|
>>Flags/National Symbols of Europe<<
About the EHL/The Staff/Contact Us
Submit Articles & Content
Online Language Translation
Join our Mailing List
Donate to the EHL
Bookmark the EHL to Favourites!
     
  
Click a Flag to Translate
• History
of Christianization of Europe
• Soviet
Union, Communist influence
• Map
of European ethnic groups
• Map of Fascism
in Europe (1922-75)
• History
of Islamic conquest in Europe
• Religions
& ethnic groups in Russia
• Detailed
map of French colonization
• Detailed
map of British colonization
• Napoleon's
conquests & legacy
• Ethnic
& religious map of pre-Nazi Poland
--MORE &
NON-ENGLISH--
• Muhammad cartoon crisis in pictures
• Stalin's private summer home
• Ravenna: capital of Gothic empire
• Czar Nicholas II's Ukrainian palace
• European traditional costumes/dress
• Inside the Vatican, house of all wealth
--MORE
& NON-ENGLISH--
• Islamic Mujahidin
vs. Spain & El Cid
• Poland-Lithuania vs. Teutonic Order
• Nevskiy's Russia vs. German Crusaders
• Prussia
vs. France (Nazi Propaganda)
• Qadafi: Europe will soon be Islamic
• Ivan the Terrible
vs. Muslim Tatars
• Soviet
Propaganda: Defeat of Germany
--MORE
& NON-ENGLISH--
• The Gypsies in history and today,
Europe's public enemy
• History of Jihad in Chechnya
& Caucasus vs. Russians
• Post-WWII expulsion of 8 million
ethnic German civilians
• Ethnic & religious history of Serbs, Croats, & Bosnians
• Breakaway
states and independence movements in Europe
• The ancient Germanic Runic alphabet and
Runestones
• Teutonic
Order and their 800-year legacy in Eastern Europe
• 510-year
struggle for Albanian homeland, and 552 for Kosovo
• 4,000-year-old white mummies of China,
bringers of Buddhism
--MORE
& NON-ENGLISH-- |
|
Breakaway cultures
and independence movements in Europe
by James Mayfield (Chairman, European Heritage Library)
 Print
this Article • About
the Author • Bibliography/Sources
This article tracks the history
and struggles of many unrecognized peoples of Europe who seek
independence. It does not include different cultural groups
that seek distinct autonomy from their host countries, like
the Frieslanders of the Netherlands or the Welsh of the UK,
but only populations that have struggled for independence
through political or violent means to this day. All of these
movements are CURRENT and on-going.
QUICK VIEW:
Basques • Flemish
& Walloons • Kosovo
• Serbian republic in Bosnia
• Northern Ireland
• Turkish Muslim Cyprus
• Transnistria • South
Ossetia • Chechnya/Muslims
of Russia
Although European nations are among the most homogeneous in
the world, many nations with histories of expansionism and
conquest have their share of internal schism and civil unrest
that continue to this day. Some seek autonomy for what they
view as their highly distinct identity and culture. Others
seek revolt through violent means of terrorism. Some blame
the host government for oppression, whilst others simply demand
more rights for their own community. The former Yugoslavia
has become an example of internal conflict over political
disputes, and the former kingdom and then People's Republic
has since entirely dissolved with the divorce of Montenegro
and now Muslim Kosovo in 2008. Belgium is unique because its
internal conflict is peaceful but involves a bitter hatred
between that nation's two dominant racial/ethnic groups. The
nature of each division in Europe is diverse and complicated,
and even among the movements themselves there is dispute over
how to achieve the ideal of independence from the host countries'
“oppression.”
The
Basques of Spain:
The Basques are one of Europe's
most unique and mysterious communities. They are a tight-knit
and ancient people populating the north of Spain and on the
French-Spanish border around Bilbao in a collective territory
they refer to as “Euskadi.” The name used by outsiders to
refer to them, the Basques, derives from the Latin and Spanish
“Vascones.” Their language, Euskara, is shrouded in obscurity
and is considered Europe's only “isolate” and non-Indo-European
language with no common relative. They are often called Europe's
only indigeneous population, although all European peoples
are equally indigenous with history just as long. Their language
shares a great deal of Spanish and even Celtic influences,
and the reason for the distinctness of Euskara and the Celtic
heritage is debated broadly. Some theorize that Euskara was
simply designed by this population to create a distinct identity
as many communities in history have done, and thus their distinct
traditions, identity, and language do not at all imply that
they are any different genetically than the rest of Iberia.
