The provocative law on the territories in Kabardino-Balkaria will light a fire in the West Caucasus

           The 2014 winter Olympics in Sochi is one of the most important things on the political agenda intoday. This cheerful event coincides with a tragic one – the 150th anniversary of the Circassian exile.

Sochi was the last capital of the independentCircassia. Its port was the place from which the Circassians were deported to theOttoman Empire. Krasnaya Polyana (Kbaada in Circassian), the area that will be the center of the 2014 Olympic Games, was the place where, on May 21, 1864, a parade of Russian troops celebrated the end of the war with Circassians. How to combine these dates? How to reconcile the cheerful and sorrow events? All those who feel responsibility for and the Circassian world are looking for the answer to this problem. 

            There are two alternatives offered today to solve the Circassian issue of the 2014 Sochi Olympics. The first project implies creation of an extreme situation which will lead to an international conflict and even to human victims. The other one offers a civilized way though the resolution of the Circassian question.

 

 

THE PROVOCATIVE PROJECT OF TAKING THE ATTENTION OF THE CIRCASSIANS AWAY FROM THE SOCHI OLYMPIS

 

            The first project implies a creation of an artificial conflict. From one side it proposes to take the attention of the Circassians away from the 150th anniversary of their exile in 2014. From the other side, the initiators of this extreme situation should be able to solve it as soon as there would be no need in it anymore. The territorial conflict in Kabardino-Balkaria has been chosen for the creation of the extreme situation. Based on the 131st Federal Law the Kabardino-Balkar Parliament passes a provocative law according to which indigenous Kabardian lands are given to several Balkar villages. Inevitably it will cause a disturbance to the Kabardian community. The next step is the development of the tension. The fire is supposed to spread over to the other parts of the Circassian world – the Circassian communities in Adygeya and Karachaevo-Cherkessia are already concerned about the situation. On the third stage the disturbance should spread over to the Circassian Diaspora which is more negative about the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

The main point of the conflict situation is that it absolutely cannot be solved by the Circassian community and the Diaspora, and the more they protest the more unsolvable it will get. And from the other side, the situation will be under total control of the initiators and can be solved by them. The members of the Parliament of Kabardiano-Balkaria play the role of the guilty side, and at the same time they are hinting to the community that they are under the pressure from theFederalCenter. A small meeting by Balkars activists in Moscow would demonstrate that fact. And the representatives of the local elite try to make the public believe as if the Kremlin became scared from that action and brings the local Government to fulfill all their demands without any consideration or delay. The disturbance in the Republic can lead to human victims now and to deep antagonism between the Circassian and Balkar nations in the future. And nobody considers the interests of the small Balkar nation which cynically is supposed to be sacrificed for the Sochi Olympics as well. At the end of this scenario the provocative law will just be annihilated everything will come back to the status-quo.

Such a project of salvation of the Circassian problem of the 2014 Sochi Olympics suffers from grave shortcomings. First of all, no such conflict project will be able to cancel the 150th anniversary of the Circassian exile in 2014 even if all the tasks will be accomplished. But under unpredictable circumstances the problem can become even bigger and take anti-Russian way instead of the supposed anti-Balkar one. Nobody should deceive himself that the public would not be able to figure this project out if the common observers did so at the very beginning. The Circassian world is seriously concerned that it is divided, not allowed to return to the homeland, and under the threat of assimilation. And an attempt to deprive the Circassians of their remaining small lands can be interpreted as a next step to the total extermination of the Circassian nation on its homeland and it can become a spark for a real explosion. It can put theWest Caucasuson a fire of no less danger than the one on the East which was extinguished with such a hard effort. 

 

THE PROJECT OF CIVILIZED SOLVATION OF THE CIRCASSIAN QUESTION

 

            We, the authors of the project of the World Circassian Olympic Games “Circassiada 2012”, are fully confident that there is another, peaceful and civilized way to solve the Circassian problem of the 2014 Sochi Olympics. It can be done through the salvation of the very Circassian question that has been a big problem for and the Circassian world already for 250 years (101 years of war and almost 150 years after the exile). This way is based on mutual benefits both forand the Circassian world.  

            The Circassian question consists of three issues – the recognition of the genocide, the repatriation of the Diaspora, and the unification of the territories into one Republic within the.

            The prospects of the salvation of the Circassian question are in finding the consensus between and the Circassian world. There are simple issues which are beneficial for both sides. Due to the economic crisis, will be not able to pay compensations in case it would recognize the Circassian genocide, which is one of the main obstacles for the process. And the Circassian side could renounce any claims on pecuniary compensation in consideration of the world economic crisis and on the ground of the moral principles of the Circassian national ethic ‘Adyghe Khabze’.will benefit from the recognition of the Circassian genocide for several reasons. Firstly, it will resolve the Circassian question and will soften another cause of disturbance in theCaucasusand, very importantly, will solve the Circassian problem of the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Secondly, such a salvation can become a model project for similar situations. Thirdly, it will help toward moral rehabilitation of the Russian nation and lead to social, economic, and political prosperity. It is a well known fact that the most prosperous period of the Russian history took place after the abolition of serfdom which shows the importance of such moral acts.  

            The recognition of the Circassian genocide should be concluded in a legitimized document. It can be a social compact between the Russian Government on one side and the regional governments of Kabardino-Balkaria, Adygeya, and Karachaevo-Cherkesia and the general public on the other side. It will not be difficult to associate with numerous non-government Circassian organizations in and in Diaspora. The two other Circassian issues can be resolved within this social compact as well. A law should be passed – and a state program developed – to repatriate the Circassians to their homeland. The federal and regional budgets should include the state expenses for the support of the settlement of the repatriates. The other term of the social compact is the merger of the Circassian regions into a unifiedCircassianRepublic. And one can imagine the stabilizing impact such a unitedCircassianRepublicwill haveSouth Russiahaving solved all the long-lasting problems due to the good will of the Russian Government.   

            Thus the Circassian question can be resolved before the sorrowful 150th anniversary of the Circassian exile. And on the very eve of the 2014 Sochi Olympics contemporary will show the international community a beautiful example of a humane resolution of a long-lasting problem.  

 

Sufian Zhemukhov and Aleksey Bekshokov

the authors of the project “Circassiada 2012” – World Circassian Olympic Games