*This is a very long thread
Grozny is the capital city of Chechnya, a semi-autonomous republic subject to Russia. Chechnya is most famous for suffering two devastating wars in the 90s. The First Chechen war officially began in December 1994 after the Chechens took advantage of the Soviet Union’s collapse, like everyone else, to declare independence from Moscow. Despite Russian superiority in terms of manpower and weaponry, the Chechens made very good use of guerrilla warfare to wear down federal forces to the point Boris Yeltsin, that perpetually drunk fool of a president, signed a ceasefire in 1996, which effectively brought the war to an end. It was a ceasefire on paper but a defeat in reality. And so the Republic of Chechnya came to be.
But not for long.
The Second Chechen War was initiated by a series of bombings in several Russian cities, including Moscow. The official line was Islamist (read Chechen) terrorists, were to blame. Others claimed the bombings were a false flag operation by Russian Intelligence, meant to be an excuse for another invasion of Chechnya. Whatever the case, the Second Chechen War officially began in 1999 with Russian airstrikes, followed by a ground invasion. Before this war, Vladimir Putin, or Mzito Putin as I like to call him, was unknown outside Russia. The war was a gift to him in the form of the massive publicity it gained him. Federal forces managed to recapture Grozny in early 2000 and by the year 2009, had all but destroyed the Chechen separatist movement.
Anyway, back to the subject of this thread.
When Russia brought Chechnya back under her control, Akhmad Kadyrov was appointed as leader of Chechnya. Kadyrov had fought against Russian forces in the First Chechen War, before dramatically switching sides in the Second War. He observed, correctly, that apart from Russian superiority in terms of manpower and weaponry, federal forces were better organized and more determined to re-establish their authority over Chechnya. The coalition of warlords that had won the First Chechen War had also done nothing to improve Chechnya’s standards, with the new republic descending into lawlessness. Kidnappings for ransom, murder and other crimes were the order of the day. Having emerged victorious, the now pro-Kremlin Kadyrov was tasked by Putin and the Russian government with restoring order in Chechnya, and was given a blank cheque to do with as he pleased, so long as Russian interests were being served. Fortunately or unfortunately, Akhmad Kadyrov was assassinated in 2004 via bomb.
Enter Ramzan Kadyrov, the son. When his father died, he wasn’t yet 30 years old, the minimum age for one to be eligible to run as Chechen president. Of course there were others who were appointed leaders, but it was obvious they were just in that position as caretakers, while Ramzan waited for his 30th birthday. And he wasn’t just sitting idly,he was waging a violent campaign behind the scenes to eliminate his political opponents. By the time he turned 30, he was firmly in control of Chechnya.
Now this Ramzan Kadyrov, he rules through fear. Simply put, he doesn’t fuck around. If you oppose him, you will die. Fleeing abroad won’t save your ass either, you’ll be hunted down and murdered. His rule has been marked by corruption and terrible human rights abuses, and that’s just scratching the surface. Journalists, political opponents, even former allies, have been abducted, tortured and/or murdered for daring to oppose Kadyrov. Chechen citizens who criticize his rule, even on social media, sometimes appear on Chechen TV, to express their regret and apologize to Kadyrov. Of course most do so after intense coercion or outright torture. He has also built a massive personality cult, with huge billboards of himself getting erected all over Grozny. Most of the funds Moscow sends to Chechnya are alleged to go to his personal account(s), sometimes funneled through his foundation. Even Russians view him with suspicion. He shows open admiration for Putin, yet isn’t afraid to harshly criticize the federal government whenever he feels they’re asking too many questions about his rule, or how he spends federal funds. The Russians however seem to have decided that he’s their best bet for a stable Chechnya, so they turn a blind eye to his “method” of ruling. The Chechens are a very warlike people, so maybe they need a strongman to keep them in check.
Yet somehow, he's managed to maintain a balance between promoting both Islam and Russian interests. Grozny, and by extension Chechnya, has been growing at breakneck speed, with marvelous infrastructure projects being commissioned. By all accounts, Kadyrov is putting Russia's petro rubles to good use. The message seems to be "embrace Russia and life will be good. Defy and suffer."
At one point, in the aftermath of the Second Chechen War, Grozny had the dubious distinction of being labeled “the world’s most destroyed city.” The situation there was terrible y’all. Just look:
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-i25IJzG3OHA/Uya-FhFJyEI/AAAAAAAAF7c/BkxK_C9QIRk/s1600/grozny+(1).jpg
http://mama.indstate.edu/users/geboen/ch8_grozny.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/de9HlU0.jpg
http://www.swissinfo.ch/image/30219216/3x2/640/426/2f2f63a767bcba9d4b8236c6305a26a5/FR/36832810-30219218.jpg
This is what Grozny looks like today:
http://i.imgur.com/vcj8o.jpg
http://osinform.ru/uploads/posts/2012-12/1355082590_chechnya-tour-2012.jpg
http://russiatrek.org/images/photo/grozny-city-central-square.jpg
http://orig08.deviantart.net/22b9/f/2013/075/7/7/grozny_by_old_grozny-d5y9mfi.jpg
http://t04.deviantart.net/fwRcNnmLP6oG8zzu2YMPVRx3-Zk=/fit-in/700x350/filters:fixed_height(100,100):origin()/pre01/dd59/th/pre/f/2013/075/8/1/grozny_by_old_grozny-d5y9lux.jpg
Fucking unbelievable, eh?
The reason Russia allocated so much to rebuilding Grozny was to show any parts of Russia that might think of seceding that it is possible to prosper under Russia. It was also meant to prove to the world that the second Chechen War hadn’t been a total disaster for Russia, like most had concluded.
So, looking at those contrasting sets of photos, do you think there’s hope for Aleppo and other cities or countries that have been devastated by war? For one, the scenarios are not exactly the same. Russia has vast hydrocarbon resources, they could afford to throw money at Chechnya, which is not the same for Syria. I also observed some remarkable rebuilding by Hezbollah in Lebanon in the aftermath of the 2006 invasion by Israel that seriously destroyed Lebanese infrastructure. Hezbollah was obviously using Iranian funds to rebuild.
So I think Grozny’s case is a rare exception. Chechnya might still go to the dogs again and flush that awesome turnaround down the drain.
The end.