Others point to the Celtiberians, an ancient Celtic people
who occupied Iberia during the Roman period, as the roots
of the Basques today. It seems quite equally probable that
the Basques are identical to the rest of their Iberian neighbors
genetically but stand out today because they were able to
retain their original, native Iberian traditions and avoid
the Latin culture of the Roman expansion. The Basques have
a long history of stubborn refusal to be conquered, annexed,
or assimilated. “Taming” the Basques was an aspiration of
many ancient kings and empires from the Germans under Karl
the Great (Charlemagne) to the Caesars and the early kings
of Castile and Aragon. The greatest empire in Europe, the
Karolinger empire of the Germans, suffered a horrible defeat
at the hands of the boulder-dropping Basques even after they
had saved Europe from the might of Islamic conquest. This
resilience to hegemony inspires Basques today with the goal
of autonomy. Despite their perception of being totally distinct
and non-assimilated, Basques have embraced the Spaniards'
Catholic faith and most of their culture.
The Basque flag
ETA terrorists fighting for a free Euskadi, or "Basque
Country"
The Basques were loosely
incorporated into the new unified Spain in the 16th century,
although local autonomy was still maintained. They have remained
a part of the Spanish nation for the last 500 years, but have
still not forgotten their distinct identity. The gradual liberalization
of Spain in the 19th century caused by the Napoleonic conquest
(that dislodged the imperial regime and crippled its imperial
foundation) incited the Basques with Basque nationalism. The
republican era that lasted until the 20th century (although
it was far from what the West would call a republic today)
kept the fires of Basque pride burning, and the Spanish Civil
War of the 1930s put the Basques on the side of the liberals
with the hopes of bolstering their autonomy. The Nationalists/Royalists,
led by Generalissimo Francisco Franco, called for a strong
central government rife with ethnoreligious nationalism and
Catholicism, whilst the US-supported Communists and Republicans
demanded social freedom and regional autonomy. When Franco
won the civil war by 1939, and ruled as a dictator until the
1970s, it is predictable that the Basques would feel popular
resentment. Franco brutally cracked down on independence movements,
regional and individual dissidence, and the Basque revolt.
Basque terrorist groups like the ETA (Euskadi ta Askatasuna
[Homeland and Freedom]) emerged throughout the 1950s-1970s
with the aim of “liberating” Euskadi from the Spanish nation,
but became unusual in Europe for their murder of innocent
civilians anywhere from homes to cafes all across the nation.
The conflict continues to this day despite Spain's new liberalization
and an emphasis on regional autonomy, and fears of terrorism
are still strong. When news first broke of the Muslim attack
on the Madrid subways, many were hasty to blame the Basques.
The Basques are unique in global independence movements because
they live in one of Spain's wealthier provinces, and are not
poor and disenfranchised as many groups seeking autonomy are.
Nonetheless, Basque terrorism is among Spain's greatest problems,
as it targets anything from airports to businesses, to cafes
to private homes, and has claimed the lives of anywhere from
(sources vary) 500-2,000 civilians who have nothing to do
with the oppression that the Basques associate with the modern
liberal Spanish state.
