In this war, ordinary Chechens and their leaders do not only defend their interests . They defend their state. That is why Pain s proposal to solve the conflict is inadequate. He recommends the establishment of a zone of prosperity in the more or less Russian controlled northern, historically more pro-Russian, regions of Chechnya. This zone of prosperity would, according to Pain, also influence the minds of the Chechens in the areas not controlled by the Russians, as they would start to compare the standard of living in the two parts of the republic.
Pain thus treats the problem as a purely economic issue.
But the Russian Chechen relationship is fundamentally a political problem and it can only be solved politically. A compromise must be found between the Chechens demand for self-determination and the Russian claim for great power status and respect for the principle of the territorial integrity of states.