Events of the last few weeks should have put to rest any naive belief that anyone, anywhere is somehow safe from the dangers posed by terrorism. The cowardly bombing of a Bali nightclub and the hostage-taking in a Moscow theater last week are only the most recent attacks by terrorist groups with a taste for blood.
The brazen attack in Russia is especially galling for President Vladimir Putin, who has built his political career on the image of being a strong man capable of bringing law and order to his country. Yet muscle will not solve this problem. Russia must pursue two tracks -- as must all governments that hope to defeat terrorism. Moscow must go after the criminals who take innocent lives, while working with politicians to eliminate the grievances that breed terrorists.
The most recent outrage began when 50 Chechen rebels took over a Moscow theater, taking more than 800 people hostage. The group demanded an end to Russia's military campaign in Chechnya, a bloody affair that has resulted in the deaths of thousands of civilians and soldiers. All those deaths occurred in the Chechen Republic; last week's attack was the first that brought the campaign home to Russian itself. (In 1999, terrorists were blamed for apartment-building bombings in Moscow that claimed more than 300 lives; it is still unclear today whether the Chechens were in fact responsible for those attacks.)