-
No Room to Pivot
June 14, 2013 | 13 comments
-
The Old Days
June 7, 2013 | 8 comments
-
Terrorists by Any Other Name
May 31, 2013 | 148 comments
-
The Chinese Waltz
May 24, 2013 | 2 comments
-
The View From the Other Side
May 17, 2013 | 23 comments
At Large
Terror in the Caucasus
The Obama administration now sees things Moscow’s way — but in return for what?
It has been referred to as Europe’s last remaining civil war. In 2009 more than 900 people died in fighting in the North Caucasus, and the battling continues today. Early this September nineteen people were killed and over 200 wounded when a bomb exploded in a market in Vladikavkaz, North Ossetia. This terrorism is justified by insurgents as part of the independence movement that continues to rage throughout this mountainous and primarily Muslim region of southern Russia.
Islamist militants have proclaimed the five northern Caucasus republics to be the Caucasus Emirate: They include North Ossetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, Chechnya, Dagestan and Ingushetia. Each republic is fiercely independent and multi-lingual and each is run as feudal fiefdoms by Moscow-approved political strongmen. Russia has been attempting to tame this part of its traditional empire since the days of Catherine the Great. From time to time a degree of peace descends only to be exploded by another violent uprising. Things are no different today.
In late September another fifteen insurgents were killed in Dagestan when anti-terrorist police penetrated the their mountain hideout. Whether these actually were police or Russian special forces (Spetznatz) is impossible to say. The northern Caucasus has been a perfect ground for Russian special operations training. In fact, Russian spetznatz forces operate in all phases of the region’s security. The training is realistic and the missions are all appropriate to special operations and their typical rules of engagement.
Of course, the same thing applies to FSB (Federal Security Service) operations in this region. Electronic intercepts at all levels attempt to keep track of the dissidence. The FSB — and its predecessor KGB departments — have kept ongoing penetration (human and technical) of dissident activities in the northern Caucasus areas for decades. The Caucasus Emirate has been penetrated by Russian agents since its creation in 2007. Before that, the separate insurgent groups each had their own state security double agents. It’s a crowded and deadly field.
The best known of the Caucasus Emirate leaders is its founder, Doku Umarov. This Chechen rebel — turned jihadi for political more than religious reasons — brought together a disparate collection of militants of various organizations throughout the northern Caucasus. At this time the emirate is more of an umbrella movement than an organized amalgamation of fighting teams — in spite of Umarov preferring to call himself Emir, a position from which he resigned in August then reinstated himself a day later.
Nonetheless, this emirate insurgency recently has put together an impressive list of operations: In addition to the most recent bombing in the market in Vladikavkaz, two suicide bombings in Moscow’s metro in April killed upwards of forty people and wounded scores. In November ‘09 they blew up the luxury Moscow-St. Petersburg train, Nevsky Express, killing 28. They attempted to assassinate the president of Ingushetia because he was considered a “Moscow collaborator.”
The operations of the Caucasus Emirate — and most particularly its “emir,” Umarov — are inadvertently responsible, however, for achieving a diplomatic victory for the Russians in respect to their relations with the Obama Administration. The U.S. State Department finally has placed Doku Umarov on its terrorist list in admission that the CE attacks in Russia “illustrate the global nature of the terrorist problem we fight today.”
This was a major breakthrough for Moscow, which for years has argued the Islamist terrorism in the Caucasus is no different from anywhere else. The Russian Foreign Ministry announced: “[It was] an important acceptance of the indivisible and universal nature of international terror threats.” The State Department’s Russian team definitely gets the credit for this new U.S./Russian agreed characterization — one that went against the grain of the White House’s desire to keep Caucasian affairs from being marked by the stigma of Islamic jihadi connections.
One wonders why it took the Obama administration so long to recognize publicly the Islamist ties of the northern Caucasus militant groups with their Middle Eastern cousins. Intelligence sources have been reporting for some time the financial and material aid the Caucasians have been getting from other radical Islamic groups. If there was a quid pro quo desired from Moscow, it could have been obtained two years ago. One wonders if Washington was smart enough to extract an advantage in return today?
By definition and ethnicity, the people of the Caucasus are European. For this reason Chechen and other north Caucasian terrorists can pass indistinguishably as typical westerners. This is an advantage for those terrorists seeking to infiltrate European and American sites. The Russians have been correct in being annoyed at American refusal to tie the terrorism of the Caucasus with radical Moslem organizations such as al Qaeda.
