Customer Reviews:
Fascinating.......2007-05-15
Reading this book while visiting a friend in Azerbaijan, I could not put it down. The incredible history of this small country and the current issues both told in a very entertaining narrative that can't be found anywhere else.
A solid historic book.......2006-05-05
This is one of the rare historic books reflecting the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict from both sides. It is reach in historic and political facts, and also reflects the author's own eyewitness of the war.
Also in this book, Mr. Goltz makes it clear in the book his unfriendly relations with Azerbaijani government, and criticizes the structure of the gorevnment, and it's adiministration which lead to series of strategic mistakes.
A must read on Azerbaijan.......2006-02-15
Thomas Goltz's book on Azerbaijan is unique, for many reasons. First, he was among the few western journalists to be and actually live in the Caucasus when hell broke loose in the conflicts of the region. Secondly, He speaks the language, bringing him across cultural barriers that even Russian-speakers encounter though they seldom know they do in the non-Russian partso the former USSR. Third, Goltz has a smell for the events of the country and understands the backdoor politics.
In the final analysis, no serious book on Azerbaijan has been written since Goltz published Azerbaijan Diary. This is sad, since his book mainly covers the transition from communism over the brief popular front period into the Aliyev era - and a lot has happened since.
Historians may come around to write books on this period. But no book is likely to be published on this era that physically makes you feel you were there both, when the Popular Front took over power in parliament; or when rockets came crushing down on Azeri positions in Karabakh.
Great book on caucasus region .......2006-01-21
This a a great source of informaiton for those who are interested to learn more about Azzerbaijan and it's relations with the neighbouring countries.
Strongly recommended!.......2006-01-21
It's a great book about Azerbaijan and it's history. Very comprehencive review, great illustrations. Definitely recommended.
Book Description
"My notes are written for the future. They are the testimon of the innocent victims of the new Chechen war, which is why I record all the detail I can" ANNA POLITKOVSKAYA
The Chechen War was supposed to be over in i996 after the first Yeltsin campaign, but in the summer of iggg the new Putin government decided to "do the job properly". Before all the bodies of those killed in the first campaign had been located or identified, thousands more would be slaughtered in another round of fighting.
The first account to be written by a Russian woman, A Dirty War is an edgy and intense study of a conflict that shows no signs of being resolved. Exasperated by the Russian governments attempt to manipulate media coverage of the war, journalist Anna Politkovskaya undertook to go to Chechnya, to make regular reports and keep events in the public eye.
In a series of despatches from July 1999 to January 2001 she vividly describes the atrocities and abuses of the war, whether it be the corruption endemic in post-Communist Russia, in particular the government and the military, or the spurious arguments and abominable behaviour of the Chechen authorities. In these courageous reports, Politkovskaya excoriates male stupidity and brutality on both sides of the conflict and interviews the civilians whose homes and communities have been laid waste, leaving them nowhere to live and nothing and no one to believe in.
Customer Reviews:
Russian Muckraking.......2006-06-23
This is a hard book to judge. In the first place, it's a collection of articles for what the author refers to as a newspaper, though the "New Gazette" appears to publish biweekly. This leads to some jarring articles next to one another: the first article denounces officials involved in the identification of the corpses of Russian soldiers killed in the first Chechen War 1994-6, and the second article, immediately following, denounces the first one as biased and reverses all of its statements. It's a bit strange.
There's also the issue of bias. Strangely, here in the States, most political conservatives disliked Putin's war in Chechnya, and Yeltsin's before him. In Russia, however, support for the war lies among Russia's conservative political community, while liberals oppose it. The war itself is run as you would expect a Russian war to be run: the soldiers sell their weapons and ammunition to the rebels, who shoot it back at the same soldiers. The soldiers are rarely, if ever paid, and are regularly charged with everything from rape to murder to the relatively mild drug posession. Civilians trapped in the middle are starving, lacking clean water, medical supplies, housing, jobs, pretty much everything. The Russian government makes a lot of promises and then doesn't fulfill any of them. The Chechens steal everything that isn't nailed down (and what is, they pry up and *then* steal), hold old people hostage, set oil wells on fire if they can't own them themselves, and set mines in their neighbors' apartments in order to encourage them to leave. Everyone in this book is a vicious, nasty, mean person, except the innocent civilians the author interviews who are caught between the two forces.
I mostly disagree with the accusations of bias on the part of the author. She clearly doesn't like Putin or any of the Russian administration, but she also rips the Chechens regularly. One reason for her concentration on the negative aspects of the Russian army is that they're not so violent that she can't interview them, while the Chechen fighters, especially their leaders, are dangerous enough that she either didn't try, or failed. Either way, there's more material here on the Russians (most of it negative) than there is on the Chechens. She does show some sympathy for the soldiers at the front: she outlines everything from how underpaid they are to the lousy food (it comes to the front rotting in the cans it's packaged in) to the indifferent officers and the horrible conditions at the front. The whole book, frankly, is full of negative, depressing things. This isn't a book you read to cheer yourself up.
I really thought this book informative, though given its anecdotal nature and content there's very little material on the course of the war itself. I would recommend it to anyone interested in the subject.
