YOUR TERRORISTS ARE NICER THAN MY TERRORISTS

The school massacre: Don't conflate 9/11, terror in Russia (Newsday.com, September 12th, 2004)

The United States was attacked by fanatics who were part of an international Islamist movement intent on inflicting massive damage on the West's most powerful nation, if not destroying it. Americans are still under threat and this conflict is open-ended, with no clear resolution in sight. It's not amenable to negotiation.

Russia, instead, is under attack by nationalist rebels whose goal is to wrest an independent Chechnya out of the grasp of the Russian federation. Their goal is not to destroy Russia, however much they may despise it, but to be left alone to control their own destiny. This conflict need not be open-ended. Once passions cool, it could be resolved by negotiation. Russia could offer Chechnya a substantial degree of autonomy, followed by eventual secession if moderate Chechen leaders prevail on militants to halt their terror tactics.[...]

All terrorists aren't the same

It's a grave mistake for Russian President Vladimir Putin to lump the Chechen rebellion with global Islamist terrorism, as he has done, and to vow pre-emptive attacks anywhere in the world to combat the threat. By demonizing the Chechen separatists this way and blurring their goals with those of al-Qaida and other members of the global Islamist terror movement, Putin may be foreclosing the possibility of a negotiated solution with Chechnya.

Here is a short synopsis of Chechen history since the end of the cold war, against which we can perhaps try to measure the unity of the Chechens, the justice of the rebels’ cause, the likely nature of an independent Chechnya and the chances of successful negotiations based upon the Chechen popular will..