Monday, September 15, 2014

The Winter Olympics and Terrorism; A concept rapidly becoming a “killer” combination


Image: www.corbisimages.com

The Winter Olympics of 2014, which will be the first Olympic Games Russia will host since the fall of the USSR, is the subject of much controversy and debate. Set to begin on the 7th of February, there is much speculation as to how the politics of the Russian government and more importantly, the imminent threat of terrorist attacks are going to affect the Olympic Games.
Despite it being a time for celebration and joy in Russia, the many political issues surrounding the Olympics is marring the spirit of the games. 

President Vladimir Putin’s anti-homosexual laws have already stirred up feelings of disgust and have antagonized many people both inside and outside the country including singers Sir Elton John and Cher, the latter who refused to sing at the opening ceremony to be held this month. Furthermore despite Putin’s assurances that homosexuals could in fact attend the games without any problem, a Russian protester was detained by Olympic Security personnel and taken in for questioning during the Olympic torch relay when he unfurled a rainbow flag; the symbol of homosexuality [1].  Thus there is much concern about the safety and security of any participant of the Games falling within the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexuals and Transsexuals) category and their families, a fact exacerbated by the statement released by Russia’s Ministry of the Interior which stated that anti-propaganda laws for LGBTs would be enforced in Sochi, the primary area where the Olympics will be held. This behavior of the Russian government has led to a high and growing number of top level officials boycotting the winter Olympics, a list containing US President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, and French President Francoise Hollande, to name a few [2].

Another issue raised as a result of the organization of the Olympics, is the unprecedented sum that has been spent, with some claiming it to be as a result of corruption existing within the Russian government. The average overrun costs for Olympic Games tend to be around 180%, but in the case of this year’s winter Olympics, overrun costs have more than doubled to a staggering 500% [3]. Allegations of government officials working closely with oligarchs have surfaced and this could possibly be the reason for the excessively high overrun costs. Furthermore working conditions for those involved in construction sites have been deemed poor and has resulted in 25 deaths and numerous injuries in 2012 alone. Rights of these workers have also not been addressed, with their wages not being paid in full or at all, and withholding the passports of certain workers so they cannot leave the work site.

Another problem would be that of the Circassians. The Circassian diaspora have called for the cancellation of the games or moving them to a different location, unless the Russian government apologizes for the death of 300,000 Circassians in Sochi in the 19th century, which they consider to be an act of genocide. A number of Circassian organization have petitioned to bodies such as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee to reconsider the chosen site, however they have received no response from them or the Kremlin. These organizations are also submitting a resolution to Georgian lawmakers urging them to deem that attack on the Circassians as a genocide. Should they succeed in doing so the Russian government will be under further international scrutiny and pressure [4].

However these problems are just the tip of the iceberg. Undeniably the most serious issue the Russian government is facing with regard to the Winter Olympics is the significant threat of terrorist attacks, posing a threat not only to national security but to all the participants and attendees of the Games in Sochi as well.

Terrorism is not a new or foreign concept to Russia. Terrorism emerged in Russia during the time of the Russian empire, and has now culminated into a perennial problem.  In the contemporary context Russia faces terrorist threats from a significant number of groups, predominantly Islamic terrorist groups. Most of the terrorist activity is concentrated in areas like Chechnya and Dagestan; however there have been numerous reports of terrorism in Moscow, the most infamous attack being the Moscow Theatre Hostage Crisis of 2002.

Presently numerous terrorist attacks are being carried out in areas alarmingly close to Sochi, such as areas like Volgograd (situated 400 Km away from Sochi) where bomb blasts in December 2013 in a railway station and a trolley bus killed 34 people and injured more than a 100 people. Violence has also been reported in the Northern Caucus region (which includes of the republic of Dagestan and the republic of Chechnya) approximately 620 Km east of Sochi [5]. Attacks in this region have been occurring frequently, with a rise of civilian casualties in the area increasing by 20% as of last year [6]. With regard to Chechnyan violence, originally it was largely due to nationalist movements with the aim of securing independence from Russia. This led to the first and second Chechnyan wars, lasting from a period between 1994 and 2000, resulting in more than ten thousand deaths of Russians and Chechnyans alike, and hundreds of thousands displaced [7]. Initially Chechnyan violence was free of Islamic influence, however once the war began to receive wide media coverage, the Chechnyan cause caught the attention of the Islamic Jihadists who started supporting and providing resources to Chechnya [8]. Since then there have been numerous reports linking Chechnyan violence to the Al Qaeda. Thus what initially started out as struggle for self-determination quickly evolved into something more dangerous, sowing the seeds of terrorism in the Northern Caucus region. Thus this area is now regarded as the hub for terrorism in Russia. Although terrorist attacks slightly waned after the war concluded, it rapidly picked up its pace in 2008, and to this day this region is characterized by instability and violence, a huge concern for all those attending the Olympic Games this year.

To make matters worse, a video posted in January 2014 by jihadists involved in the back-to-back bombing in Volgograd in December contains an ominous threat, stating that if the Olympics are held the government would receive a “present” for all the Muslim blood that has been spilled [9]. The background and context of the video suggest Al Qaeda involvement, a very real and serious threat that the government has to be ready to face.

US intelligence have also revealed that there is a serious threat of an attack involving chemical weapons during the games, by an Islamic terrorist group operating in the Northern Caucus region. This terrorist group known as the Caucus Emirate is believed to have a set of jihadists already in place in Sochi to carry out the attack. This corroborates the speculation put forward by security experts who believe that jihadists may have infiltrated Sochi, much before the tough security measures were put in place. This adds a whole new level of danger to the games, and thus the government must have effective proactive measures to avert such a catastrophic situation [10].

Another significant threat that has officials worried is the threat of a female suicide bomber also known as the ‘Black Widow’. Officials are combing every corner of Sochi to find her, as they believe that she infiltrated security measures some time before they were put in place. Posters with pictures and descriptions of the 22 year old terrorist from Dagestan were placed all over Sochi, in the hopes that she will be apprehended before the Olympics begin [11].

 Thus despite the extensive counter-terrorism actions taken by the government, and the high level of security promised at the games, these attacks and threats have the approximately 6000 participants and countless attendees of the games worrying about the safety and security of the event. Conflicting reports have surfaced, with the Russian government promising this year’s Olympics to be the safest one in history, and US reports stating this to be the most dangerous Olympics yet [12]. In fairness to the Russian government, extremely high security measures have been taken including the placing of approximately 100,000 police, security agents, and army officials in Sochi [13].   However despite this substantial increment in security, terrorist attacks don’t seem to be waning to the dismay of the government.

While the Russian government deems these threats and attacks to be legitimate acts of terrorism, it has also stated that there is almost no chance of any attack due to the ‘ring of steel’ - a series of tough of security measures put in place for the games. It feels that any weakness shown in the games will become the chink in Russia’s armor that will lead to terrorism on a massive scale within the country. Thus it is interesting to see how successful the Winter Olympics will turn out to be in the face of myriad political and socio-economic issues, not to mention the significant and ominous threat of terrorist attacks hanging over everyone’s heads, especially over the Russian government who has much to prove to the international community.


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