Russia Moving Towards the US On Terror

[Annie]

Many have been saying they would, now it looks like they are:

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/nm/20040912/wl_nm/security_russia_dc

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia will revamp its security forces and seek international cooperation to hunt militants in the wake of a school siege which killed more than 300 people nine days ago, Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said Sunday.

Ivanov said the overhaul will require a change of attitude among the Russian people and international support to succeed in a fight against Chechen militants who killed at least 327 hostages -- half of them children -- at a school on Sept. 3 and have also been blamed for two airplane crashes in August.

"This demands the reform of security services -- not just the defense ministry -- and a greater concentration of efforts," Ivanov told NTV television...

(and with an indirect slap to France)...TALKS WITH RUMSFELD

He said international cooperation was vital if Russia was to stamp out the threat of terrorism.

"Since the threat has an international character it is impossible for one state, no matter how strong it is, to beat that invisible enemy without cooperation," he said.

He added that the United States was best placed to understand Russia's situation because it had also been the target of major attacks, and he said he had discussed the issue with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld twice this week.

"In this sense it seems easier to find grounds for an understanding with the United States than with some European states," Ivanov said...

 

[NATO AIR]

"In this sense it seems easier to find grounds for an understanding with the United States than with some European states," Ivanov said...

OUCH FRANCE, GERMANY & SPAIN!

but seriously, i'll give those three nations this much: they are pretty effective in tracking down their homegrown and homebased terrorists,but their weakness in the INTERNATIONAL fight against terror is very serious.

I'm sure they want to fight terrorism too, but they are not as willing or prepared to accept the new realities of the world in the era of 9/11, Bali, Madrid and Beslan.

Much as some of us may not like it, their loss is not our gain. Until the day they realize the truth of the new world we are in, we will be the poorer for it (though we do damn well on our own and with nations with similar viewpoints to ours)

 

[onedomino]

To have the highest level of cooperation with Russia in the War on Terror, America must stop demanding that Russia negotiate with Chechen terrorist murderers. For years, Washington has insisted that the solution to the Chechen War is political. This unrealistic policy dates from the cold war era. Chechens have been fighting Russians since 1791. Chechnya has been part of Russia since 1859. The Russians will never allow a separate Chechen state; especially an Islamic religious state.

Where should the modern world draw the line? Should the Kurds be allowed to carve their own state from Turkey and Iraq? Does every ethnicity get to have its own state? If we agreed to such a premise, the world would explode.

Chechen terrorists fought with the Taliban against US forces in Afghanistan. Chechens are reported to be among the foreign terrorists in Iraq. If we are not going to help the Russians eliminate Chechen terrorists then we should at least stop our disingenuous complaining about Russian military action in the North Caucasus region.

Current Chechen terrorist activity is fueled from outside Russia. It was reported that ten of the Beslan murderers were "Arabs." (although, I have not seen this independently confirmed.) The Russians claim that much of the money supporting Chechen terrorists originates in Saudi Arabia.

 

[NATO AIR]

i agree that an idea of "every ethnicity is entitled to a nation" is unrealistic and dangerous.

there are those however (china and russia especially) who take this potent observation and use it as an excuse for the world (or interested nations) to take action (military, diplomatic, political) to defend the "natural" rights of human beings, including ethnic groups.

the chinese and others always want non-interference in their matters and the matters of nations whose ethnic, political and religious differences are similiar to their own. after all, why should the chinese allow the US to protect Kurds from Saddam when someone using a similar argument could call for action against china for its treatment of tibet and the muslim provinces.

we must succeed in finding and maintaining a balance between the rights of men and the realities of the world.