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A Hard Bargain. Foreign Policy and the Dynamics of the Putin-Kadyrov Relationship [Zor Pazarlık. Dış Politika ve Putin-Kadırov İlişkisinin Dinamikleri]

Year 2020, Volume: 6 Issue: 11, 43 - 62, 30.11.2020
https://doi.org/10.21488/jocas.810374

Abstract

Bu makale Çeçenistan yöneticisi Ramzan Kadırov’un Rusya Devlet Başkanı Vladimir Putin ile olan eşsiz ilişkisini inceliyor. Bu araştırma ilk olarak Kuzey Kafkasya’daki radikal İslamcılığın evrimi ve Kadırov’un cumhuriyetteki isyan ve huzursuzluğu bastırmadaki rolü hakkında bir bağlam sunuyor. Makale daha sonra Kadırov ile Putin arasındaki ilişkinin üç ayağını tartışıyor: Kadırov'un Çeçenistan'da barışı korumadaki rolü, Putin'e Federal Güvenlik Servisi tarafından Kadırov üzerindeki kontrolün artırılması yönündeki baskıya rağmen ilişkinin sürmesi ve Kadırov'un resmi kanallar dışında dış politikaya katılımı. Makale sonuç olarak Kadırov'un Çeçenistan'da barışı korumadaki rolü nedeniyle Kremlin dışında dış politika eylemleri yürütmesine izin verildiğini ve bu fırsatı Rusya’nın iç ve dış çıkarları için daha da hayati hale getirmek için kullandığını savunuyor.

References

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  • --- “The Jihadist Returnee Threat: Just How Dangerous?” Political Science Quarterly 131 1 (2016).
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  • ---. “Russian Diplomacy in Syria Bolstered by Muslim Minority Outreach.” Middle East Institute, 6 February 2018. https://www.mei.edu/publications/russian-diplomacy-syria-bolstered-muslim-minority-outreach
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  • Morello, Carol and Paul Sonne. “U.S. Blacklists Strongman of Chechnya for Human Rights Abuses.” The Washington Post, 20 July 2020. https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/us-blacklists-strongman-of-chechnya-for-human-rights-abuses/2020/07/20/1a1b2d4a-caa6-11ea-89ce-ac7d5e4a5a38_story.html
  • Nemtsova, Anna. “The Chechen War Moves to Ukraine—And So Does a Wave of Criminal Violence.” The Daily Beast, 28 September 2017. https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-chechen-war-moves-to-ukraineand-so-does-a-wave-of-criminal-violence
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  • Russell, John. “Chechen Elites: Control, Cooption, or Substitution?” Europe-Asia Studies 63 3 (August 2011).
  • ---. “Ramzan Kadyrov: The Indigenous Key to Success in Putin’s Chechenization Strategy?” Nationalities Papers 36 4 (September 2008).
  • “Russia Repatriates Islamic State-Linked Children From Syria.” The Moscow Times, 7 February 2020. https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2020/02/07/russia-repatriates-islamic-state-linked-children-from-syria-a69195
  • Schaefer, Robert. The Insurgency in Chechnya and the North Caucasus: From Gazavat to Jihad. Santa Barbara: Praeger Security International, 2010.
  • Šmíd, Tomás and Miroslav Mareš. “‘Kadyrovtsy’: Russia’s Counterinsurgency Strategy and the Wars of Paramilitary Clans.” The Journal of Strategic Studies 38 15 (2015).
  • Sokirianskaia, Ekaterina. “Russia’s North Caucasus Insurgency Widens as ISIS’ Foothold Grows.” World Politics Review, 12 April 2016. https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/articles/18466/russia-s-north-caucasus-insurgency-widens-as-isis-foothold-grows
  • Souleimanov, Emil. “Chechen Units Deployed in Eastern Ukraine.” Central Asia-Caucasus Analyst, 4 June 2014. https://www.cacianalyst.org/publications/analytical-articles/item/12990-chechen-units-deployed-in-eastern-ukraine.html
  • ---. “Dagestan’s Insurgents Split over Loyalties to Caucasus Emirate and IS.” Central Asia-Caucasus Analyst, 15 April 2015. https://www.cacianalyst.org/publications/analytical-articles/item/13177-dagestan%E2%80%99s-insurgents-split-over-loyalties-to-caucasus-emirate-and-is.html
  • ---. “The Caucasus Emirate: Genealogy of an Islamist Insurgency.” Middle East Policy 18 4 (2011).
  • Souleimanov, Emil, and Marie Ouellette. “The Participation of North Caucasian Jihadists in the Syrian Civil War and its Security Implications.” Middle East Review of International Affairs 18 4 (2014).
  • Souleimanov, Emil A. and Huseyn Aliyev. “Evaluating the Efficacy of Indigenous Forces in Counterinsurgency: Lessons from Chechnya and Dagestan.” Small Wars & Insurgencies 27 3 (2016).
  • ---. “Kadyrov Continues to Target Enemies Abroad.” Central Asia-Caucasus Analyst, 25 February 2020. https://www.cacianalyst.org/publications/analytical-articles/item/13605-kadyrov-continues-to-target-enemies-abroad.html
  • Souleimanov, Emil, Namig Abbasov, and David S. Siroky. “Frankenstein in Grozny: Vertical and Horizontal Cracks in the Foundation of Kadyrov’s Rule.” Asia Europe Journal 17 87 (2019).
  • Speckhard, Anne, Ardian Shajkovci, and Ahmed S. Yayla. “Following a Military Defeat of ISIS in Syria and Iraq: What Happens Next after the Military Victory and the Return of Foreign Fighters?” Journal of Terrorism Research 8 1 (2017). “Treasury Targets Individuals Involved in the Sergei Magnitsky Case and Other Gross Violations of Human Rights in Russia.” United States Department of the Treasury, 20 December 2017. Press release. https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm0240
  • Van Zuijdewijn, Jeanine and Edwin Bakker. “Returning Western foreign fighters: The case of Afghanistan, Bosnia and Somalia.” ICCT Background Note, June 2014.
  • Vikør, Knut S. Between God and the Sultan: A History of Islamic Law. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.
  • Zabyelina, Yuliya and Jana Arsovska. “Rediscovering Corruption’s Other Side: Bribing for Peace in Post-Conflict Kosovo and Chechnya.” Crime, Law, and Social Change 60 (2013).
  • Zhemukhov, Sufian N. “Radical Islam in the North Caucasus.” Russian Analytical Digest 238 (2019).
  • Zygar, Mikhail. All the Kremlin’s Men: Inside the Court of Vladimir Putin. New York: PublicAffairs, 2016.

