Chechnya's Centuries-Long Bloody Strife Goes Global -- Stephen Kinzer, The Guardian
To Tolstoy, fighting Chechen rebels in the 1850s, they were a 'hardy thistle' defying suppression. Now, it has seeded itself afar.
Although nothing is yet known about what motivated the two young Chechen men, Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, suspected of carrying out the bombing of the Boston Marathon on Monday, one thing is clear: Chechnya is as potent a generator of violence today as it has been for blood-soaked centuries.
This small Russian republic, nestled in the mountainous Caucasus, has produced some of the world's most implacable fighters and most ruthless terrorists. Other places are also generators of far-flung violence beyond their own borders – Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are obvious examples – but none has as long a history of war, resistance, and terror as Chechnya.
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My Comment: My nationality is Russian .... but I am always struck by the negativity that my fellow Russians have towards Chechens. To put it bluntly .... they hate and despise them. The reasons that are given to me are many .... the predominance of Chechens in the mafia, terror attacks, racial bigotry, etc. etc. etc.. Bottom line .... the Chechen struggle for independence is now dead .... and in response the more radical elements are spreading their message throughout the region (i.e. the fighting in neighboring Dagestan is escalating) .... and now .... post Boston bombing .... maybe global. And in response .... Russian military reprisals .... and reprisals from their Chechen/Dagestan allies .... is escalating .... further exacerbating the unrest in the Caucasus.