| March 29, 2010 View this newsletter as a web page on CFR's website.  |  | | | | | | Top of the Agenda: Suicide Blasts Rattle Moscow Subways Female suicide bombers set off explosions in two subway stations in central Moscow, killing at least thirty-seven people (NYT) and raising fears that southern Russia's Muslim insurgency is making a comeback. The first attack occurred near the FSB's headquarters, the successor to the Soviet-era KGB Officials said the attack was intended to send a message to the security service, which has cracked down on Islamic extremism in Chechnya and elsewhere in southern Russia. No one claimed immediate responsibility for the attacks. The subway system was attacked several times in the early 2000s, in attacks related to the separatist war in Chechnya. The attacks mark an increase in terrorist activity on the transportation system over the past year. Russian security services killed several leading terrorists (WSJ) in the North Caucasus in recent weeks. Vladimir Vasiliev, head of the security committee in Russia's lower house of Parliament, blamed the bombings on North Caucasus militants targeted in those operations. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said the organizers of the blasts will be punished (RiaNovosti). "I am sure that police will do their best to find and punish the criminals. The terrorists will be destroyed." Analysis: The Economist says corruption and brutality among Russia's security and military services have been some of the main factors contributing to the growth of extremism in the Northern Caucasus. It would be unfortunate if the Kremlin used the attacks to justify tightening its grip on power and curbing the opposition, the publication says. | | | | | | | | | MIDDLE EAST: Allawi Calls for Kurd, Shiite Coalition In a Wall Street Journal interview, Iraq's Ayad Allawi, declared winner of Iraq's parliamentary elections, said he hoped to create a coalition government with Iraq's Kurdish and Shiite parties. Listen to Deborah Amos, foreign correspondent for National Public Radio, and Michael Corbin, deputy U.S. assistant secretary of State for the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, analyze the results and political implications of the March 2010 Iraqi elections. Israel: Israel's announcement of new housing units in East Jerusalem highlighted the growing divide between (NYT) the Obama administration and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government about the role of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and differing perceptions of the Palestinians' capacity for self-rule. In this media conference call, international fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy Ehud Yaari, and Managing Director of Foreign Affairs Gideon Rose discuss the future of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. | | | | | | |
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