Honesty

[markinore]

I didn't know much about Chechnya and what the beef with Russia was all about. Apparently, things started shortly after WW II. During that war, Stalin believed that the Cechens assisted Hitler. I couldn't find out much to confirm or refute that. In any event, Stalin sent some 500,000 Cechens to Siberia. About half died during the trip. By virtue of being Stalin's enemies, the Cechens would probably be considered "good guys." Then in the early 1990s when the Soviet Union was falling apart, Cechnya, like some of the other former republics, tried to become independent. Again, by resisting the Soviet Union most of us would consider them a side that we would support. Cechnya has a lot of oil, natural gas, and other resources, so their independence was not acceptable to Russia. When they tried to overcome the Russians, they were invaded. Over the last 10-12 years, about 200,000 Cechens have been killed. That is about 20% of the population. The city of Grozny has been essentially leveled.

 

I am hardly going to defend attacks on innocent children. That is beneath contempt. I just wanted to ask some of the above posters whether they think the statements are true, and if so, how they view the larger picture.

 

Is Russia now a benevolent country that we should support in its actions toward Cechnya? Do the Cechen people have a legitimate case for their independence? Given the overwhelming military advantage that Russia has, what tactics are morally defensible? If you support Russia, to what degree is this a function of Islam being the predominant religion in Cechnya?