Good overview.......2004-12-15
I have to disagree to some degree with those who say this is a *completely* biased piece. I also have suspicions that those who trash this work have not read it in it's entirety, if at all. Anna is certainly an advocate for the Chechen people, but she also attempts to show, albeit in small bits, the human side of Russian troops. Her writing is vivid, impassioned, but sometimes choppy. It can be difficult to read sometimes, but that may be the translation. I'm not sure how the September 11th attacks should obscure any opinions in favor of Chechen independence. Those views expressed appear to be shallow, with a blind, "follow the leader" approach. This shouldn't be an issue where you chant, "go team!"--Why not consider both sides? If you go to www.hrw.org there are plenty accounts of Russian abuse of Chechens, to be fair there is also abuse from Chechen fighters on civilians. This is a dirty war because it is corrupt on all sides. You can also find numerous other articles, not just from Politkovskaya, that echo the same problems with corruption, human rights abuses, etc. Steven Lee Myers of the New York Times is also a good source. Why is it so unfathomable that soldiers might commit abuses, be xenophobic, rape, etc. What about Elza Kungayeva's rapist? He was a high ranking colonel. Even though her rape was ommitted from her autopsy report and he was never actually convicted of rape, he still murdered her. Is that okay? Is that fair or right? Is that not terrorism at it's finest? To form a solid opinion you really need to consider all sides; you need to look at the root problems, it isn't a simple issue.---And it's obvious that it cannot be resolved through military measures alone. There really has to be some considerate discussion. (Putin has blasted that idea so I don't think it will happen.) And you cannot put blinders up and think that abuse is impossible, or even okay. It's too easy to reduce the Chechens to a nation of terrorists.
An Interesting Story yet Too Biased for Comfort.......2004-10-18
This book was somewhat of a disapointment. This is largely due to it's obviously biased viewpoints. However, what really bothered me was its lack of real information. The story was basically a compilation of dramatic stories all stressing how inhumane or heartless the Russian soldiers were and how ignorant westerners are, which would have been okay had that not been the only thing Politkovskaya said throughout the book.
Nonetheless, their was some good content in this story. It does in the end have some interesting stories which will help you understand the region slightly better and one must respect Politkovskaya for her courage in writing such a story. Ultimately, If you are not interested in the political complexities surrounding Chechnya or already know and want first hand stories about the region this book is for you if not, save your money.
Real lies ..........2004-10-15
I completely agree with one of the reviewers : a "democratic trash" financied by terrorists ....
biased.......2004-07-03
Politkovskaia is Russia's Jane Fonda, if you liked Hanoi Jane you'll love Grozny Anna. Why read her biased liberal sympathy for Chechnya, go straight to the source and read the kavkaz websites. Read the wahhabi rebels own propaganda and see some nice videos of wahhabi mujahadeen beheading Russian soldiers and Chechen sufis. Or read Osama bin Laden's praise for Chechen Islamist jihadists. Politkovskaia was called in for the Nord Ost terrorist raid to try to negotiate with the smertniki (suicide attackers)since she is known to be a sympathiser. Afterwards she wrote an article for a Russian liberal gazette about how the Russian theater hostages "got what they deserved because Chechen rebels are suffering too." You get the idea, reading her books, she does not relate Chechen rebels with al-Qaeda and Taliban supporting Wahhabi terrorists. Politkovskaia, Fonda.
Book Description
homas Goltz is one of the founders of the exclusive journalistic cadre of compulsive, danger-addicted voyeurs who court death to get the story. In a first-person narrative that reads like an adventure, he explores the war in Chechnya, and focuses on the Samashki Massacre, the symbol of Russian brutality employed to crush Chechen resistance. Goltz relates the saga of this small town (sort of a Grover's Corners of the Caucasus), as it is drawn into war, and the fate of Hussein, the leader of local resistance. Chechnya Diary is a crossover work that will satisfy both armchair travelers as well as political scientists, historians, and policy makers.
Customer Reviews:
For the Layman.......2006-02-01
This is the true story about the struggle the people of Chechnya are going through - a region I know little about. It is written through the eyes of a war correspondent - an occupation I know little about. Goltz brings some understanding to the layman with a direct, no-nonsense writing style that will capture your attention and send your senses reeling through sorrow, joy, dispair, hope and more. A must read for anyone who wants to gain some knowledge of the on-going struggle of Chechnya without wading through a dull textbook.
How we really feel.......2004-10-29
I'll state straight away that I count myself a an old and loyal friend of Thomas Goltz, and I'm a journalist too, so my five stars should perhaps seen in that context. But I believe they are well deserved, not least for the personal bravery the author displayed in getting the story. For me, this book's particular value is that for once it strips away the shield that we reporters feel necessary to arm ourselves with to protect ourselves from emotional involvement with the subjects of our reportage. This is the first time I read the account of someone who has faced up to naked realities of this situation. The result is a rare and compelling tale of the relationship between the interviewer and the interviewed, and set against a backdrop that shows how both sides behave and above all feel when trapped in forces outside their control.
An improvement .......2004-09-06
This book is a sign Goltz has matured since writing "Requiem" and "AZ Diary", and has found his niche. This is to say, maybe he's realized he isn't much for political synthesis or history. He has obviously done a lot of good and original thinking about journalistic ethics in wartime and the "Hawthorne effect"--these are the reasons you want to read this book.
There are a lot of books, historical and journalistic, in several languages, on Chechnya and this is the least exciting and informative of the ten or so of those I've read.
"Allah's Mountains", "Chechnya--Tombstone of Russian Power" and "Chechnya--A Short, Victorious War" are more interesting and written by less self-obsessed authors.
Excellent portal into a hellish conflict--and more.......2004-02-18
Chechnya Diary isn't your typical book about war. For one thing, it reads more like an adventure or a novel than straight history. It's also much more philosophical than I would have expected. The book begins with the quote, "The observer affects the observed," and boy is that statement ever borne out as the story unfolds.
Author Thomas Goltz sneaks into the country to cover the war, and ends up in a small town called Samashki, where he depends on the hospitality of a man named Hussein. Ostensibly there to record the fighting, Goltz soon becomes intimately involved, raising many tough questions about journalistic ethics and the effects of media war coverage.
