-
The View From the Other Side
May 17, 2013 | 23 comments
-
Cyprus Uber Alles
May 10, 2013 | 9 comments
-
After Hugo
May 3, 2013 | 16 comments
-
Theory and Practice of Terrorism
April 26, 2013 | 24 comments
-
Border Security Games
April 19, 2013 | 26 comments
At Large
Chechens and Chickens
All quiet on the White House human rights front.
It was suggested after the initial relatively mild American response to the Tehran demonstrations, one of the key elements of the current Washington administration’s foreign policy was to ignore or downplay certain events in hopes that such a pretense would lessen the potential American involvement in difficult international matters.
The lack of a firm diplomatic reaction by the White House to the recent kidnapping and assassination of the well-known Chechen human rights activist, Natalia Estemirova, apparently is another example of this calculated effort (other than VP Biden’s personal gaffes) not to disturb the status quo with strategic nations. This is as opposed to Hillary Clinton’s specific reference to the trial of the political celebrity, Aung San Suu Kyi, of strategically less important Burma.
Angela Merkel, Germany’s chancellor, thought the Chechen crime so important she brought up the issue directly with Russia’s president, Dmitry Medvedev, during his recent visit to Germany. Medvedev was forced to publicly acknowledge the problem that he previously had dismissed as simply another incident in a recent spate of violence in the North Caucasus.
Whether Washington is willing to admit it or not, the murder of the internationally acclaimed Estemirova, who had been a close friend of the famous journalist Anna Politkovskaya, also a murder victim (Moscow, 2006), is a symptom of the brutal suppression of dissent that exists in Russia’s mountainous regions of Chechnya, Ingushetia, and Dagestan. Vladimir Putin for years has been particularly sensitive to any outside interest in the rebellious activities of the people of these areas. He apparently made that clear to President Obama during the latter’s recent Moscow trip.
The problems of the North Caucasus, and Chechnya in particular, go back many years. This predominantly Moslem area of Russia was in support of the Bolshevik Revolution from the beginning. Chechen nationalists saw as very enticing the early communist propaganda rhetoric of respect for ethnic identity, religious tolerance, and cultural independence.
By the time Stalin took control, however, these revolutionary slogans had been abandoned by the Kremlin and Russian domination was in full sway. Most importantly, the preservation of Arabic as a principal lingua franca had become characterized as “old regime.” That act, along with its anti-Islamic connotation, appears to have become the early touchstone of modern Chechen rebellion.
Moscow in recent years doesn’t seem to be able to control its own appointed Chechen politicians, who find excess to be their only means of governance. In his best Machiavellian manner, Putin guided the presidential appointment of Ramzan Kadyrov, son of a former Chechen puppet president who had defected from rebel ranks. Kadyrov has introduced new internal security mechanisms such as roving bands of loyalists to act as law enforcement deputies. These brutal paramilitary squads have earned their own name: “Kadyrovsty.”
The Russian action against Georgia last summer actually spurred a renewal of fighting against Russian authority in Chechnya’s neighboring Caucasus regions of Ingushetia and Dagestan. In truth, local outbreaks in all three of these states are virtually the norm. A leader is caught, imprisoned, or killed, and another rises to take his place. Going back to the Czars and before, each outside authority has been challenged. These mountain warrior people have a lust for independence in their DNA. The Russians see it as criminality.
The Kremlin is always hard-pressed to find a Chechen leader who has the toughness to take on the job of controlling that state. After the Merkel chiding Medvedev finally took a strong pro-justice position through vigorous lip service condemning the killing of Natalia Estemirova. This has allowed the Chechen president to assume the same righteous indignation and present his own solid pro-law and order position — while the actual perpetrators are never uncovered.
The human rights organization “Memorial” has openly charged Kadyrov with complicity in the kidnapping and shooting of Estemirova. The head of “Memorial” has said he is standing by his clams against the Chechen president. In turn Kadyrov has announced he is going to sue the human rights organization and its head over the public statements.
The preponderance of publicly known evidence points to involvement of some element of the Kadyrov-controlled security service, but those facts are not expected to make it to court. More likely will be an official whitewash with full Moscow support — and Washington silence.
One thing that can not be denied is that the opponents of the Kremlin-backed Kadyrov government tend to end up dead. In addition to Natalia Estemirova’s recent killing this July, there were two other government opponents assassinated in March — one in Vienna, the other in Dubai. Apparently under the self-characterized “progressive” Washington administration, human rights is a matter of political selectivity.
About the Author
George H. Wittman writes a weekly column on international affairs for The American Spectator online. He was the founding chairman of the National Institute for Public Policy.
macdaddy| 7.31.09 @ 8:27AM
Mr. Wittman entirely misses the point. Obama is going to heal the planet. The old ideologies are but road-blocks to a greater future. Human rights are one of those old ideologies. And besides, it's George Bush's fault.
Tim| 7.31.09 @ 8:39AM
At a recent press conference Russian PM Vladimir Putin remarked that : "Chechen security forces acted stupidly..."
