Quote:
Originally posted by LXAAlum
It makes me sick. I just hope this is the wake up call the world has needed. 9/11 didn't do it. Bali didn't do it. Madrid didn't do it (in fact it helped Spain capitulate). I can't imagine a worse attack than one specifically targeting children. I simply can't.
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Unfortunately I can... and have seen it....
The reason the media has been all over the board on what label to apply to the hostage takers is that the motivation behind it still in debate.
Okay the simple view would be that they did this for the sole reason of inflicting terror. But if that was the case why did they take them hostage and not simply kill them right off? Could it be that by holding something so prescious (children) that they could draw media attention to the conflict or force serious negotations? Thats the problem... to some they are terrorists, to others rebels.
Now when the identification of the rebels/terrorists have been confirmed perhaps we will know more about the motivation of the attack. It could simply boil down to a terrorist attack, an attempt by the Chechens rebels to garner more media attention to the conflict, or a matter of revenge for anyone of the atrocities commited in a dirty war.
The problem, and how this relates to the thread, is that groups are cynically willing to co-opt any event for their own political benifit. Just as many different factions have alrady begun to use Belan to advance their own agenda, groups likemoveon.org will use a memorial to advance their political agenda... no matter what anyone may think or say.