The book really picks up steam in the second half, as Goltz returns to Chechnya to discover the damage his participation has caused, and tries to rectify it.
It's a thought-provoking book that provides background on the Chechnyan war but also goes far beyond that to dwell on how our shallow media culture affects our understanding of world events (and beyond that, how media coverage actually determines the course of those events as they play out). Goltz is a likable narrator who doesn't shy away from implicating himself when it comes to the sticky moral questions. He brings to life real Chechnyans in such vivid fashion that you'll remember them every time you hear about Chechnya in the news.
I had tears in my eyes as I finished the book. Highly recommended.
An eye-opening experience.......2004-01-23
Until I read 'Chechnya Diary' I was willing to accept what seemed to be conventional wisdom about the conflict in Chechnya--i.e., just another incidence of Islamic fundamentalist terrorism. Mr. Goltz provides another view: i.e., an effort (at least initally) to restore to a displaced people the homeland of which they were deprived by the Stalinst regime. I also found it refreshing to read something by a journalist who is willing to acknowledge that his presence may have an impact on the turn of events. All in all, I think this is a most enlightening book and, like Mr. Goltz's 'Azerbaijan Diary', a terrific adventure story.
Book Description
In this compelling book Stanley G. Payne offers the first comprehensive narrative of Soviet and Communist intervention in the revolution and civil war in Spain. He documents in unprecedented detail Soviet strategies, Comintern activities, and the role of the Communist party in Spain from the early 1930s to the end of the civil war in 1939. Drawing on a very broad range of Soviet and Spanish primary sources, including many only recently available, Payne changes our understanding of Soviet and Communist intentions in Spain, of Stalin's decision to intervene in the Spanish war, of the widely accepted characterization of the conflict as the struggle of fascism against democracy, and of the claim that Spain's war constituted the opening round of World War II. The author arrives at a new view of the Spanish Civil War and concludes not only that the Democratic Republic had many undemocratic components but also that the position of the Communist party was by no means counterrevolutionary.
Average customer rating:
- Excellent on Diplomacy, Weak on Cultural Background
- A diplomatic roller-coaster ride
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Peace at Any Price: How the World Failed Kosovo (Crises in World Politics)
ASIN: 0275987531 |
Book Description
If Europe, Russia, and international bodies such as the U.N. and NATO end up playing a more prominent role in Iraq's immediate future, all parties, including the United States, would do well to revisit the lessons learned during the U.S.-led war in Kosovo in 1999. As a confrontation over Kosovo's final push for independence looms, this book offers seminal insight into the negotiations that took place between the United States and Russia in an effort to set the terms for ending the conflict. This study in brinksmanship and deception is an essential background for anyone trying to understand Russia's uneasy relations with the West. America's relationship with Russia has become increasingly important as Washington has engaged Moscow as a critical, but often prickly, ally in the war on terror. From smoky late-night sessions at dachas outside of Moscow to meetings in the White House Situation Room, Norris captures the feel of a war that repeatedly threatened to spin out of control. He offers a vivid portrait of some of the larger-than-life characters involved in the conflict, including U.S. president Bill Clinton, General Wesley Clark, Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic, and Russian president Boris Yeltsin. New information includes backstage efforts to open a direct negotiating channel between Milosevic and Washington at the height of the conflict. The book reaches a dramatic crescendo against the backdrop of the war's final days, when Russia unleashed a secret plan to push its forces into Kosovo, ahead of NATO peacekeepers.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent on Diplomacy, Weak on Cultural Background.......2007-03-08
This is a great book for students of diplomacy. It's enjoyable to read and gives the reader a first hand perspective of how negotiations unfolded between the US & Russia.
One word of caution: if you are looking for a historical and cultural perspective on why the war broke out in the first place this book is not for you. Nor does it go into the nuances of nation building that we're now dealing with in Iraq and Afghanistan.
A diplomatic roller-coaster ride.......2006-01-05
I've read a lot of books on American diplomacy and this is one of the best. Norris tells the story of how the US engineered the end of the Kosovo war 7 years ago, bringing the Russians and Europeans along to end Slobodan Milosevic's violent repression. It's rare for a book on diplomacy to be a page-turner, but this is one. Written with crispness and flair, it brings the personalities and events of this drama to life, taking readers from tense meetings inside the Oval Office, to the bombing runs of NATO planes, to showdowns inside the Kremlin. From the perspective of today -- when many around the world are questioning America's role in world -- it offers many valuable lessons about the importance of American diplomacy and strong leadership. It is also about a foreign policy triumph. With the final status of Kosovo again in the news, this book is a vital resource for anyone who wants to understand the stakes there. But most important, it will be a fun read for anyone who is just interested in a compelling, well-told story.
Book Description
When Chechen rebels took Moscow theatergoers hostage in October 2002, it tragically highlighted the ongoing conflict between Russia and its breakaway republic, Chechnya—a war that has claimed an estimated 200,000 Chechen lives in the past decade. Yet the true nature of the debacle lies behind the headlines. In The Oath, a heroic Chechen doctor relates his harrowing experiences in the line of fire to bear witness to this international calamity, and illuminates his remarkable people and their culture.
In 1994, when fighting threatened to break out in Chechnya, Baiev left his promising career in Russia to aid his countrymen. First, he worked in a Grozny hospital until it was destroyed by Russian shelling. Returning to his hometown of Alkhan Kala, he and his fellow villagers restored a clinic with his own funds, and he soon found himself the only doctor for 80,000 residents in six villages and 5,000 refugees. During the next six years, he worked without gas, electricity, or running water, with only local anesthetics, and at one point dressed wounds with sour cream or egg yolks when supplies ran out. He often donated his own blood for surgeries, and on one occasion performed sixty-seven amputations in forty-eight hours.
