Russia's Terrorist Fight, page 1

A recent article in Janes Defense Weekly outlines their take on Russia's recent declaration that they will pre-emptively strike at terrorist bases worldwide. If you read between the lines it seems as if Russia is utilizing the current 'War on Terror' to justify it's strongarm tactics in Chechnya and Georgia.

www.janes.com
Borrowing a leaf from the current US military manual and responding to the massacre of the Beslan school children, General Yuri Baluevsky, the Russian Chief of General Staff, announced last week that his country�s military now reserved the right to �launch pre-emptive strikes on terrorist bases� in any region of the world�.

Our prediction: Wholesale assassinations of Chechen protagonists and Russian bullying of Georgia. Do not expect Western governments to say anything about it either.

Please visit the link provided for the complete story.

It is obvious that Russia's issues with stifling Chechen independence are the primary cause of the recent terrorist attacks on their soil. I find it interesting that they have attempted to associate their particular brand of terrorist threat with radical, Muslim Arabs though no real link has been established in that regard. Frankly, I think that Russia is simply utilizing tactics that other nations (the US) have used in attempting to villify Muslim Arabs as the sole-cause of terrorism around the world. In the case of Russia, though, the effort does not seem to be as tidy as that in the US and is pointing to their efforts to associate Chechen separatists with Al-Qaeda though there is no overt link there.

Hopefully, the world, and moreover, US citizens will see through the weak effort the Russians have made to generate this association and will begin to question the automatic association of terrorism to radical Muslims around the world. Saying that the bomb that blew up in your country was planted by Al-Qaeda moments after the detonation is beginning to be the new international badge of honor.

Other agendas are at work here. Look for them.

[edit on 8-10-2004 by ZeddicusZulZorander]