ABSTRACT
The war in Chechnya serves as a reminder that de facto territorial solutions do not eliminate the eventual possibility of further conflict. After the 1996 ceasefire, Chechnya enjoyed a semi-independent status within the Russian Federation and for many years thereafter, scholars and policy makers alike talked about the region’s semi-independent status and possible confederation with Russia. However, the military offensive in September 1999 demonstrated that regional solutions must be institutionalized. These solutions must include a defined legal basis agreed to and implemented by both sides in order to contain conflict and promote a structured devolution of power. Chechnya represents one regional scenario in the former Soviet Union that, unfortunately, has occurred repeatedly in areas such as Abkhazia and South Ossetia and Nagorno-Kharabakh.
