EDITOR’S NOTE ON SPECIAL CHECHNYA ISSUE

The deterioration of the war in Chechnya has very serious consequences for security and stability in the entire Caucasus region. The Western media often accept the Russian version of events, in particular when it comes to branding the entire spectrum of Chechen resistance to Russian rule as terrorist, and this has in many ways distorted our understanding of the complex and dangerous dynamics that are developing in that vitally strategic part of the world. Consequently, two articles in this special issue are dedicated to exploring how the war in Chechnya and the gross Russian mismanagement of it are destabilizing and radicalizing the broader Caucasus region. The other two articles explore the profile of ‘foreign’ fighters in Chechnya in a refreshingly objective, original and authoritative manner.