Suicide Bomber Rams Truck Into Police Station in Russia, Killing 20

On Monday, a suicide bomber drove a truck filled with explosives into the police headquarters of Nazran, the capital of Ingushetia. The explosion killed twenty people and wounded many more. This most recent attack undermines the already doubted authority of the populist president Yunus-Beck Yevkorov who has decided to combat rebel violence with a softer approach. In response to this attack, President Medvedev ordered that Ingushetia’s interior minister be fired and that the interior minister, Rashid Nurgaliyen, to strengthen Ingushetia’s polices forces. This attack is a sign to leaders that Yevkorov’s experiment in reconciliation with opposition leaders has failed.

Not only does this bombing shock people all over the world, but it also raises the question of Russia’s national security and how well they are dealing with violence. How to deal with rebellion is a complicated question. The recent bombing and violent acts show that it is not easily handled with a soft touch or with reconciliation. However, how much strength should be given to the police department before internal corruption begins? How much power is too much? Brute force is not always the best way to handle violence – fire is not always best fought with fire.

Schwirtz, Michael. “20 Die In Suicide Bombing in Russia.” The New York Times. 17

August 2009. The New York Times. 23 August 2009. <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/18/world/europe/18russia.html>.