WASHINGTON WARNS OF POSSIBLE CONSEQUENCES OF CHECHEN CAMPAIGN.

The United States appears to be moving, if anything, even more carefully with regard to Chechnya than have Washington’s European allies. The Clinton administration is reportedly concerned that a further escalation of the conflict between Russia and Chechnya could have a number of dire consequences. These include a destabilization of the entire Caucasus region, a resurgence of tensions between Russia and the West, and the erosion of Russian political and economic reform. Last week, Clinton administration officials were reported to be cautioning Moscow against an escalation of the fighting. They were likewise said to be warning that Russian-U.S. relations would take a hit if Moscow chose to repeat the mistakes of its 1994-1996 war in Chechnya by sending in ground troops (Christian Science Monitor, September 29).

On October 1 the Clinton administration amplified those warnings. During remarks made at Harvard University, Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott described the current period as a “moment of truth for the new Russian state” and urged Moscow not to revert to its dictatorial past in trying to resolve the conflict in the Caucasus. He also laid the blame for much of the political extremism in that region on the failure of successive Russian governments to provide “basic social services and economic development [there].” Further, he charged that the situation in Russia had taken an “ugly” and “ominous” turn when Moscow city officials blamed “people of a darker complexion” for problems in Russia’s south (UPI, Reuters, October 1).

“PRO-KREMLIN” BLOC TAKES FIRST STRATEGIC STEPS.