Putin accuses 'complicit' West of harbouring Chechen terrorists

[Khephra]

THE Russian president, Vladimir Putin, yesterday accused the West of harbouring Chechen terrorists, speaking hours after rebel leader Shamil Basayev claimed responsibility for the Beslan school massacre.

In a statement likely to further chill Russia’s cooling relations with Europe and the United States, Mr Putin said the West’s "patronising and indulgent attitude to the murderers amounts to complicity in terror".

His remarks came the day after Moscow summoned Britain’s chargé d’affairs, Stephen Wordsworth, to the Russian foreign ministry to hear complaints about London’s decision to grant asylum to a Chechen politician and an exiled Russian tycoon.

Mr Wordsworth was told that the men, Chechen rebel spokesman Akhmed Zakayev and tycoon Boris Berezovsky, should be stopped from making "slanderous statements".

http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=1094802004

[Deja Q]

1. WTF?! How did the US and Europe react to the Russian tragedies?!

This isn't good, especially if Mr. "End all the evil" Bushit* choose to ignore their plight. (which'd be only typical, the US never does anything out of altruism...)

[htuttle]

2. The Neocons are backing the Chechens

Here's their website, the Orwellian named 'American Committe for Peace in Chechnya"
http://www.peaceinchechnya.org/about_members.htm

It's apparently a fully owned subsidiary of the PNAC judging by it's membership, which includes all the usual suspects (Kristol, Abrams, Haig, Perle, etc...).

[shockingelk]

4. How are you saying they back the Chechyans?

"Founded in 1999, the American Committee for Peace in Chechnya is the only private, non-governmental organization in North America exclusively dedicated to promoting the peaceful resolution of the Russo-Chechen war. ... Developing and promoting policies, through the U.S. government and international institutions, aimed at protecting civilians, improving conditions for refugees and securing a cease-fire"

[htuttle]

5. They also argued for the exile status of Zakayev

And were responsible for setting up a meeting between lyas Akhmadov and John Beyrle, acting U.S. Special Adviser for Newly Independent States, in March 2001.
http://www.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/europe/03/27/russia.chechnya/

The whole 'peace' thing they proclaim on their website is a bit of window dressing for some dangerous moves on the Grand Chessboard.

[Just Me]

7. Two words: "divide" and "conquer".

I realize how difficult it is for "reasoned" or "rational" people with any possession of human compassion or empathy,...to step into the shoes of a neoconservative who views him/herself as so benevolent as to incite, by any imaginable means, a world war they perceive as both inevitable and "right",...

,...BUT,...these are the kind of malignant tumors that we are dealing with. We cannot stop them or destroy them,...we can only do our best to grow a healthy body and aim precision-guided attacks *smile* in order to control them.

Of course, that is just my perspective.

[shockingelk]

11. the pnac neocobns are loons, no doubt

But I don't see anything nefarious on that site.

I think that the violence should stop, and furthermore, if Chechyna wishes to be independent from Russia, they should be.

I just don't see anything bad about the information put forth at peaceinchechyna.org

[AG78]

12. They're the same people

Anything with Elliot Abrams, Norman Podhoretz, James Woolsey, Richard Perle, Midge Dector, and Frank Gaffney cannot be good.

Do not trust them. Ever. They don't care about the American people. They don't care about the people of Chechnya. They don't care about the Russian people. They don't care who they have to kill, or who's mind they have to twist into thinking something like the Iraq war was a good thing.

These people like the game of war. Maybe they want to stir the pot again with Russia. They certainly didn't mind doing that in the heart of the Middle East. With Russia, people like this had 45 years to have their fun. They were able to use other people from far away lands in proxy wars. That must be the ultimate rush. Watching other people kill each other at your whim? These people are the King's of the modern era.

Take Elliot Abrams. He was involved in Iran-contra. Yet he's back today, doing what he does best. Who is he married to? Norman Podhoretz's sister.

[htuttle]

13. By their works, ye shall know them

Exactly.

I don't have any problem with 'Americans for Peace with Chechnya's stated mission either -- that's the point of their mission statement. Who could argue with it?

