"A major contribution to the understanding of an ongoing tragedy . . . an ideal primer for anyone wanting to understand the origins and nature of the Chechen conflict."

Nicolas Rea, The Guardian

"Wood presents a closely argued legal case for independence. He indicates the benefits this would bring not only to the Chechen people, but to Russia itself. In the process, he gives us a brilliant short history showing how this tiny country, with one million inhabitants, has degenerated from an egalitarian network of agrarian clans to a hellish anarchy where hunger, sickness and terror are the daily lot of all those not allied to its criminal militias."

"A passionate and eloquent case for Chechen statehood, well researched and reasoned. Whatever one thinks of state sovereignty these days, this political project demands serious engagement, and Wood's humanitarian concerns cannot be ignored."

Georgi Derluguian, author of Bourdieu's Secret Admirer in the Caucasus

"Tony Wood's book is an antidote to the prevailing wisdom that Chechnya's rebels have always been nihilists and terrorists. He reminds us that a decade ago the Chechens were demanding nothing more than many other small peoples at the time of the Soviet breakup - statehood and a new start. In a world of cynicism and ignorance, Wood offers facts that many will find incovenient and lays out an argument for which many thousands of Chechens - mistakenly or not - suffered and gave their lives."

Sebastian Smith, author of Allah's Mountains