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Since the end of the Cold War, Chechnya has suffered two full-scale Russian military assaults, and is now in the eighth year of a brutal occupation. The casualties remain largely uncounted, and the fundamental issues at stake are routinely sidestepped in Russia and in the West. In this powerful argument for Chechen self-determination, Tony Wood considers Russo-Chechen relations over the past century and a half, as well as the fate of the region since the fall of the Soviet Union. The Case for Chechnya sharply criticizes the role of Western nations in their struggle, and lays bare the weakness—and shamefulness—of the arguments used to deny the Chechens’ right to sovereignty.
“A passionate and eloquent case for Chechen statehood, well researched and reasoned. Whatever one thinks of state sovereignty these days, this political project demands serious engagement, and his humanitarian concerns cannot be ignored.” — Georgi Derluguian, author of Bourdieu’s Secret Admirer in the Caucasus
“Tony Wood’s book is an antidote to the prevailing wisdom that Chechnya’s rebels have always been nihilists and terrorists. He reminds us that a decade ago the Chechens were demanding nothing more than many other small peoples at the time of the Soviet breakup — statehood and a new start. In a world of cynicism and ignorance, Wood offers facts that many will find inconvenient and lays out an argument for which many thousands of Chechens — mistakenly or not — suffered and gave their lives.” — Sebastian Smith, author of Allah’s Mountains
“A major contribution to the understanding of an ongoing tragedy . . . an ideal primer for anyone wanting to understand the origins and nature of the Chechen conflict.” — Lord Nicolas Rea, Guardian
“Journalists . . . should not pretend to give an overview for which they have not done the work. For that they should rely on analysts who can claim perspective—such as Tony Wood.” — John Lloyd, Financial Times
“Wood presents a closely argued legal case for independence . . . In the process, he gives us a brilliant short history.” — Michael Church, The Independent
“Wood . . . argues strongly against the idea that Chechnya was or is an outpost of international Islamic terrorism . . . He is right to highlight the Kremlin’s cynicism, incompetence and casual brutality.” — Economist
“A welcome alternative to the standard view.” – Charles King, Times Literary Supplement
“Wood provides . . . an indictment of Russian misrule over the region and a weight of evidence to suggest that only sovereignty will fully pacify its people.” – Daniel McLaughlin, Irish Times
Tony Wood is Assistant Editor at New Left Review; his work has appeared in the Times Literary Supplement and the London Review of Books, among other periodicals.
March 2007
208 pages
Paper
ISBN-13: 978 1 84467 114 4
US$22.95 / £12.99 / CAN$26
