No, not really. But it is interesting that the Russian effort to

“eliminate” Chechen “rebel leaders” is treated so matter-of-factly, while Israel’s similar efforts at killing Hamas leaders receives so much outrage. And I don’t mean the complaints from the EU diplomats (and our own Andrew Stuttaford) about how the assasinations of Hamas leaders aren’t “constructive” to the peace process, I mean the folks who have actual moral objections to the killings. If it is wrong to do this this sort of thing it’s wrong everywhere, right? Oh, and spare me the argument that the Russians are at war and the Israelis aren’t. Any state will be at war with any group, like Hamas, dedicated to its violent destruction, or that state won’t be around very long. Indeed, Russia’s survival is hardly at stake in Chechnya, Israel’s certainly would be if it didn’t contain Hamas.