U.S. Must Condemn Russia

When Russia first sent troops to Chechnya, the world reacted with deep uncertainty. On the one hand, the use of force was frowned upon. On the other, Russia certainly had the right to police its own territory. As Russia's "little war" has become increasingly bloody though, the confusion has yielded to condemnation--with good reason.

However, the legitimacy of the Chechen secession still leaves observers puzzled. What would happen if all of the communities Russia has absorbed over the years were to break away? This is an unsettling thought, and one that is no doubt a large part of Russia's motivation. Chechnya does, however, have a strong claim to independence. It is a distinct community ethnically and religiously. Its desire for independence has been long-standing and is deeply embedded, as the ferocious defense of Grozny, the Chechen capital, indicates.

The bottom line is that whatever the particular merits of the Chechen independence movement, force does not provide an answer to Russia's post-imperial pangs. The sooner Russia understands that, the sooner some other method can be arrived at.

If the legal ramifications of the Chechen war are cloudy, the means the Russians have used leave little room for ambiguity. Their indiscriminate bombings of civilian populations are clear violations of the rules of war and the dictates of decency. It is these humanitarian violations more than anything else that have turned the tide of world opinion against the Russian invasion. Moreover, the Russian people seem to have little stomach for the war, which has been greatly unpopular since its initiation almost a month ago.

The Russian action violates several of the agreements it has recently entered into. As a member of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, for example, Russia is obligated to notify other members of any military manuevers and welcome observers. It has done neither.

Russia is using an obsolete tactic, inhumane means, and is all the while tainting its credibility as a responsible power. By all counts, Russia should be receiving strong messages from the U.S. government.

It's not. The American response has varied from supportive to only mildly reproachful. What worries the administration is that a strong condemnation of Russia's transgressions will further weaken the faltering position of Boris Yeltsin.

And this may be the case. Yeltsin's recent statements before his Security Council suggest he has already lost control of his army, while his domestic position sinks with each bloody day of the quagmire.

But the absence of strong condemnation may be just as dangerous to long-term Russian progress. Hard-liners can only be pleased and encouraged by the timidity with which the Clinton administration has responded.

Dealing with Russia these days has much in common with tightrope-walking. An excessive desire for stability, at the expense of both principles and common sense, will do little to help Russia's cause--or our interests.