A Hard Bargain. Foreign Policy and the Dynamics of the Putin-Kadyrov Relationship [Zor Pazarlık. Dış Politika ve Putin-Kadırov İlişkisinin Dinamikleri]

Year 2020, Volume: 6 Issue: 11, 43 - 62, 30.11.2020
https://doi.org/10.21488/jocas.810374

Abstract

This article examines the Governor of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov’s unique relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. This research first provides context on the evolution of radical Islamism in Russia’s North Caucasus and Kadyrov’s role in suppressing insurgency and unrest in the republic. The paper then discusses the three pillars of the relationship between Kadyrov and Putin: Kadyrov’s integral role in keeping the peace in Chechnya, the persistence of the relationship despite pressure on Putin to strengthen control over Kadyrov by members of the federal security establishment, and Kadyrov’s exceptional involvement in foreign policy outside the official Russian channels. The paper ultimately argues that Kadyrov is allowed to conduct foreign policy actions apart from the Kremlin because of his role in keeping the peace in Chechnya, and that he has leveraged this opportunity to become even more vital to Russian domestic and international interests, and thus more powerful.

References

  • Akhmadov, Ilyas and Miriam Lanskoy. The Chechen Struggle: Independence Lost and Won. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2010.
  • Aliyev, Huseyn. “Ingush Police to Support Chechen Units in Syria.” The Central Asian-Caucasus Analyst, 26 April 2017. https://www.cacianalyst.org/publications/analytical-articles/item/13441-ingush-police-to-support-chechen-units-in-syria.html
  • ---. “Families of ISIS Fighters Return to North Caucasus.” The Central Asian-Caucasus Analyst, 23 May 2018. https://www.cacianalyst.org/publications/analytical-articles/item/13519-families-of-isis-fighters-return-to-north-caucasus.html
  • Ambrogio, Patrick J. “Islamizing an Insurgency: Considerations on Radicalism in the North Caucasus.” Journal of Caucasian Studies 4 7-8 (2018).
  • Arutunyan, Anna. “ISIS Returnees Bring Both Hope and Fear to Chechnya.” International Crisis Group, 28 March 2018. https://www.crisisgroup.org/europe-central-asia/caucasus/chechnya-russia/isis-returnees-bring-both-hope-and-fear-chechnya
  • Askerov, Ali. Historical Dictionary of the Chechen Conflict. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2015.
  • Bakker, Edwin, Christophe Paulussen, and Eva Entenmann. Dealing with European Foreign Fighters in Syria: Governance Challenges & Legal Implications. The Hague: International Center for Counterterrorism, December 2013.
  • Barnett, Richard. Beyond the Caliphate: Foreign Fighters and the Threat of Returnees. New York: The Soufan Group, October 2017.
  • Byman, Daniel. “The Homecomings: What Happens When Arab Foreign Fighters in Iraq and Syria Return?” Studies in Conflict and Terrorism 38 8 (2015).
  • --- “The Jihadist Returnee Threat: Just How Dangerous?” Political Science Quarterly 131 1 (2016).
  • Canadian Security Intelligence Service. The Foreign Fighters Phenomenon and Related Security Trends in the Middle East: Highlights from the Workshop. Ottowa: CSIS, January 2016.
  • Caucasian Knot. “Young People Fill the Ranks of the Chechen Underground.” Kavkazskiy Uzel, 20 September 2019. https://www.eng.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/48527/
  • Cohen, Ariel. Russia’s Counterinsurgency in the North Caucasus: Performance and Consequences. Carlisle Barracks: United States Army War College Press, 2014.
  • Cook, Joana, and Gina Vale. From Daesh to ‘Diaspora’: Tracing the Women and Minors in the Islamic State. London: International Center for the Study of Radicalisation, 2018.
