Russia

Russia is a place of special interest to me, which comes as no surprise to people that know me. The name of my blog in fact, Pamyatnik (monument), is a Russian word I lifted from a poem by Derzhavin, in which he talks about his writing as building himself a monument.

But I digress. I'm worrying.

With all that happened in Beslan, I sense a danger. The state-sponsored anti-terrorism demonstrations are ominously reminiscent of Soviet tactics. Taking hostages of Chechen rebels' families is absolutely unconscionable. And it's clear that the whole issue is more complicated than the Chechen and Ingush separatist movements that have largely been blamed for the tragedy.

So Russia is clearly at a crossroads. They can reexamine their approach to Chechnya (and probably Ingushetia and maybe Ossetia, too) and foster a new society in which people have a handle on their own destinies, and which is not a breeding-ground for terrorism. Or they can clamp down and bring back old-style state control of everything civic, political and social.

The way I see it, they're teetering on that knife-edge. I know Putin's history and suspect he might not mind that latter course. But I also see signs they may go the former way. I can only hope.

And in this I see echoes of the US's own botched relationship with Iraq, so I watch with interest and dread.