A group of masked men and women wearing bomb belts burst into a school in Beslan, Russia Wednesday, Sept. 1. They took 1,200 people hostage, demanding the withdrawal of Russian troops from Chechnya. After three days of failed negotiations and fatal reactions, more than 300 of the children, teachers and parents inside the seized school were killed and approximately 700 were injured. The attackers’ hostile actions were a desperate and brutal cry for attention to their frustration and hopes for an autonomous state. Like other revolutionaries in history, Chechen rebels have resorted to terrorism to gain attention to their cause. But at what cost and what amount of legitimacy?

Chechnya is a republic in the southern part of the Russian Federation. For over two centuries, its people have been seeking independence from Russia. In a 1996 peace agreement, Chechnya received substantial autonomy. However, the war left it in ruins, and Russia has failed to invest in the reconstruction of the area, leaving more angered Chechens who express their frustration and desire for complete independence through acts of terrorism.

Terrorism is, by definition, violence or the threat of violence carried out for political purposes. Bombings, kidnappings and assassinations are the most prevalent forms of terrorism, usually targeting civilians in hopes of gaining international attention.

One cannot defeat terrorists only by the use of force, because it is a state of mind, an ideology or an agenda to achieve independence from another power. Only through a combination of force, cooperation between intelligence services of various nations, and in some instances negotiations, including efforts to remedy social, economic and political and human rights grievances that often are root causes of such conflicts, can we hope to effectively fight terrorism.

The same thing occurred in Vietnam, Lebanon and Algeria. The revolutionaries were relentless until they obtained their right to freedom and statehood. The United States and other western powers should learn from history and take new steps to work out viable solutions.

Terrorism is by no means a justifiable way in which to reach goals. It affects the innocent more than the powers it tries to fight. But it is the responsibility of governments to listen to the cry of the people, because governments are, essentially, in control of the lives of the powerless.

In the case of Chechnya, demands for autonomy have been suppressed by Russian President Vladamir Putin for numerous reasons, including the fear of further chaos on the border and a belief that Chechens did not take responsibility for their independence when offered it after the 1996 war. Russians fear that terrorists dominate Chechen opposition, and if independence is achieved, it will rule the country and spread to other neighboring Russian areas. According to Putin, terrorism, not nationalism, is the enemy.

However, as the conflict rages on with regular Chechen hijackings and the taking of hostages, despite previous agreements, Putin remains relentless in his policy. Unfortunately, this position leaves the path clear for more terrorism in Russia.

“Mr. Putin’s reputation is on the line. It is extremely useful to argue that this is international terrorism and that outside countries are involved. Frankly, this is rubbish. Any involvement by al-Qaeda to train or fund the Chechens post-dates the conflict,” Professor Margo Light of the London School of Economics told the BBC.

While these are classic cases of terrorism and can be solved, there is another type of terrorism that is more dangerous and cannot be pinpointed so easily. The most infamous case was that of the September 11, 2001, airplane hijackings and attacks on the World Trade Center in New York. Unlike the classic terrorists, the leader of this attack, Osama bin Laden, carried out these events not to achieve any kind of independence or freedom for a group of people, but simply to inflict injury and harm on the United States and its people.

In this situation and against this mindset, there is no way to negotiate a solution. The way to fight this type of terrorism is by hunting down the terrorists, arresting them, putting them on trial and punishing them for their crimes according to the law. In addition, we must examine the policies that create an environment that is conducive to breeding terrorists and that gives them a pretext to use violence.

These two types of terrorism — independence movements, on the one hand, and rogue violent extremists like bin Laden, on the other — must be distinguished. Western criticism of Russian tactics and human rights violations against Chechnya deadened after the September 11 attacks, and Chechens have since been portrayed as part of the global terror network. We are ignoring the legitimate complaints and grievances of the people of Chechnya because of the actions of a few who resort to violence. This will not achieve a long-term solution to the problem.

Policy review, more effective cooperation with other nations and a better understanding of the roots of terrorism, in addition to force, are the answers to fighting terrorism, not massive invasions of other countries.

Iraq is a perfect example of how trying to fight terrorism by way of traditional war only creates more terrorism.

Natalie J. Mikhail ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in journalism and international studies.