  • De Carbonnel, Alissa. “Insight: Russia Fears Return of Fighters Waging Jihad in Syria.” Reuters, 14 November 2013. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-caucasus-syria-insight/insight-russia-fears-return-of-fighters-waging-jihad-in-syria-idUSBRE9AD05Q20131114
  • Dzutsati, Valery. “Chechnya’s Ramzan Kadyrov Announces Creation of New Agency Focused on Compatriots Abroad.” Eurasia Daily Monitor 17 123, 9 September 2020.
  • Fuller, Liz. “Chechnya's Best-Kept Secret: The Workings of the Akhmad Kadyrov Fund.” Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 6 June 2015. https://www.rferl.org/a/caucasus-report-chechnya-akhmad-kadyrov-fund/27057288.html
  • Gerges, Fawaz A. “ISIS and the Third Wave of Jihadism.” Current History (December 2014).
  • Hafez, Mohammed M. “Jihad After Iraq: Lessons from the Arab Afghans.” Studies in Conflict & Terrorism 32 (2009).
  • Hauer, Neil. “Chechens and North Caucasian Militants in Syria.” The Atlantic Council, 18 January 2018. https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/syriasource/chechen-and-north-caucasian-militants-in-syria/
  • ---. “Russian Diplomacy in Syria Bolstered by Muslim Minority Outreach.” Middle East Institute, 6 February 2018. https://www.mei.edu/publications/russian-diplomacy-syria-bolstered-muslim-minority-outreach
  • Heins, Lilla. “From Derbent to Deir-ez-Zour: An Exploratory Analysis of the Foreign Fighter Mobilization from the Former Soviet Republics to Syria and Iraq.” Bachelor’s thesis, CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice, 2019.
  • Hussein, Khalid. “Russia is Not Taking Repatriation of ISIS Fighter Wives, Children Seriously: Activist.” Rudaw, 12 July 2019. https://www.rudaw.net/english/interview/071220191
  • Kramer, Mark. “The Russian-Chechen Connection and the Putin-Kadyrov Connection.” Russian Analytical Digest 22 7 (5 June 2007).
  • Mamon, Marcin. “The Lost Children of ISIS.” Foreign Policy, 2 January 2018. https://foreignpolicy.com /2018/01/02/the-lost-children-of-isis/
  • Mironova, Vera and Ekaterina Sergatsova. “The Chechens of Syria: The Meaning of their Internal Struggle.” Foreign Affairs, 7 September 2017. https://www.foreignaffairs.com. /articles/syria/2017-09-07/chechens-syria
  • Morello, Carol and Paul Sonne. “U.S. Blacklists Strongman of Chechnya for Human Rights Abuses.” The Washington Post, 20 July 2020. https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/us-blacklists-strongman-of-chechnya-for-human-rights-abuses/2020/07/20/1a1b2d4a-caa6-11ea-89ce-ac7d5e4a5a38_story.html
  • Nemtsova, Anna. “The Chechen War Moves to Ukraine—And So Does a Wave of Criminal Violence.” The Daily Beast, 28 September 2017. https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-chechen-war-moves-to-ukraineand-so-does-a-wave-of-criminal-violence
  • Pompeo, Michael R. “Public Designation of Russian National Ramzan Kadyrov Due to Involvement in Gross Violations of Human Rights.” United States Department of States, 20 July 2020. Press release. https://www.state.gov/public-designation-of-russian-national-ramzan-kadyrov-due-to-involvement-in-gross-violations-of-human-rights/
  • Ramani, Samuel. “Why is Russia Insisting on Bringing Home ISIS Fighters’ Children?” The Washington Post, 9 April 2019. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/04/09/why-is-russia-insisting-bringing-home-isis-fighters-children/
  • Russell, John. “Chechen Elites: Control, Cooption, or Substitution?” Europe-Asia Studies 63 3 (August 2011).
  • ---. “Ramzan Kadyrov: The Indigenous Key to Success in Putin’s Chechenization Strategy?” Nationalities Papers 36 4 (September 2008).
  • “Russia Repatriates Islamic State-Linked Children From Syria.” The Moscow Times, 7 February 2020. https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2020/02/07/russia-repatriates-islamic-state-linked-children-from-syria-a69195
