The Beslan school hostage tragedy is changing how Russia understands and describes acts of terrorism around the world.

Before Beslan, Russian media reported on terrorists at home and insurgents in countries like Iraq. Since Beslan, insurgents in Iraq with increasing frequency are denoted as terrorists. The Kremlin, through state-controlled television, has essentially adopted the official U.S. lexicon and may be in the process of reassessing the threat Islamic fundamentalism poses to the world.

Days after the Beslan tragedy, President Vladimir Putin lambasted a visiting delegation of foreign journalists and Russia-watchers for the West's preference to characterize perpetrators of terrorist acts in Russia as rebels and insurgents. To stress his point, Putin even slipped into English, terrorists killed Beslan's children -- not rebels.

In the tragedy, Islamic fundamentalist gunmen took over a school in Beslan and held students, teachers and parents hostage for two days. The violence killed more than 300 people, some 170 of them children.

Putin demands the West change its word choice when describing those behind acts of terrorism -- word choice has already changed how the Kremlin understands terrorism beyond its borders.

According to a declassified report by the U.S.-based Foreign Broadcast Information Service on Russia's media, the Beslan crisis may be an important benchmark influencing how the Kremlin describes international terrorism. In the first instance, Kremlin-controlled television has increased its usage of the term terrorists when referring to acts of violence in Iraq, previously the preference was to denote opponents of the U.S.-led occupation as insurgents or gunmen.

A second important finding is how the Kremlin directs coverage on the ongoing conflict in Iraq. Previously, there was a focus on characterizing Iraqi opposition to the U.S. occupation, but since Beslan, the Kremlin has shifted to a generalized characterization of the situation on the ground. It is now using language such as acute situation on the ground, difficult situation, and certain progress in normalizing the political situation in Iraq.

Third, the report says Russian media coverage of Iraq has declined and shifted to more specific individual events such as the ongoing hostage-taking spree in that country. Russian coverage of U.S.-directed military operations in Iraq has declined. This media shift is nothing less than remarkable. Russia was strongly opposed to military operations against Iraq and television transmissions since the invasion went to great length to highlight the difficulties U.S. forces face. In the aftermath of Beslan, this changed.

It is a truism Beslan has been a wake-up call for the Kremlin, revealing just how vulnerable Russia is to terrorism. However, Beslan also appears to have changed how the Kremlin understands terrorism beyond its borders and the threat Islamic fundamentalism poses for international security and order.

For years, the Kremlin claimed foreign terrorist networks have been operating in Chechnya, but has taken little meaningful notice or action against the same networks operating beyond Russia's borders. Russia was against the invasion of Iraq, but is coming around to realize international terrorist networks are part of the violence in Iraq now.

The Kremlin's lexicon change probably should not be interpreted as policy reversal n the U.S. military operations in Iraq. The only discernable policy change since the start of the conflict is to support international political measures that would increase situation in Iraq.

The horrific events that occurred in Beslan's School No. 1 in September changed Russia forever. The Kremlin has started to understand terrorism is everyone's problem. This change of perception has occurred as the West has discernibly distanced itself from Russia due to domestic political changes Putin has pursued to increase security at home and to confront terrorism. Russia has moved closer to the United States in its fight against international terrorism, while public opinion in the United States and the West in general has stepped away from Russia.

Russia's awareness of international terrorism appears to have changed since Beslan. It acknowledges the United States is fighting a war against international terror and has altered its perception of events playing out in Iraq. The Kremlin must be wondering when the West will follow suit and adjust its terror lexicon to describe those behind acts of terror in Chechnya -- not to speak of those responsible for the killings in Beslan.

Peter Lavelle is an independent Moscow-based analyst and the author of the electronic newsletter on Russia Untimely Thoughts untimely-thoughts.com.

Conclusions expressed above are the author's and should not be associated in way with media research conducted by FBIS.