The killing by Chechen Islamists of several hundred hostages, mainly children, in the southern Russian town of Beslan should be a defining moment in the War on Terror.(Brief Article)

* The killing by Chechen Islamists of several hundred hostages, mainly children, in the southern Russian town of Beslan should be a defining moment in the War on Terror. President Vladimir Putin has to explain how this atrocity happened, and what he proposes to do to ensure future security. Far from it, on the pretext that the unity of Russia is under threat he has made a grab to extend his personal power. At present Russia's 89 regions have governors, elected locally and therefore acting as some sort of check on the ruler in the Kremlin. Putin will now be appointing them. More than that, he is completely rigging the Duma, already an imperfectly democratic institution. In the future, this parliament will consist only of members appointed by party lists, not elected for individual ...