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Many say the Kremlin can no longer ignore the social and economic problems of its southern fringe. In his partnership with Putin, Medvedev remains the junior partner and has been assigned the role of modernizer. In discussing the situation Tuesday with his human rights adviser, Ella Pamfilova, Medvedev said improving the standard of living will be more difficult than ridding the region of terrorists. But the attacks have also given new impetus to President Dmitry Medvedev's efforts to address the root causes of the terrorism in the Caucasus, where deep poverty, rampant corruption and heavy-handed tactics by security forces have provided fertile ground for Islamic militants. In the North Caucasus, the security services and police have been ordered to step up their campaign to eliminate the leaders of the Islamic insurgency, seen by many Muscovites as the right response to the attacks. While Putin appears eager to meet the challenge the attacks have posed to his rule and reassure Russians the situation is under control, he has so far shown no inclination to impose harsh, new measures.
Lidia Yusupova, a Chechen rights activist, was more alarmist. Lyudmila Alexeyeva, a veteran human rights activist, wrote in her blog.