[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 171 (Saturday, November 22, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2410]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         A FINE SENSE OF IRONY

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                       HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, November 21, 2003

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, Russian Foreign Minister Igor 
Ivanov demonstrated a fine sense of irony recently when he criticized 
the United States for an ``excessive tendency to use force'' in 
resolving international issues.
  Let me state clearly that I do not believe my country should reach 
for its huge arsenal of weapons and troops every time we are faced with 
a difficult situation abroad. To everything there is a season.
  Nevertheless, it is ironic that the Russian Government should accuse 
the United States of taking military action when back home in Chechnya 
the Russian Government has demonstrated not only an excessive tendency 
to use force, but also a tendency to use excessive force.
  This is not meant to ignore or justify the human rights abuses of the 
Chechen separatist movement. The Russian Government is entitled to 
defend its territorial integrity and defend its citizens against civil 
disorder. But the fact remains that with its ``anti-terrorist 
operation,'' Moscow has unleashed a massive and brutal military 
campaign that frequently makes no distinction between combatants and 
non-combatants. As Newsweek's distinguished commentator Fareed Zakaria 
wrote in August of this year, ``Over the past ten years, Russia's 
military has had a scorched-earth policy toward Chechnya. The targets 
are not simply Chechen rebels but, through indiscriminate warfare, 
ordinary Chechens . . . Over time, the Chechen rebellion has become 
more desperate, more extreme and more Islamist.''
  Not only are such tactics inhumane and cynical, they lead not to 
peace in Chechnya, but to a more protracted conflict. In this week's 
National Interest online, Seva Gunitsky reports on how the tactics of 
the Russian military has radicalized a population that might otherwise 
have rejected the armed militants: ``For by refusing to distinguish 
between fighters and civilians, the Russian army fused together the 
interests of previously disparate groups . . . [and] created a far more 
dangerous foe.''
  Besides the widespread civilian casualties and property destruction 
caused by the indiscriminate use of force by Russian military and 
security forces, the Chechen conflict has resulted in the displacement 
of hundreds of thousands of persons. Moreover, the recent presidential 
elections in Chechnya were so obviously flawed that they could hardly 
be said to reflect the will of the people.
  I welcome an exchange of opinions with other government leaders and 
parliamentarians regarding U.S. foreign policy. Nevertheless, I hope 
that Moscow will reexamine its own excessive tendency to use force in 
Chechnya and make every effort to reach a legitimate political 
settlement there.

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