An
ethnically-divided “nation” – Belgium's Walloons and Flemings:
Belgium is unique in Europe
because it, like Switzerland, is firmly divided as a consociational
state between the incredibly distinct and often-bitter ethnic
groups that occupy this region. Belgium, always a part of
the Netherlands and Germany before that, became heavily influenced
and occupied by French businessmen, settlers, and mercenaries
in the 19th century with the expansion of the French economy
and under the conquests of Napoleon. As a result, this strongly
Germanic region became gradually dominated by a French minority,
and since then Belgium has assumed a strong French character
in its foreign relations. Belgium divorced from the Netherlands
in 1830. French is the traditional language of Belgian politics,
business, and administration, and was used instead of Dutch
in the Belgian Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi when they were colonized
in the 19th and 20th centuries. This history of disenfranchisement
of the native Dutch and Germans by the oft-hated French has
led to consistent conflict in Belgium over its less than 200
years of history. Belgium today is divided between the two
major ethnic groups, and the politics of the nation have been
divided into two regions of autonomy to prevent the nation
from falling apart altogether. The native Germans, alternatively
called the Dutch (Dutch and Deutsch are synonyms), have formed
a new identity in order to adapt to the new French-dominated
nation. The fact that the Germanic Flemings are the dominant
majority of the Netherlands, yet represent only a minority
in Belgium's politics, culture, and image has exacerbated
this inter-ethnic dispute. These Flemings (Vlamingen) live
in the eastern half of Belgium, called Flanders, and use a
German-style lion as their cultural emblem. The Flemish language
is based upon German, and is a variant of Dutch with some
minor French influences. The French community has also forged
a new identity to fit their new environment: these Walloons
speak the Walloon dialect of French and live in Wallonia,
and use a red rooster/cockerel to represent their identity.
The emblem of Flanders/Vlanderen, the Germanic half of Belgium
(the majority)
The emblem of French Wallonia, "le Coq"
Despite their bitter differences,
the two groups have been able to create one of the wealthiest
and most successful nations on earth, largely because of the
high level of multilingualism and education among both groups.
Neither group is poor or stifled from access to jobs or the
social system. There is much discrimination between the two
groups, but almost no violence. However, the political disputes
have been so bitter over ethnic representation that the Belgian
nation has been close to total collapse and division. The
Parliamentary system of Belgium means that there are many
ethnicity-specific parties catering to that group's specific
interests. This division of nationalism means that whichever
party is in power, the other will be disenfranchised and subordinate
(at least as it is perceived). The reluctance of parties to
cooperate and merge has relegated Belgium without a functional
government for months at a time. In 2008, the inability for
the two ethnic groups and their parties to cooperate in collective
interest for nearly a year was so prolonged that many were
ready to consider division. It is likely that in the long-run,
these ethnic conflicts will only amplify, but it is unlikely
that such a wealthy and stable nation will be dissolved. Most
ethnic representative parties and groups seek only more autonomy
or political influence rather than the collapse of their collective
well-being.
Kosovo:
Europe's breakaway Muslim state:
Kosovo has a very complicated
history with many perspectives. Kosovo was historically an
integral part of the 1000-year-old Serbian Orthodox Christian
nation, and is considered a part of the Serbian Slavic homeland.
It was the site of the Serbs' heroic resistance to the unprovoked
Islamic conquest of the Ottoman empire, which led Serbia from
the 16th century until the 19th. Read our article of the History
of Kosovo: Serb or Albanian? for the complete demographic
and political backward of this conflict. During Ottoman rule,
the region became hastily populated by Muslim converts from
nearby Albania, and gradually Kosovo became majority Albanian,
and thus majority Muslim. This has forever changed the history
of Kosovo into one of conflicting claims by different cultures:
the Albanians demand the autonomy of the region because it
is no longer demographically Serbian, whilst the Serbs deny
the right of a minority population to seek independence of
one of the nation's core provinces by terrorism and violence.
During the history of Yugoslavia, from 1918 until the 1990s,
Kosovo was part of this pan-Slavic kingdom and its subsequent
People's Republic variant under Jozip Tito. As the union gradually
dissolved, the Serbs struggled to defend the survival of the
nation by exerting their dominance against the dissidence
of the Croats, Bosnians, Bosniaks, and Albanian rebels. Instead,
this had the image of Serbian oppression and unfairness in
a so-called united nation of constituent republics and communities.
Albanians, perceived as traitors and foreigners for their
professed non-Slavic roots and their abandonment of Christianity
in favor of submission to the One God of Islam, were persecuted
consistently. Albanians resumed terrorism in Kosovo all throughout
the 1990s and in the 2000s, killing civilians and soldiers
both in the name of Islam as Jihad for some and in the name
of regional self-determination for others. In 1999, the United
States bombed Yugoslavia using NATO, claiming that they were
liberating the Albanians from Serbian death squads (and not
fairly sparing Serbs from the opposite also), and effectively
annexed Kosovo from the independent nation of Yugoslavia for
more than a decade to follow. Serbian terrorism and oppression
was punished by the seizure of a core province, but Albanian
terrorism continued in Macedonia, Kosovo, and Serbia. In 2008,
with the EU and especially the US as its supporters, declared
independence from Serbia. The new nation of Kosovo is one
of Europe's only two Muslim nations (the other being Albania).
