They targeted Bosniak and Croatian civilians in areas under their control, in what has become known as "ethnic cleansing."

The Russian republic of Chechnya suffered two conflicts in the recent past: 1994-6 and 1999-2000.

The demonization of Chechens as a group within Russian society

Chechens are predominantly Sunni Muslim.

As well as different cultural and religious beliefs, as for any group of people throughout history subdued by external rule or empire,

With the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991, a number of regions managed to break away and gain independence.

but also in the society that continues to produce them. Before juvenile violence became so widespread, many dramatic changes had occurred in Colombia. First of all, there are historical factors. The gangs emerged in areas characterized by massive rural migration. By and large, the state had completely forgotten these areas by the 1970s. Residents were condemned to the world of "informality"--a world in which the rights and obligations of citizenship were lacking. The sons of these migrants from the Colombian countryside grew up on the edge of legality. They were treated as second-class citizens, to be dealt with only by the police.

In a poll conducted last year in the schools of the Northeastern District, students were asked whom they considered the most important person in the country. Pablo Escobar was named by 21 percent of those surveyed; 19.6 percent chose President César Gaviria; and 12.6 percent named the goalkeeper of the national soccer team, René Higuita.

efficacy.