I recommend reading the following analysis of the crisis in Chechnya.
http://www.globalissues.org/Geopolitics/Chechnya.asp
It certainly does not tow the currently popular "the Chechans are fully to blame" line, specifically highlighting the abuses of Russia on the Chechen people.
Having said that, for those of you who have claimed that the West has not criticised the Russians for their Chechen policy however, I refer to the following.
All the way back to Yeltsin, when Clinton called for European mediation (1999) -
http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/stories/s67450.htm
Three days before the hostage taking, Schroder and Chirac call for political solution and question Putin on his Chechen policy -
http://www.dw-world.de/english/0,336...57_1_A,00.html
Council of Europe calls for Russia to improve conduct in Chechnya -
http://www.cdi.org/russia/190-10.cfm
Debate in the European Parliament critical of Russia's actions in Chechnya -
http://www3.europarl.eu.int/omk/omns...C&NUMINT=4-007
Mr Mephisto