Your article about terrorism in Russia shows perfectly clearly why the country is, and will most likely remain, a serious threat to Europe (“Bombings Away,” December 5, 2009). Few Russians believe that the recent bombing of the train from Moscow to St. Petersburg has anything to do with terrorism proper. As you point out, “there are even rumors that the security agencies staged the explosion to cover up a derailment caused by poor maintenance.” Stories of corruption and violence have reached such levels that many Russians are now pointing their fingers at the state as the source of rampant terrorism in recent years. In particular, “some observers see all these stories as part of an inter-clan rivalry between the interior ministry and the security services.” Be that as it may, Russia is a serious security threat to its neighbors, including the European Union. Negotiating with one of the clans, which is just a polite name for one of the mafias clutching onto state power, will never add up to much.  And negotiating with all of them at once is nigh impossible. Poor Europe!