An Open Letter to the Heads of State and Government of the European Union and NATO

As citizens of the Euro-Atlantic community of democracies, we wish to express our sympathy and solidarity with the people of the Russian Federation in their struggle against terrorism.  The mass murderers who seized School No. 1 in Beslan committed a heinous act of terrorism for which there can be no rationale or excuse.  While other mass murderers have killed children and unarmed civilians, the calculated targeting of so many innocent children at school is an unprecedented act of barbarism that violates the values and norms of our community and which all civilized nations must condemn.

At the same time, we are deeply concerned that these tragic events are being used to further undermine democracy in Russia.  Russia?s democratic institutions have always been weak and fragile.  Since becoming President in January 2000, Vladimir Putin has made them even weaker.  He has systematically undercut the freedom and independence of the press, destroyed the checks and balances in the Russian federal system, arbitrarily imprisoned both real and imagined political rivals, removed legitimate candidates from electoral ballots, harassed and arrested NGO leaders, and weakened Russia?s political parties.  In the wake of the horrific crime in Beslan, President Putin has announced plans to further centralize power and to push through measures that will take Russia a step closer to authoritarian regime.

We are also worried about the deteriorating conduct of Russia in its foreign relations.  President Putin?s foreign policy is increasingly marked by a threatening attitude towards Russia?s neighbors and Europe?s energy security, the return of rhetoric of militarism and empire, and by a refusal to comply with Russia?s international treaty obligations. In all aspects of Russian political life, the instruments of state power appear to be being rebuilt and the dominance of the security services to grow.  We believe that this conduct cannot be accepted as the foundation of a true partnership between Russia and the democracies of NATO and the European Union.

These moves are only the latest evidence that the present Russian leadership is breaking away from the core democratic values of the Euro-Atlantic community. All too often in the past, the West has remained silent and restrained its criticism in the belief that President Putin?s steps in the wrong direction were temporary and the hope that Russia would soon return to a democratic and pro-Western path.  Western leaders continue to embrace President Putin in the face of growing evidence that the country is moving in the wrong direction and that his strategy for fighting terrorism is producing less and less freedom.  We firmly believe dictatorship will not and cannot be the answer to Russia?s problems and the very real threats it faces.

The leaders of the West must recognize that our current strategy towards Russia is failing.  Our policies have failed to contribute to the democratic Russia we wished for and the people of this great country deserve after all the suffering they have endured.   It is time for us to rethink how and to what extent we engage with Putin?s Russia and to put ourselves unambiguously on the side of democratic forces in Russia.  At this critical time in history when the West is pushing for democratic change around the world, including in the broader Middle East, it is imperative that we do not look the other way in assessing Moscow?s behaviour or create a double standard for democracy in the countries which lie to Europe?s East. We must speak the truth about what is happening in Russia.  We owe it to the victims of Beslan and the tens of thousands of Russian democrats who are still fighting to preserve democracy and human freedom in their country.

• Mr. Urban Ahlin, Member of Parliament, Sweden*
• The Honorable Giuliano Amato, Former Prime Minister, Italy
• Dr. Uzi Arad, Institute for Policy and Strategy, Israel
• Dr. Timothy Garton Ash, St. Antony?s College, Oxford, United Kingdom
• Dr. Anders Aslund, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, United States
• Dr. Ronald D. Asmus, The German Marshall Fund of the United States, United States
• Mr. Rafael L. Bardaji, Strategic Studies Group, Spain
• Prof. Wladyslaw Bartoszewski, Former Foreign Minister, Poland
• Dr. Arnold Beichman, Hoover Institution, United States
• Dr. Jeff Bergner, Former Staff Director, U.S. Senate, United States
• The Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Senator, United States
• Mr. Carl Bildt, Former Prime Minister, Sweden
• Mr. Max Boot, The Council on Foreign Relations, United States
• Ms. Ellen Bork, Project for the New American Century, United States
• Mr. Pascal Bruckner, Writer, France
• Mr. Mark Brzezinski, McGuire Woods LLP, United States
• Mr. Reinhard Buetikofer, Chairman, Green Party, Germany
• Dr. Janusz Bugajski, Center for Strategic and International Studies, United States
• Sir Michael Butler, Former Permanent Representative to the European Community, United Kingdom
• The Honorable Martin Butora, Former Ambassador, Slovakia
• Mr. Daniele Capezzone, Italy
• The Honorable Per Carlsen, Institute of International Affairs, Denmark
• Ms. Gunilla Carlsson, Member of Parliament, Sweden
• Dr. Ivo Daalder, Brookings Institution, United States
• The Honorable Massimo D'Alema, Former Prime Minister, Italy
• Mr. Pavol Demes, Former Foreign Minister, Slovakia
• Dr. Larry Diamond, United States
• His Excellency Philip Dimitrov, Former Prime Minister, Bulgaria
• Mr. Thomas Donnelly, American Enterprise Institute, United States
• Mr. Nicholas Eberstadt, American Enterprise Institute, United States
• Mr. Uffe Ellemann-Jensen, Former Foreign Minister, Denmark
• Ms. Helga Flores Trejo, Heinrich Bll Foundation of North America, United States
• Dr. Francis Fukuyama, United States
• Dr. Jeffrey Gedmin, Aspen Institute Berlin, Germany
• Prof. Bronislaw Geremek, Former Foreign Affairs Minister and Member of European Parliament, Poland
• Dr. Carl Gershman, National Endowment for Democracy, United States
• The Honorable Marc Ginsberg, United States
• Mr. Andre Glucksmann, Writer, France
• Dr. Phil Gordon, Brookings Institution, United States
• The Honorable Karl-Theodor von und zu Guttenberg, Member of Parliament, Germany
• The Honorable Istvan Gyarmati, Institute for Euro-Atlanticism and Democracy, Hungary
• Mr. Pierre Hassner, Center for International Studies and Research, France
• His Excellency Vaclav Havel, Former President, Czech Republic
• The Honorable Richard C. Holbrooke, Former Ambassador to the United Nations, United States
• The Honorable Toomas Ilves, Former Foreign Minister and Member of European Parliament, Estonia
• Mr. Bruce Jackson, Project on Transitional Democracies, United States
• Dr. Donald Kagan, Yale University, United States
• Mr. Robert Kagan, United States
• Mr. Jerzy Kozminski, Former Ambassador to the United States, Poland
• Mr. Craig Kennedy, The German Marshall Fund of the United States, United States
• Ms. Glenys Kinnock, Member of European Parliament, United Kingdom
• Dr. Bernard Kouchner, Former UN Special Envoy to Kosovo, France
• Dr. Ivan Krastev, Center for Liberal Strategies, Bulgaria
• Mr. William Kristol, Project for the New American Century, United States
• The Honorable Girts Valdis Kristovskis, Former Minister of Defense, Latvia
• Prof. Dr. Ludger Kuehnhardt, University of Bonn, Germany
• The Honorable Mart Laar, Former Prime Minister, Estonia
• The Honorable Vytautas Landsbergis, former President and Member of European Parliament, Lithuania
• Dr. Stephen Larrabee, RAND Corporation, United States
• Mr. Mark Leonard, The Foreign Policy Center, United Kingdom
• The Honorable Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger, Member of European Parliament, Germany
• Mr. Tod Lindberg, Policy Review, United States
• Mr. Tom Malinowski, Human Rights Watch, United States
• Mr. Will Marshall, Progressive Policy Institute, United States
• Prof. Dr. Margarita Mathiopoulos, University of Potsdam, Germany
• Mr. Clifford May, United States
• The Honorable John McCain, Senator, United States
• Dr. Michael McFaul, United States
• Mr. Matteo Mecacci, Italy
• Mr. Mark Medish, Former Senior Director of the National Security Council, United States
• Prof. Dr. Thomas O. Melia, Institute for the Study of Diplomacy, United States
• Dr. Sarah E. Mendelson, United States
• Mr. Michael Mertes, Dimap Consult, Germany
• The Honorable Ilir Meta, Former Prime Minister, Albania
• Mr. Adam Michnik, Gazeta Wyborcza, Poland
• The Honorable Richard Morningstar, Former Ambassador to the EU, United States
• Dr. Joshua Muravchik, American Enterprise Institute, United States
• Gen. Klaus Naumann (ret.), Former Chairman NATO Military Committee, Germany
• The Honorable Dietmar Nietan, Member of Parliament, Germany
• Mr. James O?Brien, Former Presidential Envoy to the Balkans, United States
• The Honorable Janusz Onyszkiewicz, Member of European Parliament, Poland
• The Honorable Cem Ozdemir, Member of European Parliament, Germany
• Dr. Can Paker, Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation, Turkey
• Ambassador Mark Palmer, Capital Development Company, LLC, United States
• Mr. Martin Peretz, United States
• The Honorable Dr. Friedbert Pflueger, Member of Parliament, Germany
• Ms. Danielle Pletka, American Enterprise Institute, United States
• Mr. Florentino Portero, Strategic Studies Group, Spain
• Ms. Samantha Ravich, Phd, Long Term Strategy Project, United States
• The Honorable Janusz Reiter, Center for International Relations, Poland
• The Honorable Alex Rondos, Former Ambassador, Greece
• The Honorable Jim Rosapepe, Former Ambassador to Romania, United States
• Dr. Jacques Rupnik, Center for International Studies and Research, France
• Prof. Dr. Eberhard Sandschneider, German Council on Foreign Relations, Germany
• Mr. Randy Scheunemann, Project for the New American Century, United States
• Dr. Gary Schmitt, Project for the New American Century, United States
• Dr. Simon Serfaty, Center for Strategic and International Studies, United States
• The Honorable Stephen Sestanovich, United States
• Mr. Radek Sikorski, American Enterprise Institute, United States
• Mr. Stefano Silvestri, Institute for International Affairs, Italy
• Mr. Martin Simecka, Editor, Slovakia
• Dr. Gary Smith, American Academy in Berlin, Germany
• Dr. Abraham Sofaer, Hoover Institution, United States
• Mr. James Steinberg, The Brookings Institution, United States
• Mr. Gary Titley, Member of European Parliament, United Kingdom
• Mr. Ivan Vejvoda, Fund for Open Society, Serbia
• The Honorable Sasha Vondra, Former Deputy Foreign Minister, Czech Republic
• Dr. Celeste Wallander, Center for Strategic and International Studies, United States
• Prof. Ruth Wedgwood, United States
• Dr. Richard Weitz, Institute for Foreign Policy Analysis, United States
• Mr. Kenneth Weinstein, Hudson Institute, United States
• Ms. Jennifer Windsor, Freedom House, United States
• Mr. R. James Woolsey, United States

September 28, 2004