Although he mainly treated civilians, Baiev also cared for Russian soldiers and Chechen fighters alike, never allowing politics to interfere with his commitment to the Hippocratic oath. He harbored Russian deserters and Chechen rebels at great personal risk and single-handedly rescued a Russian doctor who was scheduled to be executed. For this, Baiev was nearly killed by both the Russian special forces and Chechen extremists. Only when the Russian Army ordered him arrested for treating a wounded rebel warlord did Baiev finally flee Chechnya.
Echoing through his memoir is the history of Chechnya, a Muslim nation the size of Connecticut with a population of one million. Baiev explains the roots of the Chechen- Russian conflict, dating back 400 years, and he brings to life his once-beautiful ancestral home of Makazhoi where his family clan goes back generations, steeped in ancient traditions that are an intriguing blend of mountain folklore—including blood vendettas, arranged marriages, the authority of village elders—and Muslim religious rituals. And he writes frankly about the challenges of assimilating into western culture and about the post-traumatic stress disorder that has debilitated him since the war began.
The Oath is an important eyewitness account of the reality of the Chechen-Russian conflict, in which countless atrocities have been committed against average Chechens in stark contrast to the Kremlin’s portrayal of the conflict. It is also a searing, unforgettable memoir that is certain to become a classic in the literature of war.
Customer Reviews:
A compelling read, deeply inspiring and heartwrenching.......2006-11-26
This book is far more than a memoir -- it is a page-turning narrative of the wonderful and terrible drama of life and war in a region about which we think little and know even less, written by a man of exceptional bravery and humanity. I met Dr. Baiev shortly after his arrival in Washington, DC, where my girlfriend (working for Physicians for Human Rights at the time) coordinated PHR's assistance to Dr. Baiev in Washington. At the time I had little appreciation for just what this man had been through, although it was obvious he had survived a harrowing ordeal. To read now the full story behind the brief weeks in which his life intersected ours has been both fascinating and deeply moving. His account of living as a Caucasus youth in the Soviet Union, his struggle to become a doctor, and his extraordinary dedication to his profession, his people and and his faith through two protracted and brutal wars is by turns fascinating, inspiring and heartwrenching. You will not find a more intimate account of the conflict in Chechnya, nor a better illustration of the way that such conflicts have become simultaneously global and local. If you care about peace, if you care about the prospects for a free and prosperous world, you cannot afford not to care about the gross violations of human rights that accompany conflicts increasingly economic, sectarian and cultural all at once. Dr. Baiev's gripping account puts a profoundly human face on the complexity and the urgency of coming to grips with the destructive conflicts that need not and should not continue into the twenty-first century.
Thrilling, heartbreaking must read primer on the human toll of war.......2006-06-03
If you are interested in war, modern politics, news, or human rights, you need to read this book. It shows what warfare is really like, what happens to people after governments make decisions. And it is heartbreaking, but you cannot put it down.
The conflict in Chechnya is mostly forgotten and then often miscontrued topic for most of the world. Dr. Khassan Baiev's memoir sheds a light on the horrors of life in Chechnya since 1994, what this ghastly, genocidal war means for the common people and Russian grunts. Baiev is a surgeon with a big heart, and never turned anyone away. He explains casualties from the rather disturbing anatomical perspective of a surgeon, illustrating how fragile bodies and how much pain people can suffer.
The book starts with his life before the war: of the ancient and beautiful Chechen traditions, of the extreme and often brutal Russian racism. As you read the book, the cultural differences between the ancient highlander Chechens and the rest of the Western world seem dwarfed by how lovely their life was, and how, as you read it, you can see yourself in their world. What stays with you is that once you empathize on this level, the eruption of war and desolation is utterly heartbreaking. Because Baiev lived it we see an intimate world being shattered, not a headline.
Baiev (narrowly) survives years of war until both the Russians and Chechen guerillas are out for his head because his clientele includes everyone (and mostly civilians) so he has to escape to America, and eventually moved to Boston. His observants description of coming to America, seeing how peaceful it is here, how people of many races coexist, and how a town in Vermont took care of his family, gives you a deeper appreciation for what we have in this country and that many take for granted.
I've never read anything that captures so vividly and personally the heartbreakingly human face of war. I think everyone should read it just to be educated on something that is going on at this moment, but that many people do not know about or simply don't understand. It speaks of overwhelming swaths of cruelty and evil, but also transcendent moments of grace and joy, humanity between enemies. Baiev treated anyone who needed help, so we see souls, not sides.
What steals the breath from you, what made me rather emotional, is how war is revealed here as so useless, so tragic, so profoundly evil because we are all people, and war destroys and perverts this sacred life that we all share in.
an excellent book.......2006-04-24
If you plan on investing your time in reading one book this year make it this one. It is a remarkable tale of an honourable man trying to survive in barbaric times under the tyranny of Putin's Russia. Hassan Biev states that one in every five chechens has been killed as a result of the conflict. However after all this carnage the war stills continues and the state still exits in the hearts of men like Dr. Biev. Perhaps the actions of people like him will ultimately lead to peace in that most violent of places.
A very interesting book........2005-07-30
Let me begin by saying that if everything in this book is true Dr. Baiev has my total respect and admiration. It's inspiring to realize that people of his caliber do exist.
There are, however, one or two disquieting features of this book that I feel compelled to mention. After having read the initial reviews I had expected not only a compelling story of human strength amidst tragedy, but a book of high literary accomplishment. That has not come to pass. Whatever Dr. Baiev's own writing style, it has been submerged in the journalistic style of Nicholas and Ruth Daniloff. Nick Daniloff is he of the famous Soviet espionage sting of the 1980's when he was arrested in Moscow in an apparent KGB set-up. Ronald Reagan himself is reported to have been involved in getting Daniloff released. I just wish Dr. Baiev had been able to choose a more literary writer to assist him in developing this book.
