Shamil did not "rule" Chechnya and Dagestan. Nobody rules Chechnya and Dagestan. They are clan societies (except for the Russian minority and maybe the Mountain Jews -- who I'm sure just love Islamist fighters!). Dagestan doesn't even have a president.
What a joy! You finally sorted out your right-margin problems. Now I can see what I am replying to.
You are right. Shamil never was able to create a nation-state. Neither did the Kurds. Nor the Palestinians. Nor the various "clan societies" as you put it in Africa. What happened is that the colonizers cobbled together nation-states based on their own geopolitical and economic imperatives. When the Bolsheviks came to power, they decided to renounce this heritage. They guaranteed the right of secession to all such peoples who had come under the sway of Czardom. Unfortunately with a few short years, Stalin brought back Great Russian domination.
Instead of drawing vague analogies to other situations and citing the sacred texts, why don't you discuss the actual situation in the North Caucasus?
What sacred texts are you referring to? The writings of Lenin on national self-determination? I guess I refer to them in order to establish the principles upon which I rest. They are far more important to me than the character of the Chechen leadership. By the same token, I support the Iraqi resistance even if Fallujah is now run under shariah law.
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