Russia has decided to end its decade-long “counter-terrorism operation” against separatist rebels in the southern republic of Chechnya. Could this decision reflect a global trend in counter-terrorism activities, or perhaps a minor victory in the global “war on terror?” Trust me; there will be no “Mission accomplished” banner hanging from a Russian battleship.
The decision to withdraw from this southern republic of the former Soviet Union was made because Russian power has been consolidated and its interests in the republic, namely Chechen oil fields, are secure.
Since the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991, Chechnya has been a source of heartburn for Russia. The republic’s “chili-dog” antics include separatist activities, hostage taking and two wars with their Russian counterparts.
Chechnya is notoriously known for the Moscow theater hostage crisis. On Oct. 23, 2002, 40-50 Chechen rebels/separatists/terrorists took more than 800 hostages and demanded that Russian forces withdraw from Chechen territories.
After the standoff, Russia’s then-president Vladimir Putin tightened his grip on the Muslim majority. The Kremlin pounded the rebels and gradually managed to persuade several powerful clan leaders to defect.
The man currently pulling the strings in Chechnya is 28-year-old President Ramzan Kadyrov. Kadyrov is a son of slain president and former religious leader Ahkmad Kadyrov, an original defector.
The young Kadyrov is known for maintaining power by kidnapping, torturing and murdering the opposition. According to international human rights agencies, Chechnya is one of the most unstable former Soviet republics and a major violator of human rights.
Kadyrov prides himself on his Stalinist cult-like persona. There are pictures and murals of him scattered over walls throughout Chechnya.
Staying true to his Stalin mentality, opponents and critics of Kadyrov have a habit of meeting violent, unexpected ends. A former bodyguard of Kadyrov was gunned down in Vienna earlier this year for disclosing information about executions in Chechnya. Most recently and importantly, Kadyrov’s main oppositional rival was murdered while on vacation in Dubai in late March.
Kadyrov’s rival, Sulim Yamadayev, was the former commander of the largest pro-Moscow military force not under Kadyrov’s orders. Although he was pro-Kremlin, Yamadayev was essentially the last remaining obstacle to full Russian domination of Chechnya through one local authority figure.
According to Russia’s National Anti-Terrorist Committee, the move to withdraw from Chechnya was “aimed to create conditions to further normalize relations.”
In reality, Moscow has successfully crowned a power-hungry young man — and his fellow tribal lords — as the leaders of this new satellite republic.
Is this what the U.S will be relegated to in Iraq? In Afghanistan, Sharia law has already taken effect in the Swat Valley, as local clergymen and tribal lords now decide on what constitutes as permissible under the Quran.
“The Surge” in Iraq was successful due in part to the “Anbar Awakening,” which was basically Sunni tribesmen being bribed not to attack coalition forces.
The U.S. government must take Russia’s actions as a warning. In unstable countries that have experienced decades of war, it is important not to impose unrealistic civic standards. It is just as important, however, to assure a somewhat viable environment that could one day foster something other than the unchanging cycle of vulnerability that these countries have grown accustomed to.
Hanif Zarrabi is a Middle Eastern history graduate student and a columnist for the Daily Forty-Niner.