Econ prof sympathizes with Chechen cause

Russia is in a mess—again. This time, a bloody invasion of Chechnya is troubling international observers, as Russian ground troops entered northeast Chechnya on Sun., Nov. 7. The Chechan leader, Aslan Maskhadov, wrote a letter to President Bill Clinton, LAW '73, on Mon., Nov. 8, imploring the U.S. to stop what he called the "genocide of the Chechen people."

PATRICK MCGARVEY/YH Economics lecturer Richard Delamarter, GRD '89, feels the U.S. overreacted to Russia's invasion.

Many observers worry that the attacks stem from Russian President Boris Yeltsin's desire to increase the popularity of handpicked successor Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and to defer attention from an ongoing Swiss probe into Yeltsin's government. However, Yeltsin claims such attacks are necessary to suppress Islamic militants who have incited revolt in Daguestan.

Visiting economics lecturer Richard Delamarter, GRD '89, is familiar with the Chechen region. Eight years ago, he travelled to Lebov, Ukraine, to found the city's first MBA program. He has also started a consulting firm there, which now employs 120 people, to help Western companies communicate with Ukranian factories. He discussed his views on the current conflict with the Herald.

"Many of [America's] responses have been superficial and unhelpful," Delamarter said. "What's going on in Chechnya is basically a civil war, which by its nature is going to be brutal. When we were in the midst of ours, we wouldn't have appreciated outside criticism."

One of the most notable side effects of the so-far successful invasion has been a huge increase in Putin's popularity. He has become a viable presidential candidate against Moscow Mayor Yury Lushkov, who is currently feuding with Yeltsin. Delamarter said that although Yeltsin had ulterior motives for the timing of the Chechen attacks,"Putin's popularity can turn as quickly as the war can turn."

Delamarter pointed out that in the years since Russia abandoned its last invasion in 1993, peace has not been entirely successful. "During the interim there was a power vacuum and Chechnya became a country of warlords," he said. "Ties with the West were completely broken, there was corruption, kidnappings. The U.S. does not tolerate a breakdown of law and order on its borders, and we do not negotiate with kidnappers." He also stated that even though an overall majority of Chechens would likely support independence, the years of anarchy have been so difficult that the public has an overwhelming desire for stability.

The immediate excuse for the Russian invasion was the ongoing bombing of apartment buildings in Moscow. The bombs have killed more than 300 Muscovites so far and Russian police have blamed the devastation on Islamic Chechen militants. "The Russian people were very frightened by those bombs," Delamarter said. "It's not so different from what the response of our own government would be to such brutal bombings—after all, look at the World Trade Center bombing."

According to Delamarter, the mischaracterization of Russian motives in Chechnya is just the latest example of the West's lack of understanding. "The biggest Western misconception has been who the Russian people themselves are," he said. "During the Cold War we saw them as automatons; right after Communism fell, we thought they were going to act just like us, and now that privatization has failed we think they are all crooks. All these perceptions are wrong. Russians are people not very different from us, but who are in a very difficult situation."

Delamarter is fascinated to see how economic incentives governed people's behavior in Russia, where the mafia has hijacked much of the government's power. "Let's say you're an Allied soldier behind the front line and you see a dead German soldier with a Rolex watch," he said. "Are you going to take it? Probably. Why? Because there is a breakdown of law and order. Your lieutenant is not going to put you in jail—there's a war on. Well, the difference between the Russian economy and ours right now is that we don't have $20 million on the table to be stolen. We're blessed because we're not tempted."

Despite Russia's current chaotic situation, Delamarter said he was hopeful for the future. "[The U.S.] has had leaders who weren't completely clean; we've had to deal with organized crime. This is not a battle you can't win."

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