• Research
  • Emissary
  • About
  • Experts
Carnegie Global logoCarnegie lettermark logo
DemocracyIran
  • Donate
{
  "authors": [
    "Fiona Hill",
    "Anatol Lieven",
    "Thomas de Waal"
  ],
  "type": "other",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "ctw",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "russia",
  "programs": [
    "Russia and Eurasia"
  ],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "United States",
    "Caucasus",
    "Russia"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Political Reform",
    "Economy",
    "Foreign Policy"
  ]
}
REQUIRED IMAGE

REQUIRED IMAGE

Other

A Spreading Danger: Time for a New Policy Toward Chechnya

The ongoing conflict in and around Chechnya is helping to feed the wider international jihadi movement, and is endangering the West as well as Russia. Mutual recriminations over the conflict have badly damaged relations between Russia and the West. While most of the blame for this lies with Russian policies, the Western approach to the issue has often been unhelpful and irresponsible.

Link Copied
By Fiona Hill, Anatol Lieven, Thomas de Waal
Published on Feb 23, 2005
Program mobile hero image

Program

Russia and Eurasia

The Russia and Eurasia Program continues Carnegie’s long tradition of independent research on major political, societal, and security trends in and U.S. policy toward a region that has been upended by Russia’s war against Ukraine.  Leaders regularly turn to our work for clear-eyed, relevant analyses on the region to inform their policy decisions.

Learn More

The ongoing conflict in and around Chechnya is helping to feed the wider international jihadi movement, and is endangering the West as well as Russia. The next "soft target" of North Caucasian terrorism could be a Western one. Mutual recriminations over the conflict have badly damaged relations between Russia and the West. While most of the blame for this lies with Russian policies, the Western approach to the issue has often been unhelpful and irresponsible. Denunciations of Russian behavior have not been matched by a real understanding of the Chechen conflict or a real commitment to help. In their own interest, Western countries need urgently to address the crisis in the North Caucasus. This requires them to recognize the seriousness of the threat, to open a real dialogue on cooperation with Russia rather than simply making criticisms, and to make a serious economic contribution to the region.

Click on link above for the full text of this Policy Brief.

A limited number of print copies are available.
Request a copy  

About the Authors

Fiona Hill is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and has researched, published, and commented extensively on Russian and Eurasian affairs and on international strategic and energy issues. Her book with Brookings senior fellow Clifford Gaddy, The Siberian Curse: How Communist Planners Left Russia Out in the Cold, was published by Brookings Press in December 2003.

Anatol Lieven is a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. From 1990 to 1996 he was a correspondent for the Times (London) in the former Soviet Union, and covered the first Chechen War as a reporter. His book Chechnya, Tombstone of Russian Power was published by Yale University Press in 1998. His most recent book, America Right or Wrong: An Anatomy of American Nationalism, was published by Oxford University Press in 2004. A journalist, writer, and historian, Lieven writes on a range of security and international affairs issues. Previously, he was editor of Strategic Comments, published by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in London. Thomas de Waal is Caucasus editor at the Institute for War and Peace Reporting. He studied Russian and Modern Greek at Oxford before working in London and Moscow for the BBC World Service, the Moscow Times, the Times of London and the Economist. He is co-author (with Carlotta Gall) of Chechnya: Calamity in the Caucasus (NYU Press, 1998) and author of Black Garden: Armenia and Azerbaijan through Peace and War (NYU Press, 2003).

About the Authors

Fiona Hill

Anatol Lieven

Former Senior Associate

Thomas de Waal

Senior Fellow, Carnegie Europe

De Waal is a senior fellow at Carnegie Europe, specializing in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus.

Authors

Fiona Hill
Anatol Lieven
Former Senior Associate
Anatol Lieven
Thomas de Waal
Senior Fellow, Carnegie Europe
Thomas de Waal
Political ReformEconomyForeign PolicyUnited StatesCaucasusRussia

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

  • Delegates watch as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks onstage at the World Economic Forum (WEF) on January 21, 2026 in Davos, Switzerland.
    Article
    Unstrategic Ambiguity: Trump’s Erratic Approach Leaves Europe Guessing

    The behaviors, public statements, and policies of Donald Trump’s administration have perverted America’s strategic posture toward Europe.

      Dan Baer, Erik Brown

  • Commentary
    Strategic Europe
    On NATO, Trump Should Embrace France Instead of Bashing It

    Donald Trump’s repudiation of NATO goes against the Make America Great Again vision of a U.S.-centered foreign policy. If the goal is to preserve the alliance by boosting Europe’s commitments, leaning into France’s vision is the most America First way forward.

      • Rym Momtaz

      Rym Momtaz

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    Conspiracy Theories Are Eclipsing the Real Dangers of Russia’s Messaging App Max

    The internet is awash not only with instructions from digital security experts, but also with urban legends and conspiracy theories that divert attention away from the real dangers of Max.

      David Frenkel

  • Commentary
    Emissary
    Russia Will Be More Dangerous After the War with Ukraine

    Putin’s blunder has created new and enduring security challenges for Russia and Europe.

      • Eugene Rumer

      Eugene Rumer

  • Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky (R) and Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk attend a press conference at the Mariinskyi Palace in Kyiv on February 5, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
    Article
    Kindred Nations, Uneasy Neighbors: Polish-Ukrainian Relations in the Crucible of Russia’s War

    The full-scale invasion cemented Ukraine’s determination to sever its ties with Russia; reimagining the Poland-Ukraine partnership can accelerate Kyiv’s westward alignment and improve the security of both countries.

      Eric Green

Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Carnegie global logo, stacked
1779 Massachusetts Avenue NWWashington, DC, 20036-2103Phone: 202 483 7600Fax: 202 483 1840
  • Research
  • Emissary
  • About
  • Experts
  • Donate
  • Programs
  • Events
  • Blogs
  • Podcasts
  • Contact
  • Annual Reports
  • Careers
  • Privacy
  • For Media
  • Government Resources
Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
© 2026 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All rights reserved.