As Russia mourns its dead from the horrifying terrorist attack on the Crocus concert hall in Moscow, the government is doing all any government can do when a disaster of this scale happens.
Sunday was a national day of mourning. All flags were ordered to fly half-mast, and people left flowers at makeshift memorials around the country. Even foreign governments shared in the grief. Many buildings in Dubai, the UAE, sported the Russian flag’s red, white, and blue in solidarity.
The attack killed over 130 people in Europe’s worst-ever terrorist massacre. It came on the eighth anniversary of an ISIS attack in Brussels. For now, western governments and the media have placed the blame on ISIS-K, an offshoot of the ISIS organization in Afghanistan. Details are sketchy, but three of the four alleged suspects who were caught (a rarity for an ISIS attack when suspects, having perished in suicide attempts, are rarely available for interrogations) have confessed that they are Tajik, motivated by money (again, another ISIS anomaly because the brutal organization’s attackers kill for idealogy and the glory of attaining Islamic salvation).
In a nationwide television address, President Putin pledged action – like every other leader (Bush 43 after 9/11, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu on October 7) in similar circumstances:
All the perpetrators, organizers, and those who ordered this crime will be justly and inevitably punished. Whoever they are, whoever is guiding them – we will identify and punish everyone who stands behind the terrorists, who prepared this atrocity, this strike against Russia, against our people.
Punishing the perpetrators is taking action after the fact. Of course, governments should do that. But the larger question is: “How did this attack even happen?”
America, Israel, Russia, and the United Kingdom run the most sophisticated intelligence agencies in the world. America’s intelligence apparatus had grown so massive that a new role called the Director of National Intelligence was created after 9/11 to coordinate the various intelligence agencies of the federal government.
Intelligence gathering could be electronic (ELINT), where billions of dollars of advanced satellites, computer systems, and software surveil anything the world says or writes (like our NSA). Intelligence gathering is also human (HUMINT), where a vast network of spies and sources feeds information that may seem meaningless by each individual bit, but can add upto valuable intel when put together by human analysts.
It is astonishing that Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency which was considered so secretive that even its presence was not publicly acknowledged for decades, failed miserably to prevent the Hamas attacks of October 7. While smaller than its Western and Russian counterparts, the scope of Mossad operations is also much limited. The only goal of Mossad since its founding has been to protect Israel from its Arab neighbors. The Mossad has few other responsibilities besides communicating actionable intelligence to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) when the state is under imminent Hamas threat so that the IDF can quietly stamp it down. When Hamas attacked on October 7, the entire security