collapse, ottoman empire = not longer willing to assist Muslims especially newly converted people, (viewed as "less Muslim“)

Hence, the rivalry between Turkey and Persia became abstract and meaningless as the threat of conquest by Russia and being pushed out of their lands or even annihilated or killed by the Cossacks grew

ARRIVAL OF THE COSSACKS• The Cossacks, had settled in the lowlands just a

bit off from the Terek river. This area, the Nogais and the Chechens.

• The mountainous highlands of Chechnya were economically dependent on the lowlands for food produce, and the lowlands of Terek river were considered part of the Chechen lowlands.

• The Cossacks were much more assertive than the Nogais and they soon replaced the Nogais as the regional rival.

• This marked the beginning of Russo-Chechen conflict, (Cossacks are to be considered Russian)

• The Cossacks and Chechens would periodically raid each other's villages, and seek to sabotage each other's crops.

• Nonetheless, the Chechen versus Cossack conflict has continued to the modern day.

• The habit of raids done by the Chechens against Cossacks, by the 20th century, become a cultural tradition

• need fill the mouths of hungry children and to regain lost lands played a role.

• The Chechen raiders, known as “Abreks” were the focal point of this conflict.

• The Russian view on the “Abreks” is that they were simple mountain bandits,.. they were depicted as rapists and murderers by Russian authors

• The Chechen view is that they were heroes of valor, much like Robin Hood.

RUSSIAN EMPIRE

• Russian Empire began spreading its influence into the Caucasus mountains. The Chechens were actually first drawn into conflict with Russia

• Russians incorporated a strategy of driving the Chechens into the mountains, out of their lowland ( food source), thus forcing them to either starve or surrender. Chechen Lowlands lacked their historical.

LOST OF HOMELAND

Prehistorically, the Chechens lived in the highlands of the North Caucasus region.

However, in the late Middle Ages the Little Ice Age forced the Chechens to migrate down from the hills into the

lowlands.

Since then there have been various Chechen rebellions against

Russian/Soviet power.

Muganthini A/p Kumaran

However, the Republic was restored but both boundaries and ethnic composition of the

territory significantly changed.

The territory was divided and many predominantly Russian migrants from other

parts of the Soviet Union, settled in the abandoned family homes of Cheche

This is the reason why Chechnya people make

attempts to regain independence

• Though "rehabilitated" in 1956

allowed the Chechens to return, the

survivors lost economic resources

and civil rights and, under both

Soviet and post-Soviet governments,

they have been the objects of

discrimination.

ASSIMILATION POLICY

Analytically, it is helpful to distinguish Russification, as a process of changing one's ethnic self-label or identity

from a non-Russian to Russian.

This makes the Chechnya people to loss their culture

and ethnic background.

REASONS FOR NOT GRANTING CHECHNYA WITH INDEPENDENCE

Economic Political reasons

•ECONOMIC •POLITICAL

Mukhlisa Rasulova

Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin (1931-2007)

In December 1994, Yeltsin ordered the military invasion of Chechnya in an attempt to restore Moscow's control over the republic. Nearly two years later Yeltsin withdrew federal forces from the devastated Chechnya under a 1996 peace agreement brokered by Alexander Lebed, then Yeltsin's security chief. The peace deal allowed Chechnya greater autonomy but not full independence.

Yeltsin’s Three Points

Fear of other republics following Chechen example;Rich oil fields in the region;Convenient access to Black Sea and Middle East.

The motivations of the Russian and Chechens in these conflicts are complicated. Principally, Russia's stake in Chechnya relates to the fear that if Chechnya becomes independent, even more territories will break away from Russia, leading to its disintegration. Economic interests are another factor, as is a long standing conflict between Russia and Chechnya.

When the Soviet Union broke up in the

early 1990s several Republics gained their independence. An independence movement started in Chechnya but was opposed by Boris Yeltsin who argued:

Chechnya had not been an independent entity within the Soviet Union – as the Baltic, Central Asian, and other Caucasian States had – but was a part of the Russian Soviet Federal Socialist Republic and hence did not have a right under the Soviet constitution to secede;

Reasons

Other ethnic groups inside Russia, such as the Tatars, would join the Chechens and secede from the Russian Federation if they were granted that right; and

Chechnya was at a major chokepoint in the oil-infrastructure of the country and hence would hurt the country's economy and control of oil resources.

The capital, Grozny, is an oil centre with pipelines to the Caspian and Black seas.

Reasons

Rich Natural Resources

The mountainous region has important oil deposits, as well as natural gas, limestone, gypsum, sulfur, and other minerals. Its mineral waters have made it a spa center.

Agriculture is concentrated in the Terek and Sunzha river valleys. Oil, petrochemicals, oil-field equipment, foods, wines, and fruit are produced. The population, which is concentrated in the foothills, is predominantly Chechen, or Nokhchi. The Chechen, like the neighboring Ingush, are Sunni Muslim, and speak a Caucasian language.

An empire's fraying edge

• The creeping destabilization of the north Caucasus, and what it means for the future of Russia

• Initial Russian Deployment into Chechnya

The Struggling of Chechen: Nationalism & terrorism

Mohamad Fikri Azman

Status of Chechnya

• Russia government have claim that the conflict as a struggle against banditry and terrorism.

• The Chechens, meanwhile, refer to their war as a “struggle for national and political liberation” and an Islamic holy war, or jihad.

War to War

• From Chechen War to Chechen War II there are treaty between Russia federation and Chechen.

• First war (1994-1996) - 1997 Peace Treaty.

• However, the treaty only last short time – they continued second war at 1999.

Conflict to Conflict

• Killing, assassination, bombing continued to happen like there's was no solutions.

• Both (Russia & Chechen) use legitimation towards another.

• Assassination of Chechen president

Struggling never ends• After 9/11 World Trade Centre Tragedy –

US try to alienated with Russia to proceed their “War against terrorist”.

• Legitimize action- US vs AfghanistanRussia vs Chechen

• Islamophobia - Islam/ muslim is TERRORIST

• Chechen fighters change their offensive style.- from Guerrilla style to terrorist like style.

Conclusion

• To solve this kind of problem, Russian Government need to let Chechnya get independent.

• The Russian citizen in Moscow scared if the same situation happen to them where the group of Chechen take the normal people to become hostage and demand for Chechnya independent.