Serbia and most of the world refuses to recognize (as of June
2008) the breakaway state's independence either because of
fears of internal revolt in their own nations or because of
disgust that a foreign power can force a sovereign nation
like Serbia to forfeit its land to a population that is hatefully
perceived by Serbs as terrorists. The dispute over Kosovar
independence, and the humiliation of the Serbs, continues
tensely to this day.
  
The many flags of the independence-seeking Kosovo. The second
flag's obvious modeling after the European Union is a painful
reminder to Serbs that Kosovo's independence is no more than
the demand of a foreign, occupying power without its sovereign
approval to forfeit some 30% of their national land
The EHL map of the often-sought "Greater Kosovo"
and "Greater Albania". This is the maximum extent
of Albanian Muslim claims to sovereignty, though they have
only acquired a small portion thereof (see below). Albanians
also claim parts of Macedonia.
The EHL map boundaries of the new nation of Kosovo as it is
recognized by the United States and European Union.
Republika
Srpska/Serbian Republic – Bosnia's ethnic clash:
Yugoslavia (meaning land
of the South Slavs) was forged after WWI as a pan-Slavic,
pan-ethnic state after Bosnia, Croatia, and Slovenia won their
independence from the Germans (Austria) after their defeat
in that war. Although its constituent cultures are largely
indistinguishable in genetics, language, and culture, their
political aspirations and religions are quite different. Serbs,
Bosnians, and “Macedonians” are Orthodox, whilst Croats and
Slovenes are Catholic. Bosnia and Kosovo have large Muslim
populations. The open borders of this union created imbalances
in each constituent region's demography. For more information
on the historic demographic changes and conflicts between
the South Slavs, read our History
of the Croats, Bosnians, and Serbs. Serbia and Belgrade
enjoyed control of the central government and its policies
since 1918, and as Serbs became more and more accused of being
selfish and oppressive, other groups in Yugoslavia sought
to liberate themselves from Serbian self-interest and recreate
their ancient nations. Croatia, Slovenia, and Bosnia broke
off after prolonged wars (excluding Slovenia, which only fought
for about 10 days), and Macedonia was created for the first
time. In Bosnia, however, the situation was extremely problematic.
Bosnia, long a Christian Orthodox nation, had been partially
converted to Islam during Turkish occupation, and was thus
divided between the Muslim community and the Christian one.
With the introduction of Serbian Christians into Bosnia, when
Bosnians (both Muslim and Christian) sought to break from
Serbian rule, the three groups fought bitterly, leaving thousands
dead in brutal campaigns of slaughter and arguably genocide
on both sides. The Serbian-dominated east of Bosnia sought
to protect itself from persecution by the new Bosnian nation,
and broke off as the Serbian Republic (Republika Srpska).
Serbian pogroms murdered Bosnian civilians and representative
groups, and Bosnians murdered Serbian rebels in their eastern
marches. Both groups slaughtered the Muslims, who in turn
attacked both of the two Christian factions. Even today, since
Bosnia has formally won its independence, the eastern half
of Bosnia is called the Serbian Republic and represents Serbian
social and political interests whilst the west serves Bosnian
and Bosniak interests. Republika Srpska even prints its own
money, heavily imbued with Serbian nationalist symbols and
language. Very little violence has occurred in this conflict
since the fall of Yugoslavia, but intense hatred and discrimination
is prevalent to this day for Serbs all over the former union.
The struggle for each culture's autonomy will continue to
divide the nation, and hamper this very poor nation's development
and cohesive stability in the future.
A cultural and religious map of Bosnia. Bosnia is tensely
divided between Christian Serbs, Catholic Croats, Bosniak
Muslims, and Bosnian Christians. (click to enlarge)
Bosnia's internal breakaway province of Serbs prints its own
money. Notice the Serbian eagle.
