"A War of Words over Russian". By Erika Niedowski. 12 May 2007. Baltimore Sun.
Erika Niedowski reports that conflict has occured regarding the official language of the former Soviet Union country Estonia. The majority of Estonians speak Russian, yet Estonian the official state language. Schools are pushed to teach in Estonian, although most teachers and students are not proficient in the language. Knowledge of Estonian is required in some governement jobs as well. Many ethnic Russians in Estonia beleive the current policy is discriminatory and unfair. Other former Soviet Union countries are facing similar issues as well. The author writes that the language of the people is an important aspect of their culture.
Map of Chechnya
Chechnya, Russia (CNN online)
"Mr. Putin's Domestic Agenda"
© Copyright 2005 Christo Komarnitski - All Rights Reserved. Russia, the powerhouse, is bombing Chechnya, the "powerless" hatch. However, the doors are opened symbolizing how Chechnya brought the bombing upon themselves.
"School Terrorist"
© Copyright 2004 Angel Boligan - All Rights Reserved. Here a Chechen terrorist cuts off the heads of the chain of paper children, representing the Russian children killed in the school hostage crisis. The Chechen terrorist is proportionally huge to the chain of paper children and casts a shadow on Russia, represented by the globe in the foreground.
"Moscow Hostage Crisis"
© Copyright 2002 Keefe - All Rights Reserved. The Russians, symoblized by the "fire hydrant" with the communist symbol, poisoned the theater where Chechen terrorists held Russian civilians hostage as an emergency solution.
"Russia's Ethnic Republics"
The historical ethnic composition for each Russian Republic. Source: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/commonwealth/russia_ethnic94.jpg
Chechen Flag
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chechnya
Chechen Coat of Arms
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chechnya
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