Re: Russia's Gulf of Tonkin Incident

[phillp2@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Date sent:      	Mon, 13 Dec 1999 22:23:18 +0000
To:             	pen-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
From:           	Chris Burford <cburford@xxxxxxxxxx>
Subject:        	[PEN-L:14704] Russia's Gulf of Tonkin Incident
Send reply to:  	pen-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

> The four explosions in Russian apartment blocks in September were acts of
> such wanton terrorism against the civilian population that they swung the
> population behind the government's policy of aggression against Chechnya.
>
Forgive me for mentioning it, but wasn't the original issue the
invasion of Dagestan by Chechnyan terrorists?  Has it not been a
pattern for Islamic nationalists to cause some form of terrorist
explosion, killings etc. then retreat to their nationalist enclaves and
when retalliation comes, claim to be oppressed?  How does one
protect themselves from this kind of tactic?

Paul Phillips,
Economics,
University of Manitoba