Customer Reviews

The Dirty War

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I noticed that one reader feels this book is nothing but a bunch of lies...especially in the wake of September 11th. Unless you have been to Chechnya since September 11th (or even before) then I don't think you are qualified to write an accurate account of what's happening in that region. I was in Chechnya during the a few weeks after September 11th. I have seen firsthand the destruction. I have also witnessed the widespread suffering of the refugee civilian population in Ingushetia.

With that said, I admire Anna for her quest for the truth. Anna's bias for the Chechen population is obvious from the start. But, this book does contain accounts from the Russian point of view. Finally, Anna goes to great lengths to tell the reader the whole story by addressing the little reported Chechen warlord perspective. Chechnya is a dirty war and all three sides share part of the blame.

You may or may not agree with her reporting style or methods...but the book is an accurate representation of the events in Chechnya as they unfolded in the months her book covers. This book was a slow read in some spots but I would still recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about Chechnya.

I am looking forward to the next installment.

The book gives insight into the attrocities carried out in Chechnya by the Russian armed forces and also by some the Chechen rebels. It is a must-read for anyone who thinks that we live in a peaceful modern world, and that attrocitites carried out by great nations like Russia do not happen. It should serve as a serious reminder to the fact that Russia still denies foreign powers insight to their "internal affairs", and that the discrimination of Muslim minorities througout Central Asia is very much alive.

Especially nowadays, as Russia seeks to ally with the USA against Muslim aggressors, this book carries much weight.
As somebody noted: "If Tony Blair seeks to eliminate terrorism in Northern Ireland, he does not bomb Dublin to bits and pieces. So why does Putin obliterate Grozny in his fight against terrorists, killing tens and tens of thousands in his path?" That is certainly worth a thought.

Politkovskaya has provided us an incredible insight into both sides of the ugliest conflict, both politically and moralistically, since the Second World War. Her ability to speak not only with the Russian OMON troops, the Russian military, and the Chechen "freedom fighters," as well as with the families of the dead from each side, provides the necessary balance and authority to make her book as intriguing as the people themselves.

Politkovskaya's political leanings are apparent within the first two chapters, but should not shade the information she provides. Crowfoot's translation, which on occasion slips from lyrical to Boris-and-Natasha-speak, appears a bit rushed; considering the threats made on Politkovskaya after her October suggestion that Russians were responsible for the deaths of high-ranking Putin advisors sent to the region to investigate federal operations there, a rush can be understood and appreciated. This complaint is, in my opinion, the only distraction from an otherwise outstanding piece of work.

Buy this book, and hope for another very soon!

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.

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.

I was looking for any book from Politkovskaya, whom was assassinated in her doorsteps. Journalist looking for the truth in the chechen war. Grate book.

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.

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.

Do not waste your money. Piece of trash by Russian liberal. Bunch of lies and fairy tales about "poor Chechens" abused by Russians and deprived of their favorite national passtime - murder, kidnapping, slave trading. Lies, lies, lies. In the wake of September 11th events this book is an insult.