Discuss with reference to ethnic conflict in the Caucasus, Russia's war with Chechnya. Your discussion must cite specific aspects of the conflict and lead up to the war in 1994. The world is populated with multiethnic states: "82 percent of all ethnic states comprise two or more ethnic groups, which are often involved in disputes either with each other or with the state itself " (Toft, 2003, 17). An example of the latter is the Chechen - Russian conflict. In 1783, …showed first 75 words of 2269 total…

…showed last 75 words of 2269 total…speak Vainakh dialects and practice Sunni Islam. In addition to that, Russia is uncertain of Islamic borders, which may have the propensity to bandwagon with other neighboring Islamic forces in the future, which threatens its territorial integrity. Lastly, given the historical background of the Russians and Chechens, Chechnya has suffered the atrocities of various Russian regimes over the last three hundred years, hence, nothing short of complete independence would pacify its people (Lake, Rothchild, 1996: 3; Broxup, 1994: 89).