strong. resolute. unwavering. determined.

those were the leadership qualities for which 72% of russia's electorate cast their votes when choosing a president earlier this year.  the candidate whom they believed most fully embodied these characteristics was, once again,  vladimir putin.  while russia is forced to deal with a number of diverse issues, putin's successful campaign for re-election was a mandate for his unwavering determination to crush the chechnyan rebellion.

the chechen people (like their neighbors, the ingush of ingushetia) speak their own caucasian language and are sunni muslims.  in other words, they are culturally distinct from russians and have continually resisted russian domination since being officially conquered by the russian empire in 1858.  following the communist revolution of 1917, a chechen uprising was put down by a bolshevik occupation which eventually led to the soviet union's creation of the chechen-ingush autonomous republic in the 1930s. during ww2,  both chechens and ingush collaborated with the nazi invaders. to punish them, stalin withdrew chechnya's status as a republic, deporting 400,000 to 800,000 chechens and ingush to siberia and central asia; approximately 100,000 died in the process.  following stalin's death, the deportees were permitted to repatriate and the republic was re-established. 

following the ussr's collapse in 1991, ingushetia chose to separate from chechnya to become an autonomous member of the russian federation.  the same year, when chechens declared their independence from russia, boris yeltsin sent russian troops to put down the rebellion. the russians met such fierce resistance, they withdrew.  in 1994, russia unsuccessfully invaded chechnya again ultimately destabilizing the country even further.  since the 1990s, chechnya has remained a battleground with pro-sharia islamists fighting advocates of a pro-democratic chechnya while russia intervenes to prevent complete secession. 

president putin has consistently portrayed separatists as muslim extremists and his role as a defender of russia against terrorism.  in fact, the conflict--which was rooted in russia's determination to hold onto the oil riches of chechnya (and maintain its control over the vital grozny pipeline) versus chechen desire to be free of nearly 200 years of brutal tsarist/soviet mistreatment--has become a self-fulfilling prophecy, turning chechnya into a breeding ground for islamist terrorists and alliances of necessity with al-quaida.  

last weeks attacks on russian commercial airlines and the bloody occupation of a russian school by chechnyan terrorists are the most recent and horrific evidence of a situation that seems sure to get worse before it gets better.

american voters who are willing--and able--to look at russia's dilemma objectively & pragmaticaly may have the luxury of learning a very valuable lesson by example rather than having to experience it themselves.  strong, resolute, unwavering leadership--no matter how intelligent the leader may be (and putin--despite putting up with the childish nickname 'pooty-poo'  given him by george w. bush--is no dummy)--can be a deadly distastrous trap when exercised in service of severely flawed policy.