Chechnya - a far off country

[Chris Burford]

At 05:09 05/11/99 +1100, you wrote:
>>I don't know about others, but, speaking personally, I fear the
>>consequences of liberals & leftists in the West paying attention to
>>Chechnya more than those of inattention.  Medical ethics says, 'do no harm.'
>
>Surely there's a middle ground here, Yoshie!  Hard to harm Chechnya much
>more than the Ruskie airforce and artillery are doing.  And the sooner it
>stops, the sooner we can get back to exploring the intriguing links of
>corruption that had to give up the front pages to the casualty lists and
>fanciful battle accounts of war.  If western money ain't getting beyond the
>erstwhile aparat, the mob and their blessed business partners, why not just
>cut it off until Moscow lays off?  Sounds fair to me.
>
>I see the majestic Council of Europe has just engaged: I can imagine the
>sombre tone of western wisdom even now:  "Do as we say, not as most of us
>just spent three ghastly months doing."  Oh, and I see they stress their
>respect for the sovereignty of Russia while they're at it!  Er, must be a
>new policy or summat.
>
>Night all,
>Rob.

The argument is similar to that about Indonesia and East Timor is it not?
The West is magnanimously lending billions of dollars to Russia ostensibly
to help liberal democracy but in fact to help the oligarchs. It is already
intervening massively in the former Soviet Union. There is no way it cannot
intervene. 

It tacitly supported the suppression of the East Timorese for years. If it
does not put pressure on Russia now, it is supporting the crushing of the
Chechens. 

Chris Burford

London