Could you lend some light on the Russia's upcoming election, the Chechen's (supposed)terrorist attempt to influence the outcome, and the how it might affect the United States? The news paints a regional conflict.

Sure, Putin's gonna kick the Chechens butts and the US isn't gonna say a word other than possibly hold a very short briefing by Bush's Press Secretary . A deal is a deal. Putin has the blessing to do whatever is necessary to seek out and destroy the El Qaeda network. Who's to argue what terrorist is or isn't linked to Bin Laden? To boot he just might get paid a few shekels to do it.

For more info: http://www.themoscowtimes.com/indexes/01.html

Also read the Christian Science Monitor, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, London Times and keep watching The Jim Lehrer News Hour and BBC World News.

Renauda, Apple,

Interesting questions, in light of the recent Yugo scenario, and the jailing of its founder.

I am certainly no expert on Russia, but it would appear at least on the surface that Russia is reverting to old habits and could very well go back to a one-party system. Honestly, I'm not quite sure, but am very wary of what's going on there right now. Perhaps old habits are hard to die, but I am not at all so sure that Russia might not emerge as a country that should once again be feared, not just by their own citizens, but by the US.

Renauda,

What's your take on it?

Russian politics is murky at the best of times, but I for one do not believe that the current president and the governemnt have any intention of returning to a one party state. It may be an authoritarian republic dressed as a democracy, but it will remain multiparty and multi factional. Eventually it might even come to resemble a country based on a rule of law, rather than Wyatt Erp's Arizona or Al Capone's Chicago. Russian Leninism is dead, end of story.

The bear will spend at least 50 years in the wilderness but will re emerge as a force to be reckoned. I will also say that Russia will be an ally to the US and Western civilzation. It will avoid the current Western trend to nice to everyone and cater to each and everyu interst group. That remains foreign to the Russian psyche and political mind. Russians will never resembel liberals as we have come to thinkk of the term. Russians are more like fire eating Democrats.

As to the Yugo situation. Do you think for a second that Bill Clinton or Tony Blair or any American President would rally NATO to defend Chechnya? When NATO attacked Yugoslavia Russians for the life of them could not understand how the Christian nations could ally themselves to attack another Christian country in defence of a rabble of Islamic terrorists and drug runners. The Russians agreed that Milosevic was a pig and should be replaced, but not over territory that was historically Serbian and Orthodox Christian.