Let’s briefly survey the carnage: hundreds of thousands of Chechen refugees; tens of thousands of dead Chechen civilians; widespread arrests, torture, and rape of Chechens both young and old; economic ruin; and an environmentally devastated country. In other words, the Russians -- and Bush’s good friend Vladimir Putin -- are guilty of war crimes on a massive scale in Chechnya, coming perilously close to that often-misused if not terribly abused word: “genocide.” In Russia’s case, the term is nearly justified.
The world’s ignorance of the Chechnya-Russia situation is striking, particularly in comparison to the near-hysterical obsession by many, particularly those on the Left and in the Arab/Muslim world, with the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Amazing how these Leftists and Muslims who never miss a chance to condemn Israel for defending itself against Palestinian “suicide bombers” fall completely silent when it comes to Russia’s utter brutalization of another Muslim land, Chechnya.
What makes this contrast even more glaring is that, compared to the Russian military in Chechnya, the State of Israel has been a veritable paragon of restraint in its war -- no rapes, no mass killings, no expulsions en masse -- despite facing what is arguably a threat to its very existence. Israel even offered the Palestinians an independent state, yet was turned down by Yasser Arafat.
And yet, despite its relative restraint vis-à-vis the Palestinians, as well as its own large-scale casualties, Israel is lambasted by Europe, by the Left and by the Arab/Muslim world for its defense against terrorism. Meanwhile, Russia is given what amounts to a free pass for its rape of Chechnya.
Could this blatant double standard have anything to do with anti-Semitism? Or that democratic Israel actually allows reporters into the West Bank and Gaza while authoritarian Russia prohibits any coverage of Chechnya?
Let’s imagine for a moment that Russia was Israel, that those who are running Russia and directing its brutal policy against Chechnya were the Jews of Israel. Instantly, the world would change its political focus and moral target, putting not Israel but Russia under the political scope of hyper-criticism. This is what would happen:
• “Spontaneous” anti-Russian demonstrations would break out all over Europe and America with Muslims and Leftists professing solidarity with their Chechen “brethren” against the brutal Russian occupation.
• There would be attacks on Russian Orthodox churches, and even on Russian Orthodox people and institutions around the world by Chechen sympathizers (or by people who just plain hate Russians).
• Calls to cut off or drastically reduce economic and political ties to Russia and threats to arrest Vladimir Putin if he stepped foot in Belgium or any other European country.
• Russia -- as a democracy -- would allow the news media into Chechnya to cover the story, helping to inflame anti-Russian feelings around the world.
• Constant analogies would be made to the Nazis. For example, it would be asserted in mainstream Arab/Muslim newspapers and TV that the use of sleeping gas in a theater was just like the Nazi use of poison gas in Auschwitz, and that the Russians were therefore just as bad as the Nazis.
• Chechen suicide bombers would be blowing up Russian families in pizza parlors and teenagers in discotheques in Moscow and St. Petersburg and only the United States would speak out to condemn the slaughter.
• Chechen sympathizers would graduate to flying airplanes into the Kremlin. Much of the Arab world would explode into glee as Muslims would send money to aid the families of the Chechen “martyrs.”
• "Moderate” Arab states such as Saudi Arabia would use their oil money to fund virulently anti-Russian schools around the world and bizarre racist theories about the Russians would be promulgated as fact throughout the Muslim world, with nobody in authority challenging them.
• Chechen leaders would reject offers by the Russians to grant them an independent state and the vast majority of their other demands. In response, Chechen fighters would launch a new series of attacks on Russia for offering this historic compromise.
And on and on, ad nauseum.
Fortunately for Russia, it is not Israel.
Instead, Russia is a huge country, capable of blowing up the planet with its thousands of nuclear weapons, and not vulnerable to enemies that surround it and are bent on its destruction. In this context, the absence of anti-Russian demonstrations in Europe is no wonder at all: Europeans are afraid of Russia! Needless to say, Europeans -- who, let’s not forget, committed the Holocaust only 60 years ago -- are not afraid of Israel or the Jews.
Meanwhile, as far as the political Left is concerned, anti-Semitism is a time-honored tradition. Russia, on the other hand, is a time-honored ally. Let’s not forget that many on the Left were more than willing for decades (and some Leftists even to this day) to excuse the crimes of Stalin, including tens of millions of people murdered and “disappeared” into the Gulag. But woe unto Israel if it lifts a finger to defend itself! Let’s face it: the Left prefers its Jews as victims -- or even better, dead.
Furthermore, unlike with Israel and the Jews, there is no widespread history of anti-Russian or anti-Russian Orthodox sentiment out there in the world as there is against Jews and Judaism. No “Protocols of the Elders of Moscow.” No Russians as the crucifiers of Jesus or the enemies of Mohammed.
Given all this, it is far easier, and apparently far more psychologically satisfying, for Arabs, Europeans, and the Left to lambaste Israel than to go after Russia. Why protest against Russia when Israel and the Jews are so much more satisfying -- and easy -- as a scapegoat? And hey, the Chechens don’t have any oil, as the Russians do. And Europe isn’t being inundated by a flood of Chechen immigrants affecting its domestic politics, as Europe is being inundated with Muslim’s that on a hate kick with Israel. And Russia isn’t a “colonialist dagger” stuck into the heart of the Arab world, right?
Lucky for Russia that it isn’t Israel. And pity the poor, suffering Chechens for not being Palestinians.
Lowell Feld is a freelance writer living in Washington, DC. He holds a Master's Degree in Middle East Studies and is an economist specializing in international energy issues.
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