The former Communist Youth League publication, Komsomolskya Pravda, defined the Islamic terrorist connection quite clearly as “links in the same chain.” If this is true, does it mean the U.S. can expect greater cooperation from Russia in related Middle Eastern matters
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.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (18) | Leave a comment
More Articles by George H. Wittman
More Articles From At Large
http://spectator.org/archives/2010/10/08/terror-in-the-caucasus
Follow us:
ADVERTISEMENT
The Spectacle Blog
Democrat Dan Maffei Blames Budget Cuts for Girl’s Rape, Mother’s Murder
Robert Stacy McCain | 4:12PM
SPONSORED LINKS
FLASHBACK TO: 1995
-
Pope Culture
A man of faith in a godless age is hitting Americans where it hurts.
-
Why the GOP Does Not, Like, Totally Suck
Mr. and Mrs. American Spectator Reader, let P.J. O’Rourke talk sense to your kids.
-
Dames at Sea
-
In the Absence of Guns
In Britain, defending your property can get you life.
-
The Metaphysical Martini
-
Counting the Costs of Clintonism
The debacle of this president’s administration is both a cause and a symptom of the decline of American values. Unless Congress impeaches him, that decline will go on unchecked. An eminent jurist surveys the damage and assesses the chances for the recovery of our culture.
-
Chuck McHagel
It won’t take long for conservatives to scratch this presidential wannabe off their 2008 scorecard.
-
The Legacy of Old John and Mother Fresh-Roasted
-
It’s the Best Time of the Year
The American Christmas, like the songs that celebrate it, makes room for everybody under the rainbow. Is that why so many people seem to be hostile to it?
-
The Bush Crack-Up
Was the President done in by the economy, or by the politics of the economy?
Clip of the Day
ADVERTISEMENT
Louis Jenkins| 10.8.10 @ 8:58AM
"If this is true, does it mean the U.S. can expect greater cooperation from Russia in related Middle Eastern matters (?)"
No!
Flee| 10.8.10 @ 4:05PM
Highly unlikely. Russia knows how to play this President like the neophyte, non-student of history he is. Russia is and always has been out for what is best for Russia. It's a shame our President can't figure that out.
Jack Bauer| 10.8.10 @ 5:54PM
Highly unlikely. Russia knows how to play this President like the neophyte, non-student of history he is.
Think of Putin as 'Rasputin', think of Obama as 'Little Nell.'
End times indeed.
Alan Brooks| 10.8.10 @ 11:22PM
"End times indeed."
Better stock up on canned goods.
Ret. Marine| 10.9.10 @ 7:02AM
If you have not been doing this for the past couple of years now, you are either dead or an idiot. Don't forget the most sought after item, anything in the 7.62 caliber.
Alan Brooks| 10.9.10 @ 10:09PM
We all remember the urgency of Y2K.
Dave H| 10.8.10 @ 2:11PM
While it is always appreciated to see any reporting whatsoever on the situation in the North Caucasus, it remains as frustrating as it is puzzling to note the same sloppy journalism in Mr. Wittman's article as is often the case even in mainstream media.
For starters it's not 'the' five North Caucasus republics which the Islamists have 'claimed'. Rather, it is five of the seven total semi-autonomous North Caucasus republics which are huddled at the southernmost border of the Russian Federation. Four of those five are Muslim majority: Dagestan, Chechnya, Ingushetia, and Karbadino-Balkaria; while the other, North Ossetia, is not Muslim majority.
Leaving this and other 'nitpicky' items in Mr. Wittman's homework that mislead or misinform (e.g., the Moscow metro bombings took place the morning of March 29th - it was March not April), we arrive at a glaring, insurmountably false and categorically irresponsible claim: 'They assassinated the president of Ingushetia...' Mr. Wittman, sir, please get your facts straight! Indeed, there was an assassination 'attempt' on the life of Ingushetia's Preident, Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, on June 22, 2009. He was even badly injured. However, he both recovered and remains president to this day! In fact, he never gave up the presidency even during his injury and long recovery. What kind of sources are you using, Mr. Whittman? Even wikipedia does better than that!
It is waste of my time--not too mention a deeply annoying enterprise--to continue reviewing such a deeply inaccurate and irresponsible piece of journalism. This is my first time reading something by George H. Wittman. It will be my last.
May any readers be alerted to this sloppy and inexcusable version of 'journalism.' God help us.
Flee| 10.8.10 @ 4:13PM
It appears the article says attempted to assassinate rather than assassinate. I don't know if this was edited after the fact of your comment but it looks pretty clear that your premise on that critique is incorrect. The other line about March 29th or April seems rather nitpicky indeed since I can imagine the possibility that news of such an event may take a little time to make its way to mainstream media outlets.
"They attempted to assassinate the president of Ingushetia because he was considered a "Moscow collaborator."
Alan Brooks| 10.8.10 @ 11:25PM
"May any readers be alerted to this sloppy and inexcusable version of 'journalism.' God help us."
Being a journalist means never having to say you're sorry.
Mike| 11.13.10 @ 4:05PM
Dave H,
You are very correct... There isn't much, if any, mainstream news talking about the situation in the Caucasus. The few of us that have studied and still follow the situation very closely will easily see the sloppiness and inaccuracies in this article. Yes, you may have been a bit "picky" on a couple thing but you were trying to make a point about the general lack of knowledge and sloppy reporting we constantly see.
It's hard to get accurate information out of the Caucasus and when news does get out, not many are interested in it. I think you'd agree with me in saying, if people knew about the true situation going on in the Caucasus, there would be a lot more interest from the general public.... Most would be shocked about the true history and how recently it happened.
Intelligent Design| 10.8.10 @ 9:37PM
The Islamic goal is theocracy, under which you had better be a Muslim. And even if you are one, you no longer have personal and religious rights. Islam does not recognize the rule of secular law -- such as our Constitution -- or the separation of "church" and state.
As the Ayatollah Khomeini said, Islam is nothing if it's not about politics. It is naive and dangerous to think of Islam as a peaceful religion. It more closely resembles Hitler's National Socialism, with the same dictatorial, totalitarian, immoral, anti-Semitic, anti "infidel", heinous, and brutal methods. The bloody evidence is overwhelming all over the globe, every day.
Muslims should leave the 7th century by rejecting Islam and becoming non-Muslims. Muslims should wake up and join the 21st century.
Phil Kearny| 10.8.10 @ 9:37PM
Ignoring the errors in the piece, I'm glad that George Wittman raised this issue. The Obama Administration's blind obedience to Moscow has bought us so far exactly...nothing. At best, Moscow has made "posiitve" noises on Iran but all of this is carefully crafted to maximize Moscow's advantage, not Washington's (oh, they opened Russia to Delaware chicken imports, too. Hooray!). Now the Obama crew finds common cause with Moscow that North Caucasus insurgents really are terrorists, after all. And what is this decision likely to buy us? Probably nothing but trouble. If we do nothing more than talk to help Moscow, they'll complain that America's promises are empty. If we take action to help Moscow in its dirty struggle in the North Caucasus, we could find ourselves the targets of perhaps the one set of terrorist groups that don't already hate America. Either way, we lose. It's yet another reflection of the Obama Administration's failed Russia policy. Heck, it's a reflection of their weak and failed foreign policy writ large.
Ret. Marine| 10.9.10 @ 7:15AM
Nothing could be further from reality. It is their intention to create a world caliphate, selfish purpose, I guess you think while not all muslims are terrorist, all terrorist are in fact, MUSLIMS but, the fact of the matter is they all belong to one class of peoples, muslims.
This is nothing more than the re-insurgence of a long held political belief that one's belief is superior to others, today we too have these types, they are called democrats. What then would you call or classify We the People when in fact we begin to eliminate them at the ballot box or bullet box, terrorist, I think not, they refer to them as FREEDOM FIGHTERS. Why are we any different? Because we the people believe in personal responsibility, less government, strong defense and no reason for violence except when it is brought our way, expect then We are a pack of vicious cruel animals and our bite is ever as strong as our bark. Islam, not so much. If that were true the entire world would be at war at this point in time.
Will| 10.10.10 @ 6:06AM
While I cannot profess to know much about the nest of vipers known as Russia or any of the beleagured countries surrounding it, I do know that the clock continues to run. The sooner we get leadership that actually represents America in office the better off we, the Russians and everyone else will be.