Another point I'm almost embarrassed to make is that Dr. Baiev comes across in this book as almost too good to be true. Not only is he an heroic doctor, brave humanitarian, and loyal son, brother, and friend, he is also described a medical entrepreneur, a doctor who not only moonlights as a cosmetic surgereon, but who is also a national martial arts champion! If this book is made into a film I can only imagine Harrison Ford playing the part of Dr. Baiev. It almost seems as if some of Dr. Baiev's financial and sports successes were included in the book just to appeal to the certain segment of the community that might find those aspects of his life as compelling as the humanitarian work of saving lives and limbs amidst war and destruction.
Nevertheless, the book is full of unique tid-bits. While many people reading it will be aware of Russia's halting attempts to convert its military forces from a large army of draftees to a smaller one of professional soldiers this is the first time I'd seen such a negative depiction of these new contract soldiers. I don't think I'd have gotten this insight anywhere but in this book. Likewise, it was also very interesting to read that in addition to the fight between the Russian military and the Chechen rebels there is a criminal, opportunistic element also actively engaged in exploiting the tragedy of Chechnya and which appears to be much more influential than I would have imagined. I think that this insight is very valuable, not only in the context of the Chechenya, but in understanding the influence of criminal opportunists in other conflicts. For me this insight itself was worth the price of the book.
I certainly recommend The Oath, worts and all.
Opened My Eyes.......2005-07-25
This book opened my eyes to the tragedy in Chechnya, and now I want to know more. A compelling, first-hand narrative of the situation in Chechnya that everyone should read.
Book Description
Andrew's Meier riveting portrait of Chechnya, a land ravaged by indescribable carnage, enables us to understand the origins of this brutal conflict like no other recent work.
The barbaric, terrorist siege in the summer of 2004 that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of innocent children in Beslan did not begin either there or in the take-over of a Moscow theatre in 2002. As Andrew Meier explains in this utterly compelling account, the most recent Chechen war actually broke out on New Year's Eve in 1994 when Boris Yeltsin sent hundreds of tanks to the center of the city of Grozny in an effort to quell popular demands for independence from Russia. Six years later, Meier, braving great personal danger, traveled to the scene of one of the largest civilian massacres carried out by Russian troops, reporting on the carnage in which over 60 Chechen civilians—including a pregnant woman and many elderly—were brutally slaughtered in one of the war's most horrific "mop-up" operations. Days after a Chechen woman became the conflict's first female suicide bomber, Meier visited this war-torn province, encountering, among others, kidnappers, Wahhabi Islamists aligned with the Taliban, and a stream of Russian mothers arriving at the morgue to identify their fallen soldier sons. Chechnya is Meier's stunning report from a region where the death toll has already exceeded 100,000 people, and a book that attempts to comprehend what compels men to shoot children in the back.
Customer Reviews:
A Short and Sad but Interesting Read.......2006-01-17
This is a great little book on a horrible war. He is a former Moscow correspondent for Time. The book (112 pages of text) is the product of his sometimes harrowing experiences traveling through Chechnya and surrounding areas. Part current events commentary and part Travel Log from Hell, the book's style is similar to the travel books of Robert D. Kaplan. Meier includes some historical background on the events described but mostly it is a record of Meier's conversations with Russians, Chechnyans and others, along with descriptions of what he saw. Meier is also a brave man, although he admits to being scared out of his wits at times when he was there; Chechnya is the kidnapping capital of the world. It is the only industry the province really has.
Important note: The chapters from this book were extracted from Meier's longer work, Black Earth: A Journey Through Russia After the Fall. If you have purchased Black Earth, therefore, you do not need to buy this book.
This is a the kind of book on international affairs that one can read for entertainment. Meier is a good and humorous writer, and the book contains a lot of anecdotes about the people he met. I spent a summer working in Russia a few years back, and Meier's stories bring back memories. At one point he writes of how, while staying in a hotel in south Russia, he finally pulled the plug on the phone after getting repeated calls with female voices asking "You need girl now?" It reminded me of my first visit to a McDonald's in Moscow, the one nearest to the Red Square; there was a line of women in black miniskirts lined up outside.
Parts of it are less than humorous. The chapter on the massacre in Aldy, near what is left of Grozny, where dozens of men, women and children were rounded up and murdered during a document check, is chilling.
Meier has a way with words and even some of the horrible things are hard not to find intriguing. In describing what remained of Grozny after the Russian assault in 1999:
I had seen Kabul in the summer of 1996, just before the Taliban took the Afghan capital. Leveled so many times, Kabul had no cityscape. Little, save the remnants of the old Soviet apartment blocks, distinguished it from the Stone Age. Grozny, however, looked worse, much worse... Of the few buildings that still stood, many were sliced open. Walls and roofs had fallen, revealing the abandoned remains of homes inside: sinks, burned cabinets, old stoves. Furniture, belongings, anything of value had disappeared long ago. We drove on, accelerating between the checkpoints, now approaching the city center. Each turn revealed only more concrete carcasses, more black metal torched, more gaping holes that held only darkness.
As one Russian general explained, according to Meier: "Our strategy is simple... If they shoot at us from a house, we destroy the house. If they shoot from all over a village, we destroy the village."
In addition to lots of suffering innocents, Chechnya also has terrorists, and Wahhabism is on the rise. While some Russian soldiers depicted are cruel and violent, most are simply hapless and corrupt. The decline of the Russian military is a sad, really pathetic thing to see, even though we were enemies not that long ago. I had read anecdotes about Russian officers drunk on duty, and of soldiers being so corrupt that they actually would sometimes sell their weapons to the Chechnyans, and wondered how common that was. One Chechnyan warlord with whom Meier spoke told him that they actually got the majority of their weapons that way.
