The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Contributor: What Russia Knows Now: "Like Osama bin Laden's attack on the United States, Mr. Basayev's attack signifies the start here of the Third World War of which the whole of Western civilization is so rightly afraid, which it tries with all its might to postpone, which it even tries to ignore.

"Russia is far from certain that it has any substantial relationship to this newly imperiled civilization. It relapses into a stupor in the face of its enemy's audacity. It looks back, sometimes with nostalgia, on Stalin's cunning imperial maneuvers, at his seizure of half of Europe. Nowadays it is awkward and ungainly.

"But while Russia has been unsuccessfully searching for its own national idea since the collapse of communism, the extremists have listed it as one of their enemies, and have acted accordingly....

"Russians would like to remain hors de combat in the conflict of civilizations, but they won't be able to. On Sept. 11, 2001, we wept in sympathy with America; after Beslan we have to dry our tears and try to build genuine ties with the West."

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At least one Russian gets it. Communism was a monster and killed millions in terms of it unrealistic religio-economic heresies, but Communism was a Christian heresy. As I wrote in one issue of Basket of Figs, God has many angels. Some are very dark and awful angels. If we will not listen to the glorious and pure ones, He will send us others. The judgments of the Book of Revelation are difficult indeed to understand; but one thing is certain: they are all directed by Him who sits upon the glorious throne of Heaven.