Despite the obvious immorality in taking a school full of children hostage, the Chechen militants ensconced in the school have put the Russian government in a delicate situation. While it is in their best interests to solve the standoff as soon as possible, I doubt the Russian public would allow them to use the same tactics that resolved the Nord-Ost theatre crisis in Moscow. I assume that the unidentified fentanyl-derived gas used to disable the terrorists in the theatre would be even deadlier to the young children that make up the majority of hostages. On the other hand, Putin has repeatedly stated that he will not negotiate with the Chechen rebels, including the moderate Aslan Maskhadov. If both the government and the hostage-takers are unable to compromise, I am not sure that this crisis can have a positive resolution.
# At 23:43 on July 23, 2005, MarteyDodoo.com wrote:
The Beslan Trial and the Dangers of Government Secrecy