Polls & Research

Russians Assess Global War on Terrorism

(Angus Reid Global Scan) - Many adults in Russia appear dissatisfied with the current state of the global effort to fight terrorism, according to a poll by the Public Opinion Foundation. 51 per cent of respondents believe international terrorism has grown stronger.

On Jul. 27, Russian president Vladimir Putin urged law enforcement officials to remain vigilant, saying, "The latest explosions in London, terror acts in Iraq, Turkey, Israel, Egypt and criminal acts in the Chechen republic show that the main threat in the world today remains terrorism." 50 per cent of respondents say it is possible to defeat international terrorism, while 36 per cent disagree.

Chechen rebels have tried to secede from the Russian Federation since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Several terrorist incidents in Russia have been blamed on the loose group, including two airplane crashes, a suicide bombing in Moscow and the assassination of Chechnya's president Akhmad Kadyrov in May 2004.

In September 2004, militants took control of a middle school in Beslan, North Ossetia. The three-day siege left 344 civilians dead, including 172 children. Chechen separatist leader Shamil Basayev claimed responsibility for the attack. According to the Russian government, the hostage-takers included Arabs, Chechens, Kazakhs, Tatars, and Uzbeks.

Last month, Russian prime minister Mikhail Fradkov finalized the draft budget for 2006. The document includes a 21.4 per cent increase in government spending for defence, security and law enforcement.

Yesterday, Putin urged for a multilateral approach in the fight against terrorism, declaring, "Any attempts of being indulgent with terrorism, flirting with terrorists, using them to the benefit of this or that political fancy or ambition should be met with general condemnation. (.) The United Nations (UN) and its Security Council might become a coordinating center, a kind of interior headquarters for the international counter-terrorist front."

Polling Data

Has international terrorism grown stronger, weaker, or stayed the same as before?

Is it possible or impossible to defeat international terrorism?