“Grozny blasts are direct challenge to Presidents Kadyrov and Medvedev”
Published: 21 August, 2009, 18:47
Edited: 20 December, 2009, 04:20
Russia’s Republic of Chechnya has been depicted as a success in the region but further tensions are likely to follow. Moscow should re-examine its strategy, says Andrey Kortunov, president of the New-Eurasia Foundation.
21.08.2009, 17:46
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22.08.2009, 00:37
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I disagree with this assessment. There is still plenty of banditry in the Caucases, and the external "stimulus" packages have helped as well. However, Chechnya has proven to be on the right path. These are local issues, and need to be dealt with locally. This is a very bad advice. President Medvedev cannot possibly see every act of violence as a "direct challenge to Presidents Kadyrov and Medvedev". Some of the violence is about settling other scores, and moving it to such a high level is giving these idiots far too much importance. There is plenty of violence in the world, and violence in the region that has seen large scale fighting is not unexpected. What can be done though, is to have a high level of intelligence sharing. Much needs to be learned about the nature of violence. If the local feuds are fueling them, then it is time to try some proactive political intervention. If external "stimulus packages" are involved, it may be probably more important to learn much more about them, before prematurely jumping the gun.