ANALYSIS-Putin might risk bloody end to school siege

alertnet.org ^ | 02 Sep 2004 15:14:00 GMT | Douglas Busvine

[Destro]

The Republic of North Ossetia-Alania is an anomaly in the North Caucasus on several counts. First, its population is Christian, not Muslim (their patron saint is St. George). And as Dzasokhov pointed out in a recent article published in "Nezavisimaya gazeta," the Ossetians were the only Caucasian ethnic group that voluntarily petitioned the tsar (in 1774) for their territory to be absorbed into the Russian Empire. Second, they are the only ethnic group in the North Caucasus to speak an Indo-European language (part of the Iranian language group).

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Negotiate with terrorists, and you will get more terrorism.

[Angelus Errare]

I'd wager that it was a little more than a coincidence that Basayev's death brigades went after a school of Christian kids.

Not that he's been too shy about killing Muslims or anybody else in Ingushetia, Dagestan, or Kabardino-Balkaria.

Is CNN still calling them rebels?

[BurbankKarl]

I think he will blow them all away...

[LikeLight]

Chechen separatist militants = Islamic Terrorists.

Come on, Reuters, say it. Losers.

[KJacob]

Negotiate with terrorists, and you will get more terrorism

Yes, but it is hard to sit back and let them kill kids. I do not envy Putin in this situation.

[Pearls Before Swine]

The real question is what the Russians will do AFTER this is over, especially if there are significant numbers of children killed.

[abnegation]

Fox is reporting (Fox News Alert btw) a loud explosion at the school.

[eccentric]

no, you release the prisoners, send them to Chechnya (however you spell it) and then nuke them all.
How about slow acting poison? Or a bomb implanted inside each one?

[kinsman redeemer]

"We could be on the eve of the next war."

Or put more accurately, "We could be the next ones to recognize that we are at war."

[mitchbert]

Putin may very well have his hand forced soon. So far, reports are that the terrorists are refusing to accept food deliveries. Well, people can go without food for quite a while but if there is no access to drinking water in there, or the terrorists are not allowing the kids to get to it, this whole thing will have to come to a head in the next couple of days. Horrible situation, to be sure.

[taxcontrol]

Gas the place with BZ gas.

[Destro]

Christian Ossentians are being goaded by al-Qaeda's Chechen branch to launch revenge attacks on Muslim Ingusentians who are by inlarge peaceful. So like Bin Laden sending Saudis to carry out 9/11 they sent in Ingush Muslim terrorists fighting for the Chechens in order to spread the war out if Chechnya. That is what the author means by "We could be on the eve of the next war."

[wingnuts'nbolts]

What will the Russians do?? Do? The Russian people will grumble if there are dead children and get on with it.
Terrorists will plan the next target knowing it is a suicide operation and Putin will fine tune the military response troops. As wrenching as it is, being more sensitive is not the answer. Putin is KGB and tough as nails.

[ServesURight]

This is what happens when you sit around and play defense. After the theatre tragedy, Putin should have wiped Chechnya off the map with an all-out offensive.

Sadly, Putin has joined a long line of failed Russian leaders. Even Yeltzin had a bigger set.

[Yaelle]

This situation is HORRIBLE. I pray for the survival of the kids and hostages.

When this siege is over, Putin has got to do something. This last week or so has been evidence that doing nothing = mild appeasement.

[ServesURight]

Putin is KGB and tough as nails.

LOL. More like tough as gummy bears.

[RonHolzwarth]

"We could be on the eve of the next war."

Now there's a BRILLIANT observation!

"The real question is what the Russians will do AFTER this is over, especially if there are significant numbers of children killed.

Yup!

There's only ONE THING that the Russians love more than their Motherland - their children.

And I can't blame them for that one bit.

One added observation - the Russians are not as held back by "political correctness" as we.

[fso301]

ANALYSIS-Putin might risk bloody end to school siege

Another poster on a different thread had a good suggestion; that the Russians round up say 500 Chechens and chain them to the schoolhouse.

[RightWhale]

I do not envy Putin in this situation.

As John Kennedy said, lower level staff can handle decisions concering right and wrong. The President's job is to choose between awful and Gawdawful. That would apply to Putin or any country's leader.