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user-inactivated  ·  4396 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: What You Should Know About Chechnya as the Boston Story Unfolds - Thor Halvorssen - The Atlantic

    Given the media spotlight that will descend on the region in the next few days, it is absolutely essential to separate the country's three major political groups: Russia's puppet dictatorship, led by Ramzan Kadyrov; the radical Islamist rebellion led by Dokka Umarov; and the legitimate government of Chechnya, headed by the exiled Akhmed Zakayev.
...especially when most Americans still think we're talking about Czechoslovakia here.

EDIT: in all seriousness, though, this is a critical read (and so are the spinoff links) -- especially for anyone who thinks that the fall of the Wall means we don't need to worry about Russia anymore, which seems to be the vast majority of Americans.