Pittsburgh Pete| 7.31.09 @ 8:53AM
Keep it up Mr. Whitman. President Obama, it is now clear to all, is a child playing at the most adult of games. Only voices like yours can provide at least a chance of the administration growing up to its responsibilities.
Jack Frost| 7.31.09 @ 10:15AM
Mr. Obama is in way over his head when it comes to foreign affairs. It is probably for the best that he refrains from commenting on international affairs, for when he does, he just makes the U.S look like idiots because he has no idea what he's talking about.
Mark Berlinger| 8.1.09 @ 1:32PM
From the Kavkazcenter.com a news and propaganda site of the mujahideen, fighters for an Islamic world, which announces the obligation and virtue of jihad to all...
These armies [in muslim lands] are blocking each and every attempt to re-establish Khilafah and Islamic law. They stand against those who want to establish Islam through Jihad and they even stand in front of those who seek to reach government through peaceful means as what happened in Algeria in the past.
In other words, there can be no Islam with the presence of these armies.
The Islamic rule states that whatever is needed to establish an obligation becomes an obligation.
Establishing Islamic sharia is an obligation, and fighting in the cause of Allah is an obligation, and if that cannot be achieved except by fighting against these armies then that becomes an obligation.
These armies are the defenders of apostasy in the Muslim world. They fight against Sharia and kill the Muslims who attempt to bring it back.
They are fighting on behalf of America against the Mujahideen in Pakistan, Somalia and the Maghrib.
...To the faithful muslim and the mujahideen, the world only has two parts. The first part, called Dar al-Harb, is always at war with the kufar (infidels). The second part is the conquered territory called Dar al-Islam (under submission). Mr. Whittman, writes that the Obama administration is cause selective; but the author is ignorant of the transcendent situation. After centuries of warfare and siege, Constantinople falls to the muslim Turks in 1453. Russia, successor to Rome and Constantinople (Ivan the Great weds Sophia), along with the Balkans, Romania, Poland, Hungary and Austria, has resisted muslim invasion. In Andalusia, muslim hegemony lasted from 711 to 1492. This war continues even today.
History of the Jews| 8.1.09 @ 3:26PM
At one time or another the Jews have been expelled from every country in Europe. And in almost every case it was over the charge of Ritual Murder. The most objective book on this subject available is "Jewish Ritual Murder" by Arnold Leese is available from The Truth At Last, P.O. Box 1211, Marietta, Georgia 30061, for $3.50 per copy
Erica Brigid| 8.3.09 @ 6:57PM
Chechnya and Kosovo are two places where neocons WILL support Islamic terrorists. Apparently this is because the terrorists in these places are waging jihad against people of the Eastern Orthodox Christian faith, which the western christians historically hate to the marrow of their bones. The same western "christians" who marched like the Hitler Youth to the polls last year to elect the openly pro-jihadist Barrack "THE ONE" Obama.
mytobling| 8.15.09 @ 8:46AM
Amelie,your most love and the nice shoe gives
you different feeling.
ujjjhjj| 9.11.09 @ 10:56AM
polo shirt
Men's popular Polo shirt
vdddds| 9.11.09 @ 11:05AM
cheap Polo shirts
high quality Men's Classic-Fit Polo shirts
fkl0p| 9.11.09 @ 11:31AM
softwares
practical Microsoft Windows XP softwares
bntfgrrf| 9.15.09 @ 3:43AM
Discount Ugg Bootscaught many people's eyes.Also like
Dicounted Ugg Matala Sandal
all very hotsale.do not hesitate,you can have it now.
sdf| 1.5.10 @ 2:44AM
DVD to MP3 Mac,
Convert PAL to NTSC DVD
jhgfj| 1.29.10 @ 10:06PM
FLV Converter Mac can convert FLV file to other popular video formats with perfect sound and image quality.
MOD Converter for Mac can convert between all popular video, HD video and audio formats with super fast conversion speed and high output quality.
Poptropica | 4.8.10 @ 9:07PM
First, kids create a character. After selecting whether to play as a boy or a girl Poptropica , they are assigned a name. Each character's appearance is randomly generated to start with; kids have the option to change almost all of their avatar's physical attributes, such as facial features and clothing. This character can be saved, via a password system, for use in future game-play sessions.
Then, kids enter Poptropica , a virtual world dotted with individual islands. Each island has its own theme, and its own adventure for players to complete. For example, "Time-Tangled Island" is a time-traveling adventure in which players must return objects and characters to their historically accurate periods, while "Spy Island" is a comical thriller with lots of futuristic gadgets. Each has a distinct storyline that is not related to those of the other islands.
Besides the single-player adventure, each island features common rooms, in which poptropica players can play standalone games against other people. These are primarily short, simple, reflex-based games, such as a skydiving competition in which the first person to touch the ground safely wins, or a basketball shooting competition in which the hoop is rising and falling. Players are given a star ranking based on their win-loss record.