ABSTRACT
In Chechnya the peace process has been endorsed by the election in December 2007, in which reportedly 99.6 per cent of Chechens voted. Did they vote ‘freely’, did they vote for Putin’s political party or did they vote at all? Is this manufactured election the price that must be paid for peace? On the one hand, most Chechens would agree after living through a decade of brutal warfare this is a minor price to pay if it means that they are guaranteed peace and security. On the other, residual resentments will lay dormant as Chechens wonder — Is this what thousands of Chechens and Russians died for? How long will this peace last? How long will it be before another insurrection will develop? Perhaps the most important question of all is — Will the government be able to provide them with human security?