  • Schaefer, Robert. The Insurgency in Chechnya and the North Caucasus: From Gazavat to Jihad. Santa Barbara: Praeger Security International, 2010.
  • Šmíd, Tomás and Miroslav Mareš. “‘Kadyrovtsy’: Russia’s Counterinsurgency Strategy and the Wars of Paramilitary Clans.” The Journal of Strategic Studies 38 15 (2015).
  • Sokirianskaia, Ekaterina. “Russia’s North Caucasus Insurgency Widens as ISIS’ Foothold Grows.” World Politics Review, 12 April 2016. https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/articles/18466/russia-s-north-caucasus-insurgency-widens-as-isis-foothold-grows
  • Souleimanov, Emil. “Chechen Units Deployed in Eastern Ukraine.” Central Asia-Caucasus Analyst, 4 June 2014. https://www.cacianalyst.org/publications/analytical-articles/item/12990-chechen-units-deployed-in-eastern-ukraine.html
  • ---. “Dagestan’s Insurgents Split over Loyalties to Caucasus Emirate and IS.” Central Asia-Caucasus Analyst, 15 April 2015. https://www.cacianalyst.org/publications/analytical-articles/item/13177-dagestan%E2%80%99s-insurgents-split-over-loyalties-to-caucasus-emirate-and-is.html
  • ---. “The Caucasus Emirate: Genealogy of an Islamist Insurgency.” Middle East Policy 18 4 (2011).
  • Souleimanov, Emil, and Marie Ouellette. “The Participation of North Caucasian Jihadists in the Syrian Civil War and its Security Implications.” Middle East Review of International Affairs 18 4 (2014).
  • Souleimanov, Emil A. and Huseyn Aliyev. “Evaluating the Efficacy of Indigenous Forces in Counterinsurgency: Lessons from Chechnya and Dagestan.” Small Wars & Insurgencies 27 3 (2016).
  • ---. “Kadyrov Continues to Target Enemies Abroad.” Central Asia-Caucasus Analyst, 25 February 2020. https://www.cacianalyst.org/publications/analytical-articles/item/13605-kadyrov-continues-to-target-enemies-abroad.html
  • Souleimanov, Emil, Namig Abbasov, and David S. Siroky. “Frankenstein in Grozny: Vertical and Horizontal Cracks in the Foundation of Kadyrov’s Rule.” Asia Europe Journal 17 87 (2019).
  • Speckhard, Anne, Ardian Shajkovci, and Ahmed S. Yayla. “Following a Military Defeat of ISIS in Syria and Iraq: What Happens Next after the Military Victory and the Return of Foreign Fighters?” Journal of Terrorism Research 8 1 (2017). “Treasury Targets Individuals Involved in the Sergei Magnitsky Case and Other Gross Violations of Human Rights in Russia.” United States Department of the Treasury, 20 December 2017. Press release. https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm0240
  • Van Zuijdewijn, Jeanine and Edwin Bakker. “Returning Western foreign fighters: The case of Afghanistan, Bosnia and Somalia.” ICCT Background Note, June 2014.
  • Vikør, Knut S. Between God and the Sultan: A History of Islamic Law. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.
  • Zabyelina, Yuliya and Jana Arsovska. “Rediscovering Corruption’s Other Side: Bribing for Peace in Post-Conflict Kosovo and Chechnya.” Crime, Law, and Social Change 60 (2013).
  • Zhemukhov, Sufian N. “Radical Islam in the North Caucasus.” Russian Analytical Digest 238 (2019).
  • Zygar, Mikhail. All the Kremlin’s Men: Inside the Court of Vladimir Putin. New York: PublicAffairs, 2016.
There are 49 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Journal Section Article
Authors

Lilla Heins 0000-0002-1567-6033

Publication Date November 30, 2020
Published in Issue Year 2020 Volume: 6 Issue: 11

Cite

MLA Heins, Lilla. “A Hard Bargain. Foreign Policy and the Dynamics of the Putin-Kadyrov Relationship [Zor Pazarlık. Dış Politika Ve Putin-Kadırov İlişkisinin Dinamikleri]”. Kafkasya Çalışmaları, vol. 6, no. 11, 2020, pp. 43-62, doi:10.21488/jocas.810374.

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