#6521 #6522
#8 - JRL 6522
Vedomosti
October 30, 2002
NINE LESSONS OF THE THEATER HOSTAGE CRISIS
Author: Sergei Karaganov
[from WPS Monitoring Agency, www.wps.ru/e_index.html]
RUSSIA SHOULD NOT ONLY FOLLOW THE EXAMPLE OF DEVELOPED STATES, BUT ALSO CONVEY ITS VIEWS AND INTERESTS TO THEM. RUSSIA HAS FEWER OPPORTUNITIES THAT THE UNITED STATES; HOWEVER, IT HAS ITS OWN EXPERIENCE, WHICH IS USUALLY VERY VALUABLE - LIKE LAST WEEK'S EXPERIENCE.
Though we are still in shock, it is time to think of the lessons here
Lesson One.
Russia has serious problems with its law enforcement bodies: they are unable to stop the arbitrariness of crime, and are deeply corrupt. Besides, there is a considerable personnel and funding shortage in the law enforcement bodies, which is the main cause for corruption and inefficiency. As a result, the people distrust the police and are unwilling to help them. Missing the entrance of a large group of terrorists to the capital despite all its road checks was not a trivial mistake. Apparently, the intelligence network is too weak. In short, the hostage crisis has demonstrated that it is necessary to urgently and deeply reform the law enforcement bodies system.
Lesson Two.
The situation in the law enforcement bodies is still not completely hopeless. The special services released hostages toughly but efficiently. Many people died; but several years ago the situation would have been much worse.
Besides, there are still courageous professional politicians and professionals. No matter what the attitude towards Yavlinsky, Khakamada, Kobzon, Nemtsov, or Yastrzhembsky may be, they were risking their lives talking to terrorists and trying to release hostages.
The top authorities were also acting better than before: they gave a carte blanche to the special services, but assumed the responsibilities.
Lesson Three.
The society and politicians no longer have the right to turn away from the Chechen problem and not search for solutions. A fit of tough policy, close to revenge, is inevitable; however, it will be necessary to search for peace later. Experts and politicians, in particular, Primakov or Arbatov, have made suggestions in the past six months. However, the society was reluctant to hear or notice them and played political escapism.
Lesson Four.
The society and its leaders should wake up and form distinct public concord politics for fighting terrorism. Otherwise, we can descend to a worse police state while fighting terrorism.
Journalists should work out and suggest to the state the Corporate Responsibility Code for reporting on terrorism. It can be called "self-censoring", responsibility, or self-restricted ambitions in order to retain freedom and democracy in the country, where the climate and history are not very favorable for its development.
Lesson five, for foreign policy.
Terrorism is a serious problem. It is necessary to fundamentally reconstruct security policy, and to redirect it to prevention and forestalling the terrorism - with the help of military forces as well; elimination of terrorist centers and leaders. It is better if we eliminate them than they kill us.
It is necessary to give the most serious attention to prevention mass destruction weapons from getting into the hands of terrorists or unstable and unpredictable regimes. Over the last decade, we have missed a lot.
Lesson Six.
After a short time of seeming stability and calmness in the second half of 1980s and early 1990s the world is creeping into the epoch of instability. The key but not the only center of the instability is to the south of Russia, the regions of decadent Islamic civilization that used to be the world leader in the past.
This historical process will inevitably cause war metastases, terrorism surfs, and attempts to acquire mass destruction weapons. In these terms, the military forces that have started retrieving from the first ranks of the international politics, are returning there. This requires to sharply intensify the stuck military reform and to reconstruct the military policy in order to repulse new threats.
Lesson Seven.
It is possible to repulse one or several terrorist act with tremendous losses. However, it is impossible to resist multiple threats independently, especially in Russia. Russia is sitting on two civilization fractions: between the relatively losing Islamic world and relatively winning western civilization; and between the worlds of the rich and the poor. Russia needs a coalition strategy and a policy directed to creation of a permanent security alliance in order to prevent and forestall new threats.
Lesson Eight.
Russia cannot wait for being invited to such an alliance. It is necessary to actively and initiatively create it, to overcome the arrogance and unilateral intentions of the United States, and the willingness of Europe to hide behind someone's back from new challenges and threats, and to act in accordance with bureaucratic rather than political rules.
Lesson Nine.
It is necessary to fundamentally change the outdated rules of the international relations. The "political correctness" term of the past two decades must be changed substantially. This also concerns the readiness to use force and the issue of capital punishment for carrying out terrorist acts or even being an accomplice, if it is proved.
Defending the principle of a nation's right to self- determination, right up to separation, is now leading to the creation of dozens of ineffective new states, where terrorists prefer to set up their bases and multiply their numbers. If worst comes to worst, it leads to a chain of bloody wars and conflicts. Russia should follow the example of developed countries, like European nations. However, it is folly to follow the example of hypocrites who deny the realities of the new world and refuse to act on them.
It is necessary to not only join the club of developed states, but also convey our views and interests to them. Russia has fewer opportunities that the United States; however, it has its own experience that is usually very valuable - like last week's experience.
(Translated by Arina Yevtikhova)
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