What About the Chechens?

NRO ^ | 5/20/2003 | David Frum

[Utah Girl]

It is a very strange fact that the bloodiest terror attack of the past two weeks is the one that has received the least attention. While 28 innocents were killed in the Casablanca bombing and 34 in Riyadh, and a total of 12 Israelis in the five most recent attacks in Israel, 60 were killed by a single truck bomb in Chechnya on May 12. The casualty toll may yet rise higher as the injured succumb to their wounds and post-Soviet medical care.

What are we to think of the Chechen terror-bombers? The Russians are very clear about what they want us to think: “It is becoming ever more obvious that a terrorist international with al-Qaida at its head is trying to shift to a counterattack against the entire civilized world after the defeat in Afghanistan,” said a spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry. And indeed the Chechen terrorists are linked to al-Qaida and they do commit uncivilized, horrific acts of murder.

But then, as Anne Applebaum keeps trying to remind us, the Russians committed some pretty horrific acts of murder against the Chechens not so very long ago: In fact, they probably killed half the Chechen population. And yet, on the rare occasions that we talk about the war in Chechnya, the historical background to the war goes unmentioned.

The Chechens are rapidly coming to rival the Palestinians in the terrorism World Series. Yet while the Palestinians find endless volunteer apologists and eager, credulous audiences in the United Nations, the European Union, and American campuses, the Chechens find … nothing. How odd.

The Russian war against Chechen independence has killed at least twenty times as many people as have died on the Palestinian side in the three years of fighting since the fall of 2000 – yet there is little condemnation or even interest in what Russia is doing. Odd again.

Odd that Russia’s suppression of Chechnya is so seldom cited as a source of Islamic grievance – even as ethnic Chechens have proven themselves some of al Qaida’s toughest and most stubborn fighters. Odd too that Russia is now to be one of the four members of the “quartet” charged with pushing Israel along the road map to a Palestinian state – even as it denies Chechen independence with not a single squeak of protest from the outside world. It’s just generally odd all around, isn’t it?

[Utah Girl]

Be sure to click on this link to read Anne Applebaum's history of Russian leaders and the history of killing Chechens. I also highly recommend Anne Applebaum's book Gulag. I am reading the last chapter.
Ethnic Cleansing, Russian Style.

[GaryMontana]

Cry me a river boo hoo for the Rusians! The Russians were the original sponsors of Islamic terrorism against Israel and the west. They still support the PLO.

Now they are getting their own perscription back TOO BAD> What you reap you sow!

[freedom44]

Russians have shown by actions that they're extremists, ruthless beasts not meant for mass reproduction nor trusting.

They arm every single terrorist organization in the entire world including helping the Mullahs in Iran build their nuclear weapons. Also they recently sent anti-riot equipment to Iran during student protest in order to smash the protests.

I actually feel sympathy for the chechens, especially being that they're far from radical islamists. Although some radicals are trying to rape their cause.

[ChicagahAl]

Russians, Chechens. Which is the lesser of two evils? It might be a toss-up.

[Free the USA]

http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/bump-list

[RussianConservative]

In fact, they probably killed half the Chechen population.

Yup, that is why 600,000 Chechins (out of 1 million population) live in other parts of Russia, while 200,000 live in Chechnya...love socialist mathematics. From what I gather, it is said that Chechins don't have Western Cheerleaders as do Palistinians? How sad. Isreal so much better with Palistinian cheerleaders. So you agree to cheerlead for Islamo trash?

Also, convinently missing from history: Chechin invasion of neighboring province Daghistan, when Chechnya had defecto independce, slaughter of several villages whole by Chechin forces. Also missing: ethnic cleansing of the Christian (read: vast majority) of Grozny population.

[RussianConservative]

Ahh yes, we Russians trained Bin Ladin, Al Quida and Taliban. Stalin helped create Isreal, while Britian, France had own officers leading Arab armies invading Israel in '48.

[RussianConservative]

Really? Well we beasts of savagery can't claim to arm Bin Ladin and Al Quida, those were American CIA angels who did that. We can't claim to support Pakistan and its terrorists against Russian allie India. We can't claim to train and defend KLA against Serb Christians, support Bosnian Islamics against Serb and Croatian Christians, Albanians in Makedonia against Makedonian Christains. Can't say we armed Turkey to invade and slaughter Cypriot Christians either. Can't say we give Arafat $40 million a year on Road Maps....you are ignorant. Also, Russians didn't practice fire bombing of German and Japanese civilians or exterminate indigenous populations of Siberia.

[RussianConservative]

Oh and your sympathetic Chechins killed 4 british telecom workers, 11 red cross workers, several villages in Daghistan, use slavery, blew up 3 apartment buildings, a parade, an underpass and there is a dozen sitting in Guantanomo for shooting at Americans...also many dead fighting Pakistanies trying to get across border. Says a lot about you by who you admire. Did you have woody when Baseyov took maternity hospital hostage and had 100 pregnant women murdered in '95?

[armed_in_sydney]

NRO taking up the Chechen cause,now THAT is odd.