Northern
Ireland – a half-century of struggle:
Northern Ireland has a very
bloody and difficult history. For the Irish, it serves as
an example of British imperialism, oppression, domination,
and the influence of the Protestants in the Catholic heritage
so synonymous with being Irish. The struggle for Irish independence
has lasted for centuries, spanning from the revolt of the
Irish in the 16th century before Oliver Cromwell re-conquered
the island for Great Britain until today. Although the British
had altogether lost all control of Ireland by 1940, the British
refused to abandon their ceremonial claims to the island,
and each of the status names the royal family offered the
Irish (such as “Irish Free State” and “Irish Republic”) just
seemed like the next lie of British domination. Island-wide
revolts occurred throughout the 18th and 19th centuries unsuccessfully,
and the fact that the British responded not with more autonomy
rights but with total annexation into the UK furthered dormant
conflict. Bloodshed was a daily occurrence, and organizations
like the Sinn Fein did not discriminate between British soldiers
and British civilians in their struggle for Irish liberty
so long as they had a British accent. The Irish War of Independence
in 1919 forced the WWI-battered British empire to concede,
and the Two-State Solution was devised in which the Republic
of Ireland was given increased autonomy and the north remained
a part of the UK. The north was given the “free” option to
merge with Ireland if it chose, but it chose to remain in
the Crown because of its Protestant, non-Irish population.
The disputes over this treaty led to the Irish Civil War:
some thought the treaty was another half-attempt at liberty,
and others thought it was the best that could be attained
at the time. The Irish Civil War ended in 1923, and gradually
thereafter the Republic of Ireland broke from the British
Crown (in part aided by Ireland's invaluable effort to the
desperate British during World War II against the Germans).
By 1948, the Irish formally broke from the Commonwealth, cementing
its independence despite the fact that the new nation relied
upon the British for several decades since independence in
order to develop. Today, the Irish are independent in all
regards, but Northern Ireland remains firmly a part of the
British empire. Violence has been consistent for the last
century, leaving civilians, police, and soldiers slain. Many
rebel groups like the Irish Republican Party and its variants
like the Irish Republican Army, the New Republican Party,
and the Irish Freedom Party all have used violence in the
struggle for merger with Northern Ireland. Frequent street
brawls continue to this day with fist fights, thrown objects
and weapons, and even bombings. Thousands have died in Ireland
since 1900, leaving Ireland's civil conflict as one of the
bloodiest of all nations outside of Africa. Despite these
problems, Ireland is among the wealthiest and most pristine
nations on earth. It is possible that the British will forfeit
Northern Ireland in the future, although the area around Belfast
is quite wealthy and beneficial to the British nation. It
is certain that the Irish will resume political disputes with
Britain despite their very firm relationship today, and, when
that fails in the eyes of some, terrorism.
The flag of Northern Ireland
is unique in its hand symbol. Although the halting palm has
been used long before Ireland was ever independent, it today
represents the struggle the Irish face to repel imperial domination.
Turkish
Republic of Cyprus – a Muslim state in a Greek land:
Cyprus is one of the more
unique island nations of the world, and is very unusual in
Europe as a country formally divided by race into two nations.
The geography of Cyprus makes it have a complicated social
situation. Long traded between the Muslim armies of the Arab
caliphates and the Ottoman empire, and the Christian crusaders
of Europe or the empire of Venice, Cyprus has been populated
by Turks, Arabs, Greeks, and Italians for centuries. Turkey
(Anatolia) and its surrounding islands were all Greek-populated
before the Islamic invasion of the Turks gradually eroded
the Byzantine empire and pushed its populations westward.
In the 19th century, as a result of the disastrous Russo-Turkish
Wars, the island passed to the British. It remained a British
colony dominated by Greek and British authorities for nearly
a century. This pushed the Turkish Muslim minority into the
periphery of disenfranchisement. In the 1950s, when Britain
sought to free the Greek-majority island community, the population
overwhelmingly voted to merge with the nation of Greece. Greek
ethnic nationalist movements emerged using violence to ensure
this aim against British colonists and Turkish civilians,
and in response Turkish Muslim militant groups did the same.
In 1960, Cyprus was formally given independence, although
the British remained to occupy the forts of Akrotiri and Dhekelia.
The British have retained dominance on the island ever since.
