Foreign Minister of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria Ilyas Akhmadov will speak on campus at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 5. History Professor Peter Weisensel and Political Science Professor Andrew Latham will also be speaking.

Akhmadov's presentation will focus on relating to the Macalester community the humanitarian situation on the ground in Chechnya. He will deal with the history of the Chechen wars in the last decade, who the Chechens are as a people, human rights abuses, the nature and extent of war crimes and atrocities and the situation in Chechnya after the Moscow hostage crisis.

Akhmadov has fought for Chechnya since the First Chechen War began in 1994 when he was a volunteer in Shamyl Basaev's "Abkhaz Battalion." When the war ended in1996 with a peace agreement, Chechnya was promised a measure of autonomy and in January of 1997 the government of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria was elected. In July 1999, Akhmadov was named Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria.

Since the Second Chechen War began in August 1999, Russia has not recognized his government and consistently refused negotiations. Akhmadov has since traveled between Europe and North America conducting talks with representatives from governments, including the U.S., the UN and non-governmental organizations. As of Sept. 28, 2002 he is also an applicant for asylum in the U.S.

Akhmadov's role was underlined by Russian journalist and author of "A Dirty War: A Russian Reporter in Chechnya" Anna Politkovskaya on Oct. 30. In an interview with Ekho Moskvy radio, she said that there were only two people in Chechnya with whom it was possible to conduct negotiations and that one of them was Ilyas Akhmadov.

Weisensel will begin the evening with a brief presentation on the history of Chechen and Russian relations preceding the wars in the last decade of the twentieth century. Latham will then shortly discuss how the Chechen situation fits into a broader theoretical and global framework. Akhmadov's presentation will be followed by a question and answer session.

"It will be a great program for Macalester because it fits into the internationalism discourse," said Tanzeen Syed '04, the coordinator for the Program Board Lecture Committee. "People don't talk about Chechnya a lot, but it's a global hotspot. It's a good opportunity for students to learn more from someone so close to the situation."

The Chechen–Russian conflict has created a situation in the two countries where both sides are facing serious consequences. According to the Mothers of Russian Soldiers Committee, Russian military losses are nearly 11,000 dead and over 12,000 wounded. Experts estimate that the war costs Moscow upwards of $100 million each month, and that as many as 10 to 20 Russian conscripts and contract soldiers die every day.

In Chechnya, the Chechen Committee for National Salvation estimates that between 20,000 and 40,000 people have died since 1999. Total casualties could be as high as 200,000 civilians. Another 400,000 Chechens have been displaced, with some 180,000 are now living in refugee camps in nearby. More than 2,000 civilians have disappeared since the war began, hundreds in the last year alone, and mass graves continue to be discovered throughout the region.

The Russians have launched a new offensive in Chechnya following last months hostage crisis in a Moscow theater.

"The situation in Chechnya is one that most Macalester students are oblivious to, which is really unfortunate when you consider the length of the conflict, the humanitarian situation and the broader implications of the conflict," Lectures Committee member Danny Schwartzman '04 said. "This is really a once in a lifetime opportunity to hear firsthand information from someone whose side is usually misrepresented or not reported."