World View: Another Volgograd Explosion Throws Russia's Sochi Olympics into Doubt

This morning’s key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com

• Palestinians cheer Israeli release of 26 prisoners
• Another Volgograd explosion throws Russia’s Sochi Olympics into doubt

Palestinians cheer Israeli release of 26 prisoners

Palestinian families in the occupied West Bank and Gaza make preparations to receive the released prisoners (Reuters)

Twenty-six Palestinian prisoners were released from Israeli jails inthe early hours of Tuesday morning, the third batch of a total of 104prisoners who committed terrorist acts prior to the 1994 Oslo accords,and are to be released according to rules for the current “peaceprocess” negotiations between the Palestinians and Israelis.

Palestinians celebrate the releases as victories over Israel, but thereleases are bitterly opposed by the families of the Israeli victims.Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to follow theprisoner release with an announcement that Israel will build 1,400more settlements in East Jerusalem, in order to gain political supportwithin his government for the prisoner release.

So we have:

• The “peace talks” were started again at the insistence of the Obama administration.
• In order to force the Palestinians to participate, Israel would release 104 Palestinian prisoners in four batches over a nine month period. That way, the Palestinians couldn’t walk out for nine months.
• In order to get the Israelis to swallow the prisoner release, they would be able to announce thousands of new West Bank settlements.
• Meanwhile, the actual “peace talks” would continue until April, but would accomplish nothing.

This is called “diplomacy by extortion.”

Actually there have been some unconfirmed reports that PresidentObama and Secretary of State John Kerry, with many foreign policycatastrophes already under their belts, are going to use threats toforce Israel to accept some peace deal, possibly with a return toIsrael’s 1948 boundaries. Kerry is arriving in Israel today.BBCand Al-Jazeera

Another Volgograd explosion throws Russia’s Sochi Olympics into doubt

Downtown Volgograd, Monday, after the bus explosion (AP)

At least 14 people were killed by a suicide bomber explosion on anelectric trolley bus in Volgograd, Russia, the day after anothersuicide bombing blew up inside Volgograd’s railway station. The twobombings appeared to be similar, and indeed they were also similar toa major suicide bombing of a busin Volgograd in November by a female bomber. The similaritiesindicate that the same perpetrator is targeting Volgograd. Theresponse is the launching of a special anti-terror operation,according to Russia’s Interior Ministry:

“In Volgograd, police officers and internal troopshave gone to a heightened security mode. Since Monday morning, theVikhr-Antiterror operation has been under way. More than 4,000Interior Ministry servicemen are taking part in it.”

Russia is ordering extra security at bus and train stations across thecountry, but extra security won’t resolve the larger picture: Theconcerns raised over security at the Sochi Winter Olympics games,scheduled to begin on February 5.

Chechnya Islamic warlord Doku Umarov, leader of the so-called CaucasusEmirate, is believed to be the perpetrator of all three attacks. InJuly, Umarov posted a video calling on jihadists around the world touse “maximum force” to disrupt the “satanic” Olympics games in Sochi.Vladimir Putin has provided plenty of security in and around the Sochiresort, spending billions on security to prevent terrorist attacks.But what’s becoming clear is that Umarov can affect the games withoutattacking Sochi directly — simply by attacking any soft target in theregion.

Sochi is the most expensive Olympics in history, and probably the mostcorrupt Olympics in history. To recoup some of the money, Russia isgoing to need billions from sponsors and investors. If they get coldfeet because of repeated terrorist attacks, then Umarov will havesucceeded in carrying his threat to disrupt the “satanic” games.Moscow Times and Voice of Russia

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