Had the terrorists not taken the theater, no one would have died.
No one is arguing that point, however, I find it curious that the exact same argument: "had Russia not conquered and subjugated the Caucasus, none of this would be happening", is not equally accepted.
There are terrorists in the Middle Esat, they must be killed...but that's not all that has to be done, the cause of terrorism in that region, radical Islam, must be destroyed as well.
There are terrorists in Chechnya, they must be killed...but that's not all that has to be done, the cause of terrorism in that region, Russian oppresion, must be eliminated as well.
Killing the terrorists is like treating the symptoms and ignoring the disease; in Chechnya's case, the disease is not so much Islam, as it is the ongoing Russian occupation, and the brutality of it.
Russia is trying to draw similarities between their war with Chechnya and our war on terror, and that's cow chips.
We were attacked, yet we occupy no Islamic nation, and at the end of the war, we won't remain anywhere as occupiers, we never have.
Russia however, has been occupying the Caucasus for hundreds of years, and they show no signs of ever withdrawing; this is a very old war going on there.
Completely different circumstances.
bump