#9 - RW 270
The Asahi Shimbun (Japan)
August 19, 2003
Editorial
The Chechnya campaign
Putin should not ignore the realities of bloodshed.

In the four years since Russia began its military campaign to wipe out rebel fighters in the breakaway republic of Chechnya, the long-running conflict shows no sign of abating, with increasing and intensifying attacks by militant Muslim terrorists on Russian targets.

Earlier this month, a suicide bombing at a Russian military hospital in North Ossetia, a republic adjacent to Chechnya, killed 50 people. Since April alone, there have been at least seven such suicide attacks, including a bombing at a rock concert in Moscow, which killed many young Russians. Most of the suicide bombers have been women. The death toll from attacks on Russian soldiers by Chechen guerrillas also continues its steady rise.

Two wars with Russia since the mid-1990s have reduced Grozny, the Chechen capital, to ruins, cutting off water and electricity to most of the city. More than 60,000 refugees from Chechnya are still in neighboring republics. Although more than 10,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in the conflict, many more Chechens have perished.

But some important changes are taking place. Armed Chechen rebels seeking independence are apparently losing support within the republic. Frequent suicide bombings could be signs of their isolation.

The United States has muted its criticism of Russia's military assaults on the separatist republic since President Vladimir Putin's government backed the war on terrorism in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States. The United States has also put Chechen Muslim extremist groups on its list of terrorist organizations for their suspected links to the al-Qaida network. Nations of Europe have also been much more moderate in their criticism of Moscow's harsh treatment of the Chechen republic.

There is ample evidence to show the rise of influence by Muslim fundamentalists in Chechnya has been accompanied by sharp increases in indiscriminate terrorist attacks, kidnappings, drug trafficking and arms smuggling.

Apparently taking advantage of the circumstances, Moscow held a referendum in Chechnya in March on a new Constitution that, for the first time, declares Chechnya a republic of the Russian Federation. It was approved, and a presidential election is to be held in October. All these efforts are intended to bring swift normalization of the republic's political situation.

But Russia would be wrong to believe these efforts will end the conflict.

The people of Chechnya have a long history of brutal oppression by Russian rulers, including Joseph Stalin's forcible deportations. Even now, young Chechen men are the primary targets for arrest, torture and disappearance in Russia's harsh crackdown on separatist movements. This is producing a legion of women who, having lost husbands and brothers, are willing to give up their lives in revenge by suicide bombings.

President Putin should confront these realities. He should order Russian troops to stop violating human rights and end excessive use of weapons, meting out stiff punishment against those who fail to comply. For their part, Chechen separatists should abandon indiscriminate terrorism and cut their ties with radical groups.

Such efforts on the part of both sides would eventually set the stage for talks between Chechens, including separatists, and the Russian government, regarding steps toward permanent peace and reconstruction in the republic.

A recent survey in Russia found Putin enjoying a high public approval rating of 70 percent. But as many as 65 percent of those responding said they were disappointed at his handling of the Chechnya problem, saying he has not been able to control the armed rebels or reach a political solution. For Putin, who will seek reelection in March, Chechnya remains a significant political risk.

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