Turks were given a representation in the new parliament, although
this was in their minds only illusory in order to ensure the
dominance of Greeks and keep the Muslim minority quiet. Under
the leadership of Archbishop Makarios, Cyprus became firmly
divided between Greek nationalists seeking merger with Greece,
Greek nationalists seeking to protect the independence of
Cyprus, and Muslims seeking union with the republic of Turkey.
In the 1970s, when Greece was ruled by an authoritarian nationalist
regime in order to quell the Communist revolt, the Greek regime
took the opportunity to support the Greeks in Cyprus against
the Turks and the cooperation of the Archbishop. In 1974,
after the Greeks attempted to overthrow the government, but
immediately thereafter the Turkish armies invaded Cyprus to
expel the Greek and Cypriot authorities. A so-called Turkish
Cypriot Republic was declared in the north officially in 1983,
only recognized by Turkey. Ethnic violence continued as the
idea of the Cypriot nation was only in the eye of the beholder.
Thousands of Greeks fled to Greece and the Balkans, and thousands
of Turks fled to Turkey and the Muslim world. The United Nations
intervened consistently during the conflict, and ultimately
the island of Cyprus was divided between the unrecognized
Turkish segment in the northern half, the Greek official nation
of Cyprus in the south, the two British “protective” bases
in Dhekelia and Akrotiri, and the UN buffer zone in between
the two halves. The official Cyprus is recognized as the Greek
one, and this Greek half has joined the European Union, whilst
the other half is not recognized as Cyprus or any other separate
entity. The bitter ethnic hatred between Greeks and Turks
that is seen in both Greece and Cyprus both then and now has
made any progress towards cooperation comical. The Greeks
are accused of being negligent of the Turkish minority, and
the Turks are seen as an occupying force. There is very little
violence between the two halves, and the Turks function both
on their own and in economic trade with the Greek majority
to create a wealthy state despite its history of conflicts.
However, terrorist attacks have occurred in Nicosia (the capital),
in Greek cities, and on the wall dividing the two halves not
only in an attempt to protect Turkish self-determination but
also as a Jihad against Greek Orthodoxy for some.
Northern Cyprus considers itself independent and ruled by
Muslim Turks. The south, which is Greek, is considered the
official government of the "single" nation of Cyprus
by the nations of the world. (CLICK TO ENLARGE)
The Muslims of the north have their own flag and national
allegiance, but consider themselves part of Turkey in the
greater sense, since Turkey is a nation with incredibly strong
ethnic nationalism today
Transnistria
– the Cold War continues in Moldova:
Moldova was an ancient principality
that, together with Wallachia, constitutes the Romanian people.
Before Romania united and repelled the occupying Muslim armies
of the Ottoman empire in the 19th century, the Romanians suffered
through more than 400 years of foreign occupation under the
vassals of Wallachia and Moldova. That same century, the Russo-Turkish
Wars gave the eastern half of Turkish-occupied Romania to
the Russian Empire as the province of “Bessarabia.” Upon the
dissolution of the Russian Empire after its failure in World
War I, Moldova/Bessarabia broke from Russia and merged with
the Kingdom of Romania. During World War II, Moldova was part
of Romania, and both voluntarily supported Nazi Germany and
Hungary against the Allies. With the crushing annihilation
of the Axis in 1945, Romania became a Soviet puppet in the
Warsaw Pact, and Moldova/Bessarabia was formally annexed by
the Soviet Union as an SSR (Soviet Socialist Republic). In
1991, when the Soviet Union was abolished, Romania became
formally free of Russian hegemony, and Moldova became independent
from both Romania and Russia. Both nations have an identical
language, culture, and religion, but have been cleaved in
two because of the Cold War political legacy that has pitted
Romanian against Romanian. Moldova is the only nation in the
former Soviet bloc to have a Communist president still (if
one excludes the current dictator of Belarus). The Cold War
legacy is still bitterly felt in Moldova as a result of Russian
hegemony even though Moldova owes its very existence to their
eastern neighbors. The eastern march of Moldova is divided
by the Dniester river. In 1993, the Russian and Ukrainian
Soviet settlers who immigrated to Moldova during the Cold
War declared their independence from Romania as the Transnistrian
People's Republic (Trans-Dniester, meaning across the Dniester
river) with the support of the Russian Federation. Like in
Ossetia (see below), Moldova's eastern sphere operates with
total disregard for the government of Chisinau and Europe's
poorest nation is unable to enforce its laws with the encroachment
of the superpower that is Russia occupying its borders. Transnistria
even prints its own money, imbued with nationalistic Soviet-style
imagery, Cyrillic Russian script for the Russian language
and also Romanian, and emphasizes Transnistria's loyalty to
Russia and the defunct Soviet system instead of the Moldovan
state. Transnistrian flags and emblems still sport the Hammer
and Sickle. Very little violence has occurred due to the inability
for the Moldovan government to intervene with Russian troops
operating as “peacekeeping” security troops in Transnistria.
