Russian President Vladimir Putin has not been able to either defeat the Chechen separatists or find a political solution to the conflict. Four years ago, Vladimir Putin was elected president of Russia promising to bring order to the North Caucasus region and defeat the Chechen separatists there in two weeks. As Prime Minister in the previous government, Mr. Putin sent troops to Chechnya in 1999. They are still there today. Increasingly, Chechen extremists have turned to terrorism in their fight against Russian authorities. They have placed bombs in Russian cities, taken hostages in a Moscow theater and, just last month,...
