Many in the West would prefer to herald the Beslan tragedy as an opportunity for greater U.S.-Russian cooperation in combating terrorism. In reality, however, relations between Washington and Moscow are following a downward spiral. In Russia we find an emerging dictatorship that espouses a subtle anti-American propaganda. What was previously hidden has come into view: the totalitarians are still in charge. Putin's pretext for strengthening his dictatorship is found at Beslan, in 350 body bags.
What actually happened at Beslan (where hundreds of children were slaughtered by terrorists)? We still don't know the facts.
Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya says that the FSB poisoned her on a flight from Moscow to Rostov, effectively keeping her from reaching Beslan. She was not alone in being hindered. Journalist Andrei Babitsky was detained at Vnukovo airport on "a specious pretext." Russian security personnel drugged Georgian journalist Nana Lezhava's coffee, putting her out of action at a critical moment. The 55-nation Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) took note of these and other incidents in a "scathing" report on the Kremlin's handling of the Beslan affair. According to the OSCE, the Kremlin forfeited its credibility by preventing journalists from reaching Beslan. From the outset, Russian authorities told one lie after another. As if to prevent accurate information from reaching the outside world, Russian authorities also interfered with foreign journalists, confiscating television footage.
With Beslan as a pretext, Putin has moved to consolidate his already formidable powers. Russia's so-called "democracy" is now being liquidated. This is not surprising for those of us who have watched the changes in Eastern Europe since 1989. From the outset, secret totalitarian structures were left beneath the surface to guide the process of liberalization, to herd the new business class and infiltrate the various governments. Organized crime became a prominent tool in this process. The secret creatures of the totalitarian apparatus came to power, as "dissidents" or as "reform communists." Capitalism and freedom were set up in Eastern Europe with this endgame in mind. It was a confidence scheme; and now the scheme has played itself out. Moscow's strategic gains have been absorbed, now the reversion begins.
Russia's so-called "oligarchs" have been driven into exile, frightened into cooperation or arrested. The Kremlin has "cemented its control" over the Russian energy sector. The old Soviet anthem is back. Soviet battle flags have been restored. The founder of the Soviet secret police, whose birthday is Sept. 11, is now openly celebrated. The old KGB has taken Russia by the throat. The West's alarm, however, is muted by hope. Nobody wants to admit that America's Cold War victory was equivocal; that step-by-step it is coming undone.
Given the Kremlin's dishonest behavior during the Beslan affair, would it be outrageous to suggest that the tragic massacre was a provocation organized by the FSB/KGB?
Already Izvestiya is calling Putin's power-grab "The September Revolution." Other Russian publications are calling it a "restoration." Wednesday's Washington Post featured a story by Peter Baker titled, "Critics Say Putin Must Address Security Corruption." According to Baker, "Putin ... had been planning to centralize ... political authority for months and took advantage of the school seizure in Beslan to unveil the decision." This begs the question. If the liquidation of Russian democracy was planned in advance, then how did Putin think he would justify his blatant power grab to the Russian people? Surely he had something in mind.
The following changes have been proposed by Putin: (1) Regional governors, instead of being elected by the people, will be appointed by Putin and confirmed by regional assemblies; (2) Duma representatives will be selected from party lists, making parliamentary opposition all but impossible; (3) the restoration of the death penalty is being contemplated (suggesting a return to the sanguinary "discipline" of the Stalin era). In keeping with recent developments, we can expect that private companies will be seized on various pretexts, bank accounts will be frozen and businessmen will be arrested as the Kremlin rebuilds its totalitarian machinery. Already the Russian government has announced a 50 percent pay increase for the military.
This so-called "September Revolution" has been greeted with dismay in Washington and London. As one might expect, Vladimir Putin will have none of it. He bluntly tells his Western counterparts to "stay out of Russia's business." Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says that America has no right to impose its democratic ideals on others. "This is our internal affair," he explained. "We, on our side, do not comment on the U.S. system of presidential elections."
Moscow's attitude is nothing new. The most distressing fact in all of this, however, is the ultimate non-reaction of the Western elite. There is a strong tendency to self-deception in Washington, especially where Russia is concerned, and this tendency is struggling mightily against truth. And what is this truth? Former FSB officer Alexander Litvinenko spelled it out in his book when he described Putin's objective as "the total destruction of the foundations of a constitutional society built on the admittedly frail but, nonetheless, democratic values of a market economy" in Russia.
The failure of freedom in Russia is a major event. No other country is as dangerous as Russia. No other country has thousands of nuclear weapons pointed at America. None has missiles as advanced as Russia's. None has a submarine fleet as large. To rate Russia as "just another country" is to negate the last 100 years of history.
I should like to end with a quote from Bill Gertz's new book, Treachery: "The record of Russian proliferation - to Iraq and other dangerous countries - is long. Classified intelligence reports show that for more than a decade Moscow used its arms sales to rogue states as a strategic hammer against the United States."
Now ask yourself: Why has Russia done this?
