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Originally Posted by Grisu
Seems to me that Russia has it's second Afghanistan. Neither place came to rest after the russians invaded....
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Russia likely does have another Afghanistan situation on their hands. How long have they been fighting in Chechnya now anyway? The Russians have the military strength to win, but they aren't fully committed to getting in there. I think they likely fear being branded as an aggressor nation. It would screw their political voice up if they were suddenly seen as the Big Russian Bear again.
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Originally Posted by Grisu
I don't want to ramble but let the people be free and see where it goes rather than try and opress them... There are way too many similarities with Iraq's situation, the Russian Afghanistan and American Vietnam that are striking...
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Nice concept, but the reality is quite different. There is enough extremist population in Chechnya that Russia fears what it might lead to. I think the same thing can be said of Iraq today, or some of the other wars fought in the past. IF the country could be left alone knowing that they would not start aggression beyond their borders, then there is no reason not to let the people be free.
The concern is that once free, the radical elements in the society (be it Chechnya, or Iraq) would rise up, seize power and then use that to not only oppress their own society, but also use to to expand beyond their borders.
Freedom isn't just about setting someone free. It also has to be about making sure that the leaders allow EVERYONE to be free. You can't allow a nation to supress or kill off a part of the population, simply because they aren't in power.
The former Yugoslavia was mentioned in the thread. The Serbs hated just about everyone who wasn't a Serb. So, they go about killing everyone who doesn't have the same religious/ethnic background. What kind of freedom is that, if the entire population isn't free? Look at the region today, now that Milosevic isn't around. I'm sure there's still some tension in the area, but it's nothing like it was. There isn't any ethnic cleansing going on now, and there seems to be relative peace.
So, the Russians are in Chechnya because if they aren't the fear is that the radical element will spread across the border and then greater Russia would fall. The Russians just seem to be going about it quietly. It's a war of attrition, and it will likely stay that way until something major happens and elicits a major response from Russia.