Terrorism and its Impact:Suicide Bombing In Moscow

Kylin Cheong (3)Pearlyn Chong (4)

Our article

Terror at the airport: another suicide bomb reflects the Kremlin’s difficulties with the north CaucasusJan 27th 2011 | MOSCOW | From The Economist print editionhttp://www.economist.com/node/18010677?story_id=18010677&fsrc=rss

Executive Summary

Moscow’s busiest and most efficient airport met a suicide bomb that killed 35 people and injured more than 100. It is assumed to be the work of Islamist fundamentalists. It is also partly due to insufficient security because the police were more preoccupied with extracting bribes from migrant workers than with security.

Paragraph 1 HALF past four in the afternoon is peak time for international arrivals at Domodedovo, Moscow’s busiest and most efficient airport, favoured by foreign airlines. Several European flights land then. As passengers leave the baggage area, they are greeted by taxi touts. On January 24th they were met by a suicide bomb that killed 35 people and injured more than 100. It was designed to cause maximum damage and to kill foreigners and Russians alike.

• Main point: January 24th: Met by a suicide bomb that killed 35 people and injured

more than 100. Motive: to cause maximum damage and to kill foreigners and Russians.

Paragraph 2

This was the deadliest attack on any international airport. Nobody has claimed responsibility, but the assumption is that it is the work of Islamist fundamentalists, related to Russia’s troubled north Caucasus—though Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s president, and Vladimir Putin, its prime minister were careful not to say so publicly.

• Main point: Deadliest attack on any international airport.

• Elaboration: It is the work of Islamist fundamentalists, related to Russia’s troubled north Caucasus.

Paragraph 3 The details remain hazy, but a male suicide bomber seems to

have entered the airport building from the car park, avoiding metal detectors on his way to the arrivals area. A source close to the investigation says CCTV picked up the bomber entering the building just over an hour before the explosion. Intriguingly, the footage suggests he did not look north Caucasian.

• Main point: Suicide bomber assumed to entered the airport building from the car park, avoiding metal detectors on his way to the arrivals area.

• Elaboration: CCTV picked up the bomber entering the building just an hour before the explosion. The footage suggests he did not look north Caucasian.

• Good vocabulary: intriguingly-very interesting, and often strange or mysterious

Paragraph 4The attack was condemned around the world yet greeted with an air of resignation in Moscow, partly because suicide bombings have become tragically common. Last March two female suicide bombers blew themselves up on the Moscow metro, killing 40 people.

• Main point: The attack was condemned around the world yet greeted with an air of resignation in Moscow, partly because suicide bombings have become tragically common.

• Example: Last March two female suicide bombers blew themselves up on the Moscow metro, killing 40 people.

• Good vocabulary: condemned- strongly disapproved

resignation-act of despair, act of giving up

Paragraph 5 Mr. Medvedev quickly blamed the airport’s managers and

the transport police for security breaches. He sacked a few police officers and said that airport managers should be held responsible. “People were allowed to walk in from anywhere. The entrance restrictions were partial at best,” he complained. An airport official said it was the police, not airport managers, who were responsible for security in the zone where the bomb went off.

• Main point: Mr. Medvedev blamed the airport’s managers and the transport police for security breaches.

• Elaboration: He sacked a few police officers and said that airport managers should be held responsible.

• Good Vocab: breaches- a failure to perform some promised act or obligation

Paragraph 6

Russia’s police are often more preoccupied with extracting bribes from migrant workers than with security. In 2004 two suicide bombers boarded two separate planes at Domodedovo and managed to kill 88 people after being briefly detained and then released by the airport police.

• Main point: Instead of managing the security, Russian police are engaged in extracting bribes from migrant workers.

• Example: In 2004 two suicide bombers boarded two separate planes at Domodedovo and managed to kill 88 people after being briefly detained and then released by the airport police.

Paragraph 7 No busy airport can check everybody walking into the

building. In most countries’ airports, areas designed for the general public require free access. Mr. Medvedev’s order to heighten checks at Domodedovo forced all visitors to walk through metal detectors and led to overcrowding, a security risk in itself. A suicide bomber detonating his device in the crowd waiting to pass through a metal detector would claim many lives. This is just what happened in 2003, when two female bombers blew themselves up before metal detectors at a rock concert, killing 16 people.

• Main point: No busy airport can check everybody walking into the building.• Example: In most countries’ airports, areas designed for the general public

require free access• Elaboration: Mr. Medvedev’s order to heighten checks at Domodedovo

forced all visitors to walk through metal detectors and led to overcrowding, a security risk in itself.

• Good Vocabulary: Denotating-indicating

Paragraph 8 The main job of thwarting terrorism ought to belong to the

intelligence services and police, who must track down explosives and identify terrorists before they can stage attacks. Reports in the Russian media suggest that the latest bombing was not unexpected. A few weeks ago a female terrorist detonated an explosive and killed herself in a safe house. One accomplice was arrested but others got away.

• Main Point: The main job of preventing terrorism should be the intelligence services and police, who track down explosives and identify terrorists before they can stage attacks.

• Example: A few weeks ago a female terrorist detonated an explosive and killed herself in a safe house. One accomplice was arrested but others got away.

• Elaboration: Reports in the Russian media suggest that the latest bombing was not unexpected.

• Good vocab: thwarting- preventing realization or attainment of a desire

Paragraph 9 No security service can prevent every incident. But the frequency of terrorist

attacks in Russia raises questions about the professionalism of counter-terrorism in Russia. The security services have a better record of engaging in business disputes and hassling Kremlin opponents than of infiltrating terrorist networks to stop attacks. Over the past decade the FSB (successor to the KGB) has acquired enormous power and influence, but this has made it less accountable. None of the terrorist attacks under the presidency of Mr. Putin, himself a former KGB officer, led to the resignation of federal security chiefs. Neither Alexander Bortnikov, the head of the FSB, nor Rashid Nurgaliev, the interior minister, made a public appearance on the day of the attack. Russian state-television channels also decided not to interrupt their daily schedules with live broadcasts.

• Main Point: No security service can prevent every incident. • Example: The security services have a better record of engaging in business disputes and

hassling Kremlin opponents than of infiltrating terrorist networks to stop attacks.• Elaboration: FSB has acquired enormous power and influence. No terrorist attacks under the

presidency of Mr. Putin, a former KGB officer, led to the resignation of federal security chiefs. Neither Alexander Bortnikov, the head of the FSB, nor Rashid Nurgaliev, the interior minister, made a public appearance on the day of the attack.

• Good Vocabulary: Infiltrating-to filter into or through; permeate.

Paragraph 10 Terrorism in Russia has a global aspect, but it is also related to the Kremlin’s

policies in the mainly Muslim north Caucasus. While Chechnya has been brutally pacified, the region is in a simmering civil war. Republics such as Dagestan and Ingushetia are formally part of the Russian federation, but have long ceased to be treated as such either by Moscow or by their own inhabitants. Corruption and the failure of everyday politics have made governance in the north Caucasus completely ineffective, according to Ekaterina Sokiryanskaya of Memorial, a human-rights group. The brutality and impunity of Russian security services in the north Caucasus and the indiscriminate persecution of Muslims have served only to push the locals into the hands of Islamist extremists.

• Main point: Terrorism in Russia has a global aspect, but it is also related to the Kremlin’s policies in the mainly Muslim north Caucasus.

• Example: Corruption and the failure of everyday politics made governance in the north Caucasus completely ineffective.

• Elaboration: The brutality and impunity of Russian security services in the north Caucasus and the indiscriminate persecution of Muslims have served only to push the locals into the hands of Islamist extremists.

• Good Vocabulary:

simmering- in a state of subdued or restrained activity

brutality- cruelty, inhumanity

impunity- exemption from punishment

persecution- program or campaign to drive away people because of their religion, race, or beliefs

Paragraph 11 Ms Sokiryanskaya suggests that Russia is now caught up in an escalating spiral of

inter-ethnic violence. The growing antagonism of young north Caucasians towards the government and to Russians in general is matched by the hatred and chauvinism on the Russian side towards the north Caucasus. The recent murder of an ethnic Russian football fan in Moscow by north Caucasians sparked violent riots by ultranationalists and skinheads near the Kremlin. “Russia for the Russians” was the mildest of the rioters’ slogans. Mr. Putin met the protesters and laid flowers on the fan’s grave. Russian prosecutors are reluctant to investigate ethnic attacks on Muslims from the Caucasus, which happen a lot in big Russian cities.

• Main point: The growing antagonism of young north Caucasians towards the government and to Russians is matched by the hatred and aggressiveness on the Russian side towards the north Caucasus.

• Example: Recent murder of an ethnic Russian football fan in Moscow by north Caucasians sparked violent riots by ultranationalists and skinheads near the Kremlin.

• Elaboration: Mr. Putin met the protesters and laid flowers on the fan’s grave. Russian prosecutors are reluctant to investigate ethnic attacks on Muslims from the Caucasus.

• Good Vocabulary:

escalating- to increase in intensity, magnitude

antagonism- an active opposition between conflicting groups

chauvinism- zealous and aggressive patriotism

Paragraph 12 Mr. Putin has also proposed tightening registration rules for migrant

workers, even those from inside Russia—a measure aimed at north Caucasians. The nationalist riots and the bomb in Domodedovo are just two links in the same chain, says Ms Sokiryanskaya. The real danger of such violence is that, instead of prompting the Kremlin to review its policies in the north Caucasus and to hold the security services properly to account, this week’s airport bombing may increase already fraught ethnic tensions.

• Main point: Mr. Putin has also proposed tightening registration rules for migrant workers, even those from inside Russia—a measure aimed at north Caucasians.

• Examples: Nationalist riots and the bomb in Domodedovo are just two links in the same chain

• Elaboration: instead of prompting the Kremlin to review its policies in the north Caucasus and to hold the security services properly to account, this airport bombing may increase already fraught ethnic tensions.

• Good Vocabulary:

fraught-full of

ethnic group-pertaining to or characteristic of people sharing a common and distinctive culture, religion, language, or the like.

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