Thomas Goltz

A Rogue Reporter's Adventures in an Oil-Rich, War-Torn, Post-Soviet Republic

Azerbaijan Diary

The Rise and Demise of the Former Soviet Republic of Azerbaijan : a Personal Account of the Years 1991-1993

Requiem for a Would-be Republic

Turkey

Insight

Chechnya Diary is a story about "the story" of the war in Chechnya, the "rogue republic" that attempted to secede from the Russian Federation at the time of the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Specifically, it is the story of the Samashki Massacre, a symbol of the Russian brutality that was employed to crush Chechen resistance. Thomas Goltz is a member of the exclusive journalistic cadre of compulsive, danger-addicted voyeurs who court death to get the story. But in addition to providing a tour through the convoluted Soviet and then post-Soviet nationalities policy that led to the bloodbath in Chechnya, Chechnya Diary is part of a larger exploration of the role (and impact) of the media in conflict areas. And at its heart, Chechnya Diary is the story of Hussein, the leader of the local resistance in the small town that bears the brunt of the massacre as it is drawn into war. This is a deeply personal book, a first person narrative that reads like an adventure but addresses larger theoretical issues ranging from the history of ethnic/nationalities in the USSR and the Russian Federation to journalistic responsibility in crisis zones. Chechnya Diary is a crossover work that offers both the historical context and a ground-level view of a complex and brutal war.

A War Correspondent's Story of Surviving the War in Chechnya

Chechnya Diary

In its first years as an independent state, Azerbaijan was a prime example of post-Soviet chaos - beset by coups and civil strife and astride an ethnic, political and religious divide. Author Goltz was detoured in Baku in mid-1991 and decided to stay, this diary is the record of his experiences.

A Rogue Reporter's Adventures in an Oil-rich, War-torn, Post-Soviet Republic

Azerbaijan Diary: A Rogue Reporter's Adventures in an Oil-rich, War-torn, Post-Soviet Republic

The author, a journalist who covered the region in the early 1990s, relates the events that he saw in a style he refers to as "history as contact journalism." He covers the coups, the civil uprisings, the lost Karabakh war of secession, the occupation of part of Azerbaijan by Armenian troops, and the internal ethnic, religious, and political struggles that have plagued the country since independence. No references. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Thomas Goltz

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