Putin to reap benefits of Basayev’s death

Doku Umarov, likely to take the most prominent role among the separatists after Basayev's death, has shown indications of being more pragmatic than Basayev - though no less determined. Last month he vowed that rebels under his command would renounce attacks on civilians, but increase their attacks on Russian forces. Such a strategy could rehabilitate the rebels' image to some extent and inject new life, The Seattle Post Intelligencer reports.

Lilia Shevtsova of the Moscow Carnegie Centre thinktank said it was important to distinguish between the way the elimination of Basayev will be presented and what it actually means for Russia and Chechnya.

“In terms of propaganda, the death of Basayev will be used as another factor boosting the position of Russia’s leaders and an example of their ability to carry out promises even if they are long term.”

But she warned that Basayev’s death did not resolve the problems which had produced him in the first place and led to radicalisation of young and disenfranchised men in Chechnya and the northern Caucasus, The Financial Times reports.

Moscow will hope that the rebels will now lose cohesion because no other commander can impose his authority on what is a clan-based rebellion.

But others caution that the Chechen separatist movement is hydra-like in its ability to survive the death of individual leaders, much as the Iraqi rebellion has continued despite the killing of local al-Qaeda leader, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, The Scotsman reports.

Source: agencies

Prepared by Alexander Timoshik
Pravda.ru

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