However, the people involved are known to lie and obfuscate to accomplish their goals. And their true goals have invariably been selfish, short-sighted, and dangerous to pursue. The Straussian philosophy they espouse declares quite openly that they don't believe they can ever trust 'the people' with the truth, and that the ends (shifting and vague as they may be) always justify the means -- at least as far as their own actions are concerned.

Given that, I have no reason to trust anything they say or do -- no matter how benign their stated mission seems.

[0rganism]

17. It makes sense, in a perverse Machiavellian sort of way

Remember, the goal of PNAC is Pax Americana, quasi-domination of the world by the American military to enforce corporate-friendly policies. So here's how the Chechen thing fits in.

1. Support an independent Chechen state, and any other provincial breakaways that come up. The Russians will not stand for this.

2. The Russians will invade and occupy these provinces with their military, thus putting an internal drain on Russian military strength.

3. The breakaways will have to respond with assymetrical warfare -- ie, guerilla fighting and terrorist attacks on civilian populations.

4. As long as Russian occupation continues, Russia is limited in its economic and military sphere of influence.

5. If Russia cedes independence to these provinces, we can declare them terrorist states, later attacking and/or occupying them on a whim. Think Afghanistan.

It's very win-win, as long as one doesn't give a shit about wasting human lives to achieve dubious ends.

[shockingelk]

3. Tragically hilarious ...

Putin announced Russia will take preemptive action against terror, now says we're harboring terrorists.

I guess he's placing us in his axis of evil.

[Nashyra]

6. We should make sure that everyone knows that the *

could not even keep the relationship with Putin on track and his arrogance is renewing the "cold war" good ole puty puty

[jumpstart33]

8. Putin is definitely stepping up the rhetoric. Putting Russian quest for

recognition as a super power way ahead of anything that makes sense. Tragic will be the consequences for generations to come.

[Aidoneus]

9. cynical chestpounding of a vicious hypocrite:--I kind of like him.

Those he refers to would condemn Basayev for waking up in the morning, and Putin knows it. Berezovsky was no better than Putin--backed the Yeltsin gang's first invasion with his TV network--, just changed his tune when the wind shifted and bolted before the new regime could reign him in.

As much a war-criminal (as if the term means anything) as Putin is, such talk is rich. On the other hand, I don't much like Britain or the various rightwing regimes of "Old Europe", so I suppose the vampyre making another set of dogs sweat with this tough macho nonsense is fine by me.

[amandabeech]

10. Putin has likened Chechnya to the American Southwest.

We took it by force in the Spanish-American War and by the Texas War of Independence. Now that area has a very, very substantial Mexican-American population, and some groups, supposedly, have been agitating for independence as the Nation of Aztlan, I believe.

Perhaps Putin will support the Mexican-American separatists in achieving a peaceful resolution of their demands for a separate nation, just as the neocons want to detach Chechnya from Russia by "peaceful" means.

Obviously, I'm very tongue-in-cheek, but I think that this is what Putin has been threatening.

[HuckleB]

14. Putin is a friggin' terrorist.

That's why some Chechens have received amnesty in the west.

Like, duh.

[ursacorwin]

15. i'm no fan of pooty poot

but your statement is an oversimplification of the matter. amnesty is a highly political process, and posters above have identified just who's involved, and they're not exactly people we trust.

that said- didn't i read this exact story a week or two ago? why is it LBN again today? (not that i'm blaming the initial poster)

i don't like reading again and again that putin is warning (basically) the neocons in our gov't to stay out of his affairs. it implies that they are not, and that can't be good.

[HuckleB]

16. Sorry, but those ID's are not the only folks involved.

There are far more working on amnesty for Chechens from the far left peace movement than the bizarre connection to PNAC. Further, Putin's dirty war in Chechnya makes what happened in Argentina in the late '70s look like nothing. He is a terrorist. Chechens are being terrorized by Russian forces every single day. They are clearly a people worthy of Amnesty, under any definition that I've ever known.

In the end, Amnesty and assistance for the Chechen people, combined with worldwide condemnation of Putin and Russia for what has gone on there would do far more to combat an increase in terrorism in Russia than anything that Putin is now proposing.

http://www.mosnews.com/feature/2004/09/01/terror.shtml

http://www.ushmm.org/conscience/index.utp?content=chechnya/chechnya.php