"It is obvious to anyone who has served in combat Politkovskaya listens to propagandists and writes while sitting at a kitchen table. Her accounts are not on the spot reporting as she would have you believe."
Nope, Gary. Politkovskaya traveled to Chechnya on a number of times and interviewed many locals there. The problem is that Politkovskaya put emotions and revulsion to the cruelties of Chechen war above everything else. She does not take into account in her reports what a threat it will be if Islamists emerge victorious in Chechnya and N. Caucasus for Russian security (and indeed for the Western Civilization survival), and what reprecussions could be if Jihadists will succeed in creating "Islamic caliphate" in Russia's strategic region of North Caucasus.
There were also many good-hearted people who criticized US support for South American anti-Communist regimes (i.e. Colombia, Guatemala, etc.) whose efforts to crush Soviet-Cuban Support Communist insurgencies where also very brutal(i.e Colombian death squads, Guatemalan military or paramilitary summary executions of suspected insurgent sympathizers, etc). They were ignoring the geopolitical catastrophy for the United States that the victory of Communist backed guerillas could entail.
However, it does not mean that we shouldn't criticize the conduct when this conduct falls way way too low. The question is how to appropriately criticize and offer a viable alternative without loosing the bigger picture.
Gary is right. NO condemnation but rather support and appreciation for the restraint the Russian solders have shown in the face of horrors like Beslan.
Russians have been dealing with these Muslims for several hundreds of years. They know what is best. And we all will be more supportive as well as the brutalities committed by Muslims continue.