A Molotov Cocktail in the Age of Terror: Proliferation of Russian WMD and the Spread of Radical Islamism in Central Asia

Aware of this history, terrorist organizations could easily spread Islamist fanaticism by promoting hatred and violence through mosques and schools. This supposition was seemingly validated when the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) donated approximately $2.9 million to “complete construction and refurbishing of three secondary schools” in Tajikistanand $9.5 million for “secondary schools” in Azerbaijan.^[25]* It is also interesting to note that in 1985 there were only 129 recognized mosques in the Soviet Union, a number that skyrocketed to 5,000 in Kazakhstan alone just fourteen years later.^[26] Such unprecedented development cannot simply be the result of devout Muslims finally able to practice their faith. On the contrary, impoverished nations such as Kazakhstan would have required outside assistance to accomplish this feat of religious expansion. Given the SFD’s record of indirectly promoting terrorism throughout sub-Saharan Africa, their goals in Central Asia are likely similar.

Efforts to indoctrinate the populations of Central Asia are bound to intensify as a 2003 study indicated that general anti-Westernism remains surprisingly low in this region. In fact, 60 percent of Uzbekistanis looked favorably on the United States, compared to 10 percent who had unfavorable opinions.^[27] These numbers are unacceptable to terrorist organizations hoping to foster levels of hatred comparable to those in the Middle East. With proper education, however, citizens of the former Soviet republics may soon become fanatical Islamists and even suicidal jihadists. It is imperative that the American government maintain a positive image in the region and prevent the indoctrination of its people.

Rationalizing: An Exercise in Futility

Thus, the growing influence of radical Islamism in Central Asia compounds the seriousness of the threat posed by Russia’s poorly secured weapons of mass destruction. Given the vulnerability of these weapons and the connection between Central Asian states to the former Soviet Union, Russiais an ideal source of illicitly obtained weapons for terrorist organizations. Add to this the Kremlin’s recent foreign policy decisions, and it is clear that the Russian government could arm our enemies in an effort to enhance a “global counterbalance” to American power. As with other previously unrecognized threats, some observers attempt to rationalize away the possibility of Russian arms ever reaching radical terrorist organizations. They argue that Putin would secure his weapons and refuse to sell them to potentially dangerous groups in Central Asia simply because of their proximity to Russia. This rationale seems particularly cogent when one considers the tragedy that unfolded when Chechen rebels took nearly 1,200 men, women, and children hostage at School No. 1 in Beslan. After days of carnage, over 330 people were dead, among them 156 children.^[28]

Horrific as these events may have been, however, they were not the result of radical Islamism. On the contrary, Chechen rebels generally do not share the religious fundamentalism of terrorist organizations such as al-Qaeda and, unlike Hizb ut-Tahrir al-Islami, they do not wish to re-establish the caliphate. Rather, the Beslan terrorists claimed that they “wanted Chechnya’s independence from Russia,” “the release of their comrades imprisoned in Ingushetia,” and an “end to the war.”^[29] Despite initial claims from the Kremlin that nine of the terrorists were of Arab descent, hostages stated that they saw no one who fit such a profile.^[30] It is critical to note that this terrorist act resulted from Chechen separatist movements and not the jihad that led to the attacks of September 11.