Word: russianness
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...first place, in order to accurately judge the Chechen conflict, Russian citizens must be able to trust their government. The Soviet military machine was notorious for lying about the extent of casualties--both military and civilian--and this tendency to exaggerate military accomplishments has been readily adopted by the new regime. After the 1996 campaign in Chechnya was over, Russian President Boris Yeltsin admitted to a death toll significantly higher than that reported during the war and it is widely assumed that the Russian government is again intentionally underestimating casualties in order to bolster civilian support. Indeed, independent sources estimate...
Moreover, an informed public opinion relies upon truthfulness from the press. Yet, this truthfulness is complicated by the fact that the Russian government enjoys a virtual monopoly over mass media. The government has severely restricted live coverage of the events in Chechnya on national television, effectively keeping millions of Russians uninformed of catastrophic civilian casualties. More troublesome is that the Russian government has restricted foreign and independent news agencies' access to Chechnya as well. Most of the Russian government's claims about the Chechen conflict cannot be independently corroborated, meaning that the Russian people--and the world--are basing their...
Indeed, with the humanitarian stakes in Chechnya as high as they are, the world must be able to respond to the Chechen conflict in an informed and intelligent manner. The Russian government may be concerned about creating a favorable image before Yelstin's successor is elected next year, and it may be concerned with regaining lost pride after a decade of impotence. But, as citizens of a nation that purports to uphold democratic ideals, the Russian people have a right to the truth about what is happening in Chechnya...
This is an overreaction. The limited changes we are contemplating would not undermine Russian security. In fact, because Russia and the U.S. are vulnerable to the same threats, we are prepared to cooperate with Moscow on missile defense...
...date, Russian leaders have strongly objected to any treaty modifications and accused us of undermining the entire system of international arms control simply by raising the subject...