Chechen resistance: myth and reality Ilyas Akhmadov (2005) Ilyas Akhmadov provides a case study of how an armed group seeks to make itself understood internationally in the face of a powerful opponent. He explains the complexity of the Chechen ‘resistance’ and argues that the main obstacle to being understood is ignorance of the history of a conflict many Chechens perceive as a fight for survival. The ‘war on terror’ and information restrictions have further obscured international perceptions of the conflict and radicalized the isolated Chechens. Akhmadov claims the Chechens have made efforts to behave as a ‘state’ but are thwarted by a lack of recognition of an international community: only during the peace process of 1995-97 did the Chechens feel included in the sphere of inter-governmental relations – and fully able to observe its standards.
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