Insurgency Success Factors and Rebel Legitimacy
signaled the international community's recognition of the insurgency as a terrorist organization,
and thereby an illegitimate actor in Chechen political space. In providing assistance to combat
terrorism, the international community also invested in the eradication of the Chechen
insurgency. This framing of foreign assistance had stark consequences on delegitimizing the
Chechen insurgency. While originally supported as a legitimate separatist movement in the early
1990's, by 2000, the rebellion's legitimacy was severely reduced by growing perceptions of
terrorism. The shift in perception contributed to swaying international actors to rely more on
Russia to manage economic, political, and social matters in Chechnya. As such, the rebellion was
effectively removed from external channels that had previously awarded it with the ability to
negotiation, voice its needs and objectives, and receive financial and material support.
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