• Listen to this segment

An attack involving a bomber disguised as a police officer ended in 12 deaths in southern Russia on Wednesday. The incident follows two explosions at Russian subway stations on Monday, believed to be the work of Chechen female suicide bombers, also called “black widows.” The total death toll this week has been 51, with many more injured. Initially many Russians insisted that their own government was responsible for Monday’s attacks. But now, news media are reporting that Chechen separatist Doku Umarov has claimed responsibility. The potential motive for Umarov’s actions are to call to attention the escalating violence in the Caucasus guerilla war at the hands of Russia’s security service. Russian President Dmitri Medvedev challenged Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s call for a more hard-line approach to violence in the Caucasus following Monday’s attacks. Medvedev initially favored addressing underlying inequalities that fan the flames of militancy, including poverty, joblessness, and corruption, but changed his position after Wednesday’s attack. During an unannounced visit to the Caucasian republic of Dagestan, where Wednesday ‘s bombing took place, he called for a “more cruel” approach to terrorism “for preventive purposes.” He added, “[w]e have twisted the heads off the most hateful bandits. But this is clearly not enough. In any case we will find them in due time and punish all of them…just as we did their predecessors.”

GUEST: David Kotz, Professor of economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and coauthor of “Russia’s Path from Gorbachev to Putin: The Demise of the Soviet System and the New Russia.”