Article

2007-02-05 Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

U.S. Should Apply the Lessons of Chechnya

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Posted by Fred 2007-02-05 00:00|| || Front Page|| [10 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 "Professionals fighting in Chechnya may be better, but they certainly didn't defeat local separatists and foreign Islamists. Rather, Russia corrupted Chechnya back into its fold."

That's the recommendation? Uh, no, Russia, we don't admire your model of corruption in everyday life. It depresses your quality of life and disintegrates public trust in justice or law enforcement.

"Its leader, Chechen Prime Minister Ramzan Kadyrov, commands a feared militia and keeps Chechnya quiescent by rewarding loyalists with federal largess and by brutally suppressing rivals."

Now as far as the brutality angle, you may have a good point there...

Posted by Jules 2007-02-05 15:10|| 2007-02-05 15:10|| Front Page Top

#2 alexei is way off in a few respects. First, the ruskies had no problem going genghis on the chechens, due to our pc sensibilities in the US that would never fly. Second, the ruskies never dealt w/a duplicitous national media. Third, as I recall the chechens actually kidnapped a ruskie general and pulled off some tactical victories. Last, the U.S. has never lost a war through military incompetency or lack of soldiership. His examples of Korea and 'Nam hold no weight. Both were political failures on our part.

I agree we should be more brutal on the sand weasels - hell yes, every guy in uniform whose dealt w/the tribal arab knows what they respect. (hold'em by the nose/or the ballz and kick'em in the ass) The problem is our droolers in congress and around the world who have never stepped foot over there and buy into the Abu Ghraib/Haditha horse shit would go nuts on GWB if we unleashed the wolves. We're still trying to speed up the arab to western post-industrial revolution enlightened thinking while most of them are still thinking in terms of carts and donkeys.

Posted by Broadhead6 2007-02-05 21:18|| 2007-02-05 21:18|| Front Page Top

#3 The lesson to learn is that it has more to do with killing 15% of the population and turning another 20% into refugees. At that level of destruction, warm bodies are in short supply.

Posted by ed 2007-02-05 21:34|| 2007-02-05 21:34|| Front Page Top

#4 maybve we should follow russian tactics from afghanistan too

Posted by sinse 2007-02-05 21:38|| 2007-02-05 21:38|| Front Page Top

#5 #4 - great point. Plus, how long were the Ruskies in Chechnya? Still there to some degree keeping the peace? I'm kind of ignorant on all the dates/times of battles there etc. I stopped following that thing in 2001.

Posted by Broadhead6 2007-02-05 21:46|| 2007-02-05 21:46|| Front Page Top

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