An estimated 10,000-40,000 civilians were virtually trapped in the city, fearful of fleeing Grozny amid the constant barrage of shelling. The ultimatum was eventually softened, in part because of the West's strong condemnation of Russia's handling of Chechnya. Yet Russians themselves remained overwhelmingly in favor of the assault on Chechnya. Yet Russians themselves remained overwhelmingly in favor of the assault on Chechnya, demonstrated by the strong showing for the pro-government Unity party in December's parliamentary elections. The disputed region of Kashmir has been at the root of chronic antagonism between Pakistan and India, and their enmity has grown potentially more dangerous now that both have demonstrated nuclear weapon capabilities.
Pakistani army regulars and Muslim mercenaries, a view shared by most of the world.
India fought back with air strikes and ground troops, and by August Pakistan retreated. The Pakistani military, deeply unhappy with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's handling of the Kashmir crisis as well as other issues, deposed him on Oct. 12, and Gen. Pervez Musharraf took control. The Pakistani public, accustomed to military rule for 25 of the nation's 52-year history, generally viewed the coup as a positive step, and hoped it would bring a badly needed economic upswing. Top A Portuguese colony for 400 years until abruptly abandoned in 1975, East Timor was seized within a year by Indonesia. The Indonesian occupation led to widespread repression and the deaths of an estimated 200,000 Timorese, earning Indonesia a global reputation for human rights abuses.