We did not eradicate the Germans, we waged war on the Nazis.
If we can get past the idiotic vitriol, we will eventually find common ground.
The problem in Chechnya is differentiating the terrorists from the people; we know that a number of Chechens are NOT terrorists because they LEFT Chechnya. So the Chechen people themselves are not the actual problem.
The problem is Chechen terrorists disguising themselves as separatists and freedom fighters. In a way, the claim to freedom fighter has a certain amount of validity; Chechens have never truly stopped fighting the Russian occupation of their country, but the actions that we've come to witness from Chechen terrorists simply blow away any semblance of validity their claim that they are simply freedom fighters.
Putin wants no outside interference in handling Chechnya, I believe the exact opposite is called for in Chechnya...Russia needs to be reined in by the European Union, and the terrorists need to be hunted down and destroyed by NATO.
One last thing, and you can call this my tin foil Beslan theory...
We know several things:
We know that there are actually Chechen separatists working in Chechnya.
We know that there are war lords working to seize control of certain regions in Chechnya.
We know Russia is not interested in an independent Chechnya because of what happened the last time Chechnya claimed independence.
We know Wahhabi extremism is at work in Chechnya.
What benefits did the perpetrators of the horrible Beslan massacre expect to gain from their actions?
None...there was absolutely no positive outcome to Beslan...even if the Russian government had caved in to every single one of their demands, because the second the hostages were released, Russian troops would move back into Chechnya.
So, why do something that would have the effect of rallying the world opinion behind your enemy, and veritably the hatred and contempt of every civilized person leveled at you and your cause?
Call me crazy (I've been called worse) but in the aftermath of Beslan, there appears to be one clear beneficiary...Putin.
Putin has world opinion behind him, and a green light to handle Chechnya as he sees fit, and have it written off as righteous anger.
And anyone who does not believe the Russian government capable of such actions, does not remember what Russia, and the USSR have been historically capable of.
There is only one other entity that could possibly benefit from Beslan...Muslim terrorism, because soon, and as a result of the backlash caused by the massacre at beslan, they will be able to claim more persecution of Muslims, and will have successfully created a second front in its war against the West.
Well NATO ain't gonna get anywhere near Chechnya, or even address the matter. This will remain an internal Russian matter. The issue is what should Russia do, that is in its best interest, and right and moral. If Chechnya were ethnically homogenious, or near so, the clear and compelling answer on every level, in every way, would be easy. Let the people go, the way Havel did with Slovakia, and sooner rather than later, since the place is an economic tarbaby.