World View: Boston Bombers Raise New Problem for Russia's Vladimir Putin

This morning’s key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com

• Russia’s Vladimir Putin warns of ‘alarming signals’ of economic slowdown
• Boston bombers raise new problems for Russian officials
• Canada thwarts al-Qaeda inspired plan to attack passenger train
• Lebanon Salafists call for jihad against Hizbollah in Syria

Russia’s Vladimir Putin warns of ‘alarming signals’ of economic slowdown

Vladimir Putin on Monday (RT)

Russia’s president Vladimir Putin warned his economic ministerson Monday of “alarming signals” of a slowing Russian economy,and demanded:

“I’m waiting for concrete proposals about measuresthat will help us ensure stable economic growth and safeguardourselves against negative swings in the world economy, reduce therisks for key industries and stimulate businessactivity.”

However, like politicians in Europe and America, Putin added thatthere’s nothing to worry about:

“I do not want to dramatize the situationunnecessarily. The Russian economy has a sufficient safetynet. Many analysts believe growth in the second-quarter isexpected to recover.”

I guess that even in Russia, prosperity is just around the corner.Russia Today and Bloomberg

Boston bombers raise new problems for Russian officials

The news that the Boston terrorist bombers are ethnically fromChechnya who have lived in the U.S. for many years may be shocking toAmericans, but in Russia it’s not so surprising, as they’ve beendealing with exactly the same situations for years. In fact,Americans who used to be sympathetic to the Chechens and blamed theRussians for the unrest are now doing an about-face and viewingChechnya as a “cauldron of Islamic militancy.” However, that realityhas created an ironic problem for Russian officials, because theBoston terrorist connection to Chechnya is going to create badpublicity for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games to be held in Sochi in theNorth Caucasus, and also raises new questions about the stability ofRussia’s government. Russia Today and Jamestown

Canada thwarts al-Qaeda inspired plan to attack passenger train

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) on Monday announced thearrest of two men planning a terrorist attack on a passenger train.The plan received “direction and guidance” from an element of al-Qaedabased in Iran, but there was no evidence that the plan waswere not released by the RCMP, speculation is that they were planningto blow up a bridge as a train from New York to Toronto passed overit. The two men are from Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates,respectively. The planned attack is unrelated to the Boston bombings.

The startling element of this case is that it was inspired by al-Qaedaelements in Iran. Now, Sunni Muslim al-Qaeda and Shia Muslim Iran arebitter enemies. Al-Qaeda linked terrorists have conducted terroristattacks on Iran, most spectacularly the 2009 attack by Jundallah thatkilled 42 people, including 20 top commanders in the RevolutionaryGuards. (See “Furious Iran blames Pakistan, US and Britain for Sunday’s terrorist attacks.”)

Nonetheless, Iran and al-Qaeda have cooperated, especially inAfghanistan, against their common enemy, the United States. After9/11/2001 and the start of the Afghan war, Iran transported severalhundred al-Qaeda linked individuals to Iran, where al-Qaedaestablished its “management council,” under the direction of Osama binLaden. Iran has kept the group under strict house arrest, but allowedthem to plot activities against the United States and others of Iran’senemies. Canadian TV News and Foreign Affairs (Jan 2012)

Lebanon Salafists call for jihad against Hizbollah in Syria

The Iran-support Lebanese terrorist group Hizbollah is now openlyfully engaged in fighting in the al-Qusair region of Homs province inSyria, alongside the army of Syria’s president Bashar al-Assad. Theactions of Iran-backed Hizbollah are being called a “declaration ofwar” by the rebel Syrian National Coalition, and Lebanese Salafistsare calling for a jihad to defend Sunnis in Syria from Shia Hizbollah.According to Sheikh Ahmad Assir:

“We in Lebanon are today [caught] between the Zionisthammer and the anvil of Iran’s party arms [Hezbollah], which havebeen directed internally. Therefore, every Muslim in Lebanon orabroad is duty-bound to respond to the [jihad] appeal and supportthe oppressed in Syria, particularly in Al-Qusair.”

However, a Hizbollah official defended its actions, calling it a

“What Hizbollah is doing toward this issue is anational and moral duty in protecting the Lebanese in bordervillages. Are we required to leave our people in border villagesexposed to killings, kidnapping, slaughter anddisplacement?”

The danger is that the war will spread into Lebanon and into othercountries. Daily Star (Beirut)

Receive daily World View columns by e-mail