About this item
Winner of a Kirkus Star, multiple awards, and named to numerous "best of" lists, The Insurgency in Chechnya and the North Caucasus: From Gazavat to Jihad is the most acclaimed book to have ever been written on the subject and helps both the average reader and the seasoned analyst make sense of the situation in the Caucasus. With the Crimean crisis in full swing and increasing violence throughout the region, understanding this volatile conflict is especially important in light of efforts to "reset" the relationship between Russia and the United States. For the first time, a Special Forces expert on insurgency and Russia offers the definitive guide on the conflict, explaining why the Russian approach to counter terrorism has failed and why terrorist and insurgent attacks in Russia have increased sharply over the past few years.The Insurgency in Chechnya and the North Caucasus: From Gazavat to Jihad is a comprehensive treatment of this 300 year-old conflict. Thematically organized, refreshingly accessible and well-written, it cuts through the rhetoric to provide the critical lens through which readers can truly understand the "why" and "how" of insurgencies and terrorism - and lay bare the intricacies of the Chechen and North Caucasus conflict - one of the world's longest-running contemporary insurgencies. A fascinating case study of a counterinsurgency campaign that is in direct contravention of US and Western doctrine, this book is also the perfect companion to those studying insurgencies because it shows an enemy-centric approach to counterinsurgency in action. As such, it's been chosen as a textbook at top universities and in numerous terrorism and insurgency programs throughout the world, and named to the "Top 150 Books on Terrorism and Counterterrorism" by the Terrorism Research Initiative. The book examines the differences and linkages between insurgency and terrorism; the origins of conflict in the North Caucasus; and the influences of different strains of Islam, of al-Qaida, and of the War on Terror. A critical examination of never- before-revealed Russian counterinsurgency (COIN) campaigns explains why those campaigns have consistently failed and why the region has seen such an upswing in violence since the conflict was officially declared "over" in 2006. The book's features include detailed statistics from the North Caucasus Incident Database (every violent incident in the region over a two-year period) ; charts showing the complex strategies of the insurgency and the Russian counterinsurgency campaigns; declassified intelligence reports; maps, extensive footnotes, a highly detailed index for further research, and a bibliography. Presented through the lens of counterinsurgency theory, doctrine and practice, this incisive analysis explores the historic roots of each issue, the key players, and the farthest-reaching effects.
About the Author
LIEUTENANT COLONEL ROBERT SCHAEFER is a U.S. Army Special Forces (Green Beret) and Eurasian Foreign Area Officer. For over twenty five years he has served in a variety of special units and participated in virtually every U.S. overseas operation since 1990. He has extensive experience with counterinsurgency and counter-terrorist operations around the world and has lived and worked in many countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia as a diplomat and adviser to foreign governments and militaries. He is uniquely qualified to analyze the conflict in the North Caucasus because of his first-hand experience planning and executing counterinsurgency and counter-terrorism operations in the Caucasus region. LTC Schaefer is the 2001 recipient of the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM), and the Office of Strategic Services Society's Award of Excellence (The Singlaub Award) as the U.S. Special Operations Command Person of the Year for his historic achievements with Russian airborne forces. He obtained his M.A. from Harvard University's Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia program, and is the host of National Public Radio's Memorial Day Special 2007 - 2012. He is a member of the Editorial Board for the Caucasus Survey (a peer-reviewed professional journal), a consultant to several government agencies, universities, and a frequent contributor to major media outlets (CNN, NPR, BBC, NBC, VOA, and others) and seminars focusing on Russia, Chechnya, Dagestan, and the North Caucasus insurgency. His critically-acclaimed book "The Insurgency in Chechnya and the North Caucasus" won multiple national awards and was named to Kirkus Reviews "Best of 2011," and the "Top 150 Books on Terrorism and Counterterrorism" (the only book about the conflict to make the list). He has also contributed a chapter to an anthology entitled, "The Fire Below, How the Caucasus Changed Russia," (Bloomsbury, 2013), and was a contributor to "Operation Homecoming" (Random House, 2006).