For those in the West thinking that Russia might be a great ally in the war on Islamic terrorism, the war in Chechnya is a sober reminder. Aside from Russia's nuclear aid to Iran or protection and Saddam's Iraq, there is the issue of what they could actually be relied upon to do. From everything I've read it seems that Russia's intelligence services are still top notch, but the military has practically gone to nothing. The potential is there, but this is a sad sight indeed. Meier's book is not only a line of sight into the war in Chechnya, it is also says a lot about Russia as well.
This book is NOT new, but a reproduced chapter from Black Earth.......2005-10-01
I bought this book in anticipation of Meier's extended coverage of the Chechen conflict. What I did not know when I purchased this book, nor was mentioned anywhere on the reviews or on the cover, is that THIS BOOK IS EXACTLY THE SAME AS THE CHAPTER ON CHECHNYA IN BLACK EARTH. In essense, I feel scammed. Do not buy this book if you already own Black Earth. You'll find out by page one that this is just a chapter taken out, repackaged and sold as a separate book. I could not believe it when I read the first few pages--this is absolutely shameful. Did the publishers and Andrew Meier think that the reading public is so stupid and so memory lapsed that we would not see this right away? I do not appreciate the fact that I spent extra money on an unnecessary and misrepresented book.
A heartbreaking, critical piece of journalism.......2004-11-17
If the cover doesn't break your heart the content of this courageous and brutally bleak piece of journalism will. Meier was able to go where no other western journalist had the ability or courage to go. And his report of the decimation in Chechnya, particularly in the village of Aldy, is an important and critical piece of journalism, which is crucial for understanding Russia's actions in the region and the response of Chechens in their quest for independence. If the Aldy massacre had the media attention Beslan did the portrayal of this centuries old conflict would be much more fairly represented in the press.
Book Description
This book illuminates one of the world's most troubled regions from a unique perspective--that of a prominent Russian intellectual. Valery Tishkov, a leading ethnographer who has also served in several important political posts, examines the evolution of the war in Chechnya that erupted in 1994, untangling the myths, the long-held resentments, and the ideological manipulations that have fueled the crisis. In particular, he explores the key themes of nationalism and violence that feed the turmoil there. Forceful, original, and timely, his study combines extensive interview material, historical perspectives, and deep local knowledge. Tishkov sheds light on Chechnya in particular and on how secessionist conflicts can escalate into violent conflagrations in general. With its balanced assessments of both Russian and Chechen perspectives, this book will be essential reading for people seeking to understand the role of Islamic fundamentalist nationalism in the contemporary world.
Customer Reviews:
a subtle, unpacking of the Chechen conflict.......2005-05-31
I came to this book after reading several books on the Caucusus -- Yo'av Karny's 'Highlanders' (2001) being the best -- and a couple on Chechnya -- Khassan Baiev's memoir 'The Oath' (2004) the most profound of those. Admittedly, I came to Tishkov's work skeptical: he is Russian, after all. For those of us perhaps a little too eager to see local resistances to 'imperial' power and statehood as liberatory struggles, Tishkov engages us in a real marvel of anthropology, teasing apart threads, and questioning assumptions. Like Baiev, albeit in a very different way, Tishkov's professionalism, his belief in the rationalism of the anthropological method, carries this book. It is certainly possible he may have carefully selected and then edited his informants' words, but to what end? Throughout the book I was successively impressed by his unwillingness to engage in "a debate over the truths of who did what during the Chechen war." This is not to say that Tishkov avoids pointed commentaries about either Russian hubris or Chechen entrepreneurial violence, but it is to say that he does a profound job in helping his readers understand the precarious nature of war and peace, especially in a cultural climate where "even the slightest of differences can be used to justify violence."
The casualty of war........2005-04-28
Following the tide of change that resulted in the breakup of the Soviet Union, the people of Chechnya proclaimed their independence in November 1991. Inevitably, many events took place between the newly formed nation and the Russian Federation, leading to the invasion of Chechnya by Russian troops in early December of 1994. A conflict that Anatol Lieven, the author of Chechnya: Tombstone Of Russian Power, has referred to as "the greatest epics of colonial resistance of the past century". Thus, for the next ten years, one bloody war after another reduced a thriving country to rubble; the Chechens enduring unimaginable suffering with no end in sight. To date, the struggle for self-determination has somehow, develop into an "Islamic" guerrilla war. Chechnya: Life In A War-Torn Society is not an account of the war; rather it is a reflection on a Chechen society forced into a never-ending, cruel and traumatizing war. The author of this scholarly text, Valery Tishkov, is currently the director of the Institute of Ethnography and Anthropology at the Russian Academy of Sciences. Therefore, his views on the conflict can be deemed authoritative and to some extent, biased.
In the first five chapters, the author seeks for the answer by explaining the historical context of events such as Stalin's atrocious deportation of the Chechens to the lifeless steppes of Kazakhstan during World War II, which the Chechens suffered in silence, undoubtedly created bitterness in their memories. Yet he asserts that it is not a reason for the unending conflict. Nor, according to Tishkov, do ethnic, tribal, or religious disparities explain the tragedy of this war. Tishkov however places the core of the problem in the early stage of Boris Yeltsin's presidency when rivalries between factions paralyzed the operations of the government in dealing with the Chechen crisis. He perceives the bloodshed as the result of unresponsiveness and puzzlements on the Russian leaders when the Chechen crisis first emerged and the reluctance to deal with General Dzhokhar Dudayev, whom the author introduces in chapter six, while the situation is still in control. All through the book, Tishkov observes the first war and its aftermath through the eyes of fifty-four Chechens whom he and his associates interviewed at length. These "informers" have infused his account of the war with an exclusive directness and subtlety. Their recollections offer a distinctive ethnographic description and analysis of the war, the outcome, and what precipitated it.
