Chechnya: Book Review

Trying to get your head round the Chechen catastrophe is something that even most of us interested in Russia avoid. An imborgilo of murders, contradictions and lies leave Russia's dirty war in the North Caucasus laregly ignored. This shouldn't be the case. The Chechen war has become the defining event for Russian culture in the past ten years, crystallysing post-Soviet imperial attitudes, violent behaviour, the FSB elite and distinctions of who exactly 'us' and 'them' are within the Federation.

Tony Wood's account makes for an excellent introduction into the quagmire. Rich in historical detail, easy to read and well argued, 'The Case for Independence' should be the first port of call for any understanding of what Russian's refer to as 'the Zone.'

Read Wood's work in the New Left Review by clicking this link. I shall a longer piece on whether or not I agree with Wood at some point in the near future. Please let me know what you think.