Don't know much about Shamil Besayev, but I'm pretty sure the headline "Chechen Rebel's Cause May Die With Him" is wrong. Chechen rebels have been fighting for independence from Russia for well over 100 years at this point so I think we can be sure the cause will continue. As is often the case, the article itself is much more nuanced and informative. I thought Sonni Efron's op-ed on how Besayev became a terrorist after starting as a more conventional guerilla leader was pretty fascinating.

I think Chechnya's a useful thing to look at precisely because the underlying issue -- the relationship of an obscure province in the North Caucuses to the government in Moscow -- isn't something most Americans are going to have strong feelings about. That, in many ways, makes it a good place to look for lessons regarding insurgency and counterinsurgency in a clearheaded way since it's not something you're going to feel like you have a personal stake in.