According to the survivors and Tishkov, the Chechens success in the first war can be attributed to the use of "guerrilla warfare", with tactics such as ambushes and attacks on the enemy's lines of communication which the author of Resisting Rebellion, Anthony J. Joes, stated as one of the vital strategy for insurgents to succeed. Tishkov goes on to express his admiration for the Chechen fighters' ability to overcome the psychological fear and intimidation and master the techniques of guerrilla warfare. Nevertheless, in chapter seven, when they staged and recorded their attacks, Tishkov portrays the exhibitionist behavior of the Chechen fighters as acts of terrorism. The author fails to realize that it is one of the ways that terrorists can get their objectives across to a wider audience. In his book Terror In The Mind Of God: The Global Rise Of Religious Violence, Mark Juergensmeyer, the noted sociologist and the Director of Global and International Studies, explains it as a theater that terrorists use to conduct terror for their audiences whom they are trying to terrorize. Yet, Tishkov fails to mention the atrocities that Russian troops committed on the Chechens that provoked the situation in the first place. On the aspect of religious, from chapter eleven to the rest of the book, Tishkov emphasizes the negative influences of Arab outsiders in the conflict, such as the al-Qaeda terrorist's network, whom he feels is using Chechnya as a stage determined to turn it into another Islamic state similar to the Taliban of Afghanistan. Tishkov's Chechnya: Life In A War-Torn Society is a recommended book since it does not try to venerate or condemn either side of the conflict but to expose how the war-monger parties in both Moscow and Grozny have made the erroneous political decisions that brought war to the Chechens and terrors to the citizens of Russia. Last but not least, the reader of this book must approach it with an open mind and not to form their judgments prematurely. Such as, in the view of some Westerners, the conflict is being about a small brave nation fighting against an imperial monster, or, in the view of Russia, an armed coup d'etat in Chechnya led by General Dudayev, resulting in the rise of an aggressive paramilitary regime that challenged both the Russian state and its armed forces. Nevertheless, it is a conflict that for Russia, according to Joes, who ranks it as one of the most disastrous counterinsurgent experiences on record, with the full implications of which have yet to manifest themselves.
Very reccommended.......2005-03-18
This is a very good book about the Chechen War written from the viewpoint of the fighters. Most books on this topic are written by Liberals apologists for terrorism, who sympathise with the rebels and blame Russia for the terrorist acts committed by Chechens. Others are by extreme Conservative Christians who just hate all Muslims. Chechnya went from being a struggle for independence to a Holy Jihad. If you want to hear the real story from the voices of the Chechens, here it is! This book is easier to read then Wolves of Islam, and I reccommend reading both!
A balanced yet personal look at the conflict........2005-02-18
Tishkov presents a blanced, well researched account of the two Russian-Chechnyan conflicts. Filled with interviews of both Chechnyns and Russians, the book gives a factual account of the war mixed with personal stories of the survivors. Highly reccomended if you want a down the middle view.
A relatively balanced analysis of this difficult conflict.......2004-08-17
Unlike many other books on Chechnya, this one offers a unique ethnographic account and analysis of this war and of what preceded it. Although very academic, it offers 'direct voices' of Chechens (mostly) that either suffered the war or have escaped it and now live elsewhere. The book does not attempt to glorify or condemn either side but, on the contrary, demonstrates how hawkish parties in both Moscow and Grozny have committed acts of political shortsightedness that dragged the country into war.
While this book is not going to satisfy anyone whose opinion has already been formed, especially anyone who views this conflict in terms of a small brave nation fighting against an imperial monster, it is more scientific and balanced than any other book that exists on this subject in English. It also takes a stab at Western preconcieved notions such as a failure to recognize ethnic cleansing of Chechnya in 1991-94 when the city of Grozny has been cleansed of non-Chechens who were forced to leave the republic or killed, their appartnments having been taken by the militants.
In short, this book will please you if you are looking for a balanced account or if you have an open mind and are not already set in condemning the Russians. After all, these are Chechen voices too.
Book Description
A mixture of travelogue, history and war journalism, Allah's Mountains tells the story of the conflict between this nation of mountain tribes and the might of the Russian army. It is also a story of the history, people and cultures of the Caucasus and of tiny ethnic groups struggling for both physical and cultural survival.
Customer Reviews:
A fair and unbiased look at a war.......2007-03-19
Nowadays its easy to go and scream Islamic Jihadi and radical Islamic militancy and terrorist, and the list goes on. Rarely do we find someone who leaves the blame game out of the situation, and actually looks at the situation with a fair and unbiased approach which then gives people a better understanding and not a twisted one, that is full of hate. The Chechynan cause has been a resistance against foriegn invasion and it will go down in history as so, we must not forget that the world isnt black and white, or as Mr. Bush puts it you are "either with us or against us". There are in between the lines things that must be known and this book gives us a great look into the Chechnyan Issue. A must read for anyone interested in history and current events.
a good overview of Chechnya that goes deeply inside.......2007-01-10
Sebastian Smith found a good equilibrium among history, politics, religion, regional pecularities of Chechnya. All these features help an outsider to deeply understand the reasons for the present state of the Chechen State.
We see that Chechen problems that led to the war started not with the Soviet Union collapse, but long time before at the time of Russian Empire. Another thing is that Chechnya wasn't the only unlucky one - in present Russia there are dozens of nations and territories that were occupied by Russians (example, Tatarstan, a present Russian colony, that used to be an independent state - Kazan Khanat (Kingdom).
