Posted on: Wednesday, September 15, 2004
EDITORIAL
Putin's security plans create major doubts
In the wake of the terrible tragedy at a school in the southern city of Beslan, Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced sweeping new anti-terrorist moves.
While Putin is likely to get his way with his anti-democratic proposals, it is unlikely that his efforts will do much to stimulate public support at home and abroad.
It is a lesson other countries struggling to deal with terrorism should watch closely.
Putin has proposed:
• An assertion of the unilateral right to strike pre-emptively at terrorists, wherever they might be found.
• This raises the frightening possibility of a strike against terrorist groups operating in, say, Pakistan. And what would the U.S. response be to that?
• Sweeping reconsolidation of Russian security agencies into one super agency, reminiscent to many of the KGB. • An end to direct popular elections of governors and individual parliament deputies. Even in the United States, coming up with the right balance in the fight against terrorism has been difficult. Putin's proposals starkly illustrate the possibilities — bad possibilities, we'd argue — that might be ahead if decisions are not made with care and consideration of our constitutional traditions.
