Chechens Hit Russia Where it Hurts

In a major global crisis - much more important than our sniper situation - fifty armed Chechen rebels have Russia in a headlock. They went into a theatre full of Russians. Instead of seeing the hit show "Nord-Ost", the saw Chechens - men and women - come out on stage and hold the place up. The rebels have released about 100 women and children, but threaten to kill the rest if attacked by Russian troops, and say they won't leave unless Russia withdraws from Chechnya. The problem is not just that this situation is hard to diffuse, which it is, though not impossible. It could also spark a wave of non-confidence in US ally Vladimir Putin and pave the way for hard-liners or isolationists to take power. It's a major victory for Islamist terrorist groups, who may imitate this sort of thing elsewhere if it works well. While I sympathize with Chechnya, and I wish Russia would pull out, the fact is that Chechen rebels are closely aligned with al-Qaeda et al, and creating a chaotic, Russian-free zone in the Caucusus would be asking terrorists to move their bases there. So best of luck to the Moscow police!