The seemingly endless Chechen war has a crucial global dimension. Moscow aims to win the war, thereby reversing its systemic decline, arresting the creeping process of Russian disintegration and reclaiming its influence in the Caspian. Russia's rivals want to see Moscow lose or get bogged down and over-bled in this war — as the case is now — so Russia will be unable to challenge them as they assert their own influence over the Caspian, a region vital for both geopolitical and energy-related reasons. The United States, as the world's only superpower, is best positioned to replace Russia in the Caspian, especially if Russia withdraws from Chechnya. This is why Moscow is confident — and says it has multiple forms of evidence — that Washington is working against Moscow by supporting local Chechen rebels.