It is unlikely that Moldova will yield to Transnistria, or
that the European Union or United States will recognize the
breakaway state due to their mutual desires to stifle the
bold independence of Putin's Russia. Although the future of
this breakaway state is uncertain, what is clear is that Moldova
will maintain its course as one of Europe's poorest states
crippled by internal revolt and bitter corruption borne of
Cold War Russian hegemony. Despite Moldovan and international
calls for Russia to withdraw, as has been seen in most of
Russia's foreign policy, the Slavic giant does what it wants
and where it wants.
The eastern march of Moldova
east of the Dniester river (Trans-Dnistr-ia) is occupied by
the Russian military and owes its allegiance to Russia and
not Chisinau (capital of Moldova)
Transnistria has printed its
own money with intense Russian-style nationalism, the Cyrillic
alphabet, and expressions of their independence
South
Ossetia – the Cold War on the Georgian-Russian border:
Like Chechnya and the many
nations borne of the fall of the Soviet Union, many regions
in Eurasia took the opportunity to declare independence but
have since gone unrecognized by the rest of the world. The
inability for these peoples, their traditions, language, and
often religion has caused them to engage in terrorist activity
and civil unrest. One of these Cold War-era entities is Ossetia
on the border with the Orthodox Caucasian state of Georgia.
In the 19th century, the Russian empire moved south to liberate
the Christians in Georgia from Muslim persecution of the Ottoman
Turks, and to acquire new land. Subsequently, the future of
the Georgian nation and its surrounding subject peoples was
in the hand of Russian dictation. The Ossets, an ancient Iranian
Christian people who stayed in Georgia after the Turkish Muslim
invasion from Central Asia, occupy the north of Georgia. Since
the borders of modern Georgia are altogether illusory, the
independence of Georgia in 1991 split the Osset community
in two between Russia and Georgia. The Ossets of northern
Georgia live in South Ossetia, and the Ossets in southern
Russia occupy the Russian ethnic republic of North Ossetia.
Georgia, whose Muslims fled to the Ottoman empire during Russian
rule, is on the brink of civil war today as nearly half the
country does not pledge allegiance to the Georgian government
in Tblisi. To learn more about Russia's ethnic republic system
and the different ethnic groups of Russia, see our Ethnic
Republics of Russia Map. The Ossets in Georgia (in South
Ossetia) consider themselves formally independent, although
no country recognizes this. The Russian government has agitated
the South Ossetian revolt and is accused of supplying the
revolt against the Georgian government. Georgian officials
often blame Russian spies for trying to coup the Georgian
regime of Saakashvili. The two countries seem to be on the
brink of war (although little more than verbal dispute), and
Russian planes have intentionally tested jets in Georgian
airspace illegally to prove their dominance over the ex-Soviet
nation. In North Ossetia, the Ossets enjoy the illusion of
rights as an integral part of the Russian ethnic republic
system, although much of North Ossetia is ethnic Slav instead
of Iranian. As in Transnistria in Moldova, Soviet imagery
is used in both Ossetias harking back to the glory of the
Soviet Union, including the Hammer and Sickle. It is unlikely
that Georgia will relent and recognize their northern province's
independence, or that Russia will forcibly incorporate it.
Very little violence actually occurs, largely because the
Russians still occupy both Ossetias as a “security force”
that in reality cripples Georgia and secures Russia's interests.
Instead, the Georgian government is simply too poor and backward
to prove its supremacy over the Ossets. The future for this
dispute is uncertain, but Russia will continue to play a part
in it.
The flag of North Ossetia, part of Russia today
The emblem used in South Ossetia, clearly not in the least
bit Georgian, and in the Cyrillic script (from crwflags.com)
Soviet-style artwork is used in both Ossetias in reminiscence
to a time of "liberty" from Georgian domination,
and somehow ignoring the unparalleled Russian oppression
Chechnya,
Adygea, Dagestan, & Ingushetiya – the Jihad for independence:
Russia is the largest country
on earth. What began as a mere principality around Moscow
in the 16th century had, by the 20th century, forged an empire
as large as that of the Mongols. Most of the subjects of this
Slavic Orthodox state were non-Slavs, and thus many Mongol,
Turkic, and Circassian peoples became incorporated into this
ruthless monarchical empire. The far south of Russia around
the Caucasus mountains had long fallen victim to the Islamic
conquest of the Arabs and especially the Turks who converted
the local tribes of this mountainous region to the religion
of the One God. These south Caucasian peoples (not to be confused
with the American term “Caucasian”, meaning any kind of “white”)
included many distinct Circassian tribes isolated on the many
hills and mountains isolated from the expansion of the Russians
and the Turks. The Russo-Turkish Wars pushed the Russians
southward to crush the mighty Muslim empire. In the interests
of liberating the Christian Georgians and Armenians from Muslim
persecution, and in the desire for more land, the Russians
marched to the Caucasus. The local Muslim tribes united for
the first time under Muslim amirs like Imam Shamil, who called
for an Islamic Jihad to exterminate the Russian Christians.
Read our complete History
of Chechnya article for more background. Ultimately, the
Russians were victorious, and the many local Muslim tribes
like the Adygeans and Ingush became part of the Russian empire.
After the death of Joseph Stalin, the Soviet Union was forced
to assume a more liberal character that relented to the rights
of independence-seeking peoples. These “ethnic republics,”
which were really only a republic in name and were instead
totally submissive to the ultra-centralized Russian state,
incited the Muslims in Russia for independence. The many Muslim
regions of southern Russia, including Adygea, Ingushetiya,
Dagestan, Cherkessia, and Kalbardia have participated in the
constant revolt and Jihad against the Russians. To learn more
about the ethnic republics of Russia and the ethnic minorities,
see our Ethnic
Republics of Russia Map. Terrorist attacks and Jihad have
struck Russian Slavs will fear ever since. When the Union
fell and other incumbent republics gained independence (especially
the Muslims of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan,
Kyrgyzstan, and Azerbaijan), the Muslims of southern Russia
took the opportunity to revolt and declare their independence.
The First Chechen War of 1994-6 was so disastrous that some
estimates number 100,000 dead. The weakness of Russia under
Boris Yeltsin allowed the Chechens to ultimately be independent,
although they remained de jure a part of the Russian state.
Chechnya, which functioned as a full-scale Islamic state based
upon Sharia law, would become a hotbed of terrorist activity
all across Russia, killing civilians anywhere from cafes and
hospitals to movie theatres. Under President Vladimir Putin,
the Muslims again sought total independence, and their Jihad
forced the Russians to invade yet again in 1999. The war rages
on even today, and terrorism is always in the frightened hearts
of the Russian people, but the Chechnyan state has for the
most part been subdued and reincorporated into the Russian
Federation today. Many Mujahidin from the rest of the Muslim
world come to Chechnya to fight the infidels, although the
revolt was hit hard with the killing of Ghazi Shamil Basayev
in 2006. The future of Chechnya is aloof and uncertain as
always.
Chechnya is an Islamic state and a haven for Mujahidin. Usama
bin Laden is said to have visited Chechnya.
Imam Shamil, the Mujahid who
rallied the Muslims of the Caucasus in a Jihad against the
Slavs
Southern Russia is home to
nearly a dozen Islamic breakaway states that are largely unmonitored
by the Moscow government, and are thus a haven for Mujahidin
from all over the Muslim world. (CLICK TO ENLARGE)
________________________________________
ABOUT
THE AUTHOR:
James Mayfield is the owner
and Chairman of the European Heritage Library. I am working
for a doctorate in history, with a specific emphasis on Islamic
and European histories. I am well versed in all world cultures,
ethnicities, religions, languages, politics, and historical
evolution in relation to and against each other.
BIBLIOGRAPHY/SOURCES
USED:
No sources necessary for
this article.
|
|