Smith gives a profound look into the Russian-Chechen controversy, and the fact that the guy actually was there and experienced all the uglyness of the war make a person believe in what's written in the book and better understand why Russia is called "a prison of nations"
A good primer on the War in Chechnya.......2006-09-02
I came across the writing of Sebastian Smith in a New York Times Op-Ed piece and decided to look into what books he had written. Allah's Mountains is a well written book which goes through the conflict of Chechnya along with the regional conflicts which are sewn together to give the story of regional turmoil in the former USSR. It was amazing to read how the band of Chechan fighters held off the once proud Soviet forces using very simple tactics. On the other hand, Yeltsin does not come across as a very compelling figure and more of an embarrassment of leadership. For anybody looking to get insight into the Chechan war, Mr. Smith's book is a MUST READ. The only reason why it did not get five stars is because at points there is some repitition.
Interesting, but one-sided..........2002-09-22
I agree with both Mr. Yin and Leonides. The premise of the book was good, but the book is heavily biased and ultimately unsatisfying if you are a serious student of this and related conflicts. The author admits that the Chenchens are proud, but somewhat thuggish, then goes on to praise how they cherish their knives while at the same time castigating the Russians for acting war-like. War is murderous and both sides in this book play at savagery. The author cannot praise one side and castigate the other - and contradicting himself on many pages - for the same characteristics; he loses all credibility.
And, let us not forget that Chechens are supporting Al-Qaida and related extremist,Islamic groups.
Moving account of an unusual war.......2002-02-09
I highly recommend this book as a moving account of the wars in Chechnya and the only book to explore all the remote North Caucasus nations. Smith travels deeply among these little known, ancient peoples and in Chechnya he seems to have witnessed just about every major turning point in the first war.
Having enjoyed this book so much and also having read several others on Chechnya(Anatol Lieven, Carlotta Gall, Anna Politkovskaya) I was amazed by the uninformed review already on this site by a previous reader.
This reviewer says Smith is way too pro-Chechen and never shows the Chechens in a bad light, only the Russians. I found Smith was certainly showing sympathy for this people. But then as a people they are the ones hurting. Their capital Grozny, large parts of other towns, and many of the villages have been flattened by aerial bombardment and artillery. Maybe 100,000 people, probably far more (no one bothers counting anymore) have been killed out of the tiny population. Smith points out early on that the entire Chechen ethnic group is smaller than the Russian armed forces alone. Just think about that.
By concentrating on travels with the Chechen guerrillas, not Russian troops, Smith was able to see the frontlines and feel the same effects of war as the people living in the republic. Any journalist knows that trying to get information from a regular army, especially one committing war crimes, is unlikely to result in anything but lies. If Smith is wrong in believing the Chechen side to be suffering by far the greatest, then so is MSF, Amnesty, Human Rights Watch and the other western journalists who spent time there and wrote books about it (Lieven, Gall etc), not to mention the incredibly brave Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, who is one of the very few to dare contradict her government's propaganda.
What has happened in Chechnya makes Kosovo pale in comparison and Milosovic is on trial for war crimes. Even in Bosnia the Serbs did not inflict such massive destruction - they didn't have half the Russian weaponry, after all. If Smith shows admiration for the Chechen guerrillas, then you do have to think about what he says he saw: a few thousand fighters with light infantry weapons tying down up to 100,000 Russian troops armed with helicopters, planes, tanks, artillery etc for several years.
I wonder if that reviewer even read the book. He/she says that the Chechens are not criticised, but on the first page I read Basayev was a terrorist and criminal AS WELL as being a hero to his own entourage. I read of a Chechen father trying to bury his son during a Russian air raid but cursing the Chechen guerrillas who had dragged him into the war. Etc, etc;
And as for there being no irony in writing about Aslan Maskhadov trying to prove he had a "regular" army by obstinately putting his men in unfavourable terrain against the Russian weapons, then that reviewer just doesn't get irony! What I read was just as he had announced this "apocalyptic" policy to Smith, an attack by Russian artillery started and Maskhadov (and Smith we suppose)had to run for their lives. Seems ironic to me.
Then there was some idea that history is given too much play in Allah's Mountains, the reviewer saying that to compare past Chechen-Russian relations so often to the present is like "comparing modern US-Mexican relations to US attempts to kill Pancho Villa".
Now this really IS ludicrous! Surely the whole point Smith was making, and it is one of the main points of the book, was that in a place like Chechnya the past really does sit very heavily on the present.
First you had brutal and long colonial conquest in the 19th century (Chechnya was about the hardest place to conquer in the whole Russian empire); then you moved straight into Soviet repression and Stalin's genocide in the 20th; then you went straight into the chaos and war of the post Soviet period. In other words there was never a moment when people might put the past behind or have any incentive to change their way of thinking. Conflict, conflict, that's all they know in Chechnya.
The reason it's important to understand this is that then you might have an inkling as to why against such ridiculous odds and at such a high price there are still today Chechens going out and blowing up Russian tanks.
Book Description
By 1920 the Red Army fielded an overwhelming array of armored cars and armored trains, while tank detachments had begun forming in earnest. These armored units played an important part in consolidating the newly won Bolshevik empire in the early 1920s; as a consequence of the fact that railways were the strategic arteries that essentially controlled Russia, armored trains have never played such a significant role in military history as they did in the Russian Civil War. This title details their management, construction and repair, personnel and training and combat on all fronts, as well as discussing Trotsky's armored train, in which he conducted 36 tours.
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- Crusades: The Illustrated History
- Don Troiani's American Battles: The Art of the Nation at War, 1754-1865
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