Russian hostage crisis

[David]

It seems that too few countries are taking the war on terrorism seriously at the moment.

[Eunos]

Whilst still terrorism, this latest crisis is a problem for Russia and Russia only.

[commonwombat]

Correct to a point, Eunos.

It will be a matter for the Russians and, more importantly, the Chechens themselves to resolve the core issues.

It has outside implications due to the Chechens being armed and financed by Al Qaida.

[Eunos]

Current tally;
320 dead
500 injured

[Cannibal]

The Arab/Israeli problem has been part of the global terrorism problem since 1948, when Israel was founded, the Muslim/Hindu conflict between India and Pakistan started about the same time following the partitioning of the former British colony of India, and the IRA problem goes back further than that. The Chechnyan, and other European conflicts, have roots going back hundreds of years.

I find it ironic that the Israelis condemn Palestinian terrorism against them, for they achieved independence through the use of terrorism against the British, who administered Palestine at that time. But, if the Arabs and Israelis, who have more in common than many people seem to think, cannot sort out their relatively recent problems through the use of military and terrorist tactics, then it's pretty obvious that the Russians can't solve the Chechnyan problem that way either. Conflict merely begets more conflict.

There are now two generations of Arabs and Israelis who know nothing other than conflict between them. And whilst conditions are so poor for so many Palestinians, resentment (whether founded on truth or created by war-mongers) will breed only more terrorists. And Israeli retaliation for Palestinian terrorist attacks will only make things even worse. A never-ending, vicious circle.

I see the Russian/Chechnyan conflict deteriorating into the same mess.

I realise it sounds both naive and idealistic to say it, but dialogue is the only means of resolving differences.

Serbs and Muslims used to live peacefully side-by-side in the former Yugoslavia until Milosevic and his thugs engaged in "ethnic cleansing". It will be a long and difficult road for them to return to anything like that again, especially whilst the Serbian government continues to hide (and deny doing so) some of those still sought for war crimes.

But someone has to take the first step. Some one has to reach out a hand in peace and hope that someone else grasps it.

I don't think any of the current conflicts will be resolved in my lifetime but I do know that we will get absolutely nowhere towards achieving it until people on both sides of the conflict start working together instead of fighting. It will be dreadfully difficult, perhaps impossible, for people to forgive atrocities committed against them, but there is no other realistic option, if peace is truly our goal.