For this he was widely criticized. But under Netanyahu's stewardship, suicide bombings nearly stopped, and Israel managed treaties with neighboring Egypt and Jordan. This tenuous peace came about not because Arab societies suddenly recognized the inalienable value of basic human rights, but because Netanyahu had made clear that Israel would not be dislodged.

During the course of a casual conversation last summer, Netanyahu explained to me his thinking: "You couldn't negotiate with Hitler. It didn't matter if you had peace conferences. He meant to destroy. There was never a middle ground. That sort of fanaticism you need to vanquish. .

"We achieved peace with Egypt and Jordan. The reason we didn't make peace with Arafat is because he wants to overrun the Jewish state. He says so quite openly to his people. . Hamas is even more explicit. My hope is that the Palestinians will produce a different kid of leadership that abandons the fantasy of destroying Israel through terror. The test of whether we're moving toward peace will come not when we fight the terrorist, but when the Palestinians fight the terrorists among them."

Putin understands this. He cannot negotiate with terrorists, for they have resolved to destroy him. The north Caucasus is the front line of this battle. But it is a fight that confronts not only the whole of Russia, but the world. It is an attack on the civilized world by terrorists. And it must be treated as such.