Second Chechen War: Causes, Dynamics and Termination - A Civil War between Risk and Opportunity?

Abstract

The present survey deals with the causes, dynamics and termination of the Second Chechen war. At a preliminary stage, it offers a brief overview of the main theories applied for explaining the emergence of internal conflicts. Then, it deals with the formal outbreak of the Second Chechen war and examines whether the Second Chechen war does prima facie constitute a civil war. Afterwards, it focuses on the main causes that led to this conflict. In this respect, factors such as previous wars, fragile institutions as well as activities and interests of so-called entrepreneurs of violence are briefly discussed. Hereafter, it examines the financial and organizational opportunities of the Second Chechen war. The ideological transformation of the conflict is followed by the analysis of its dynamics and termination. In this context, issues concerning its weakening, the course to normality as well as the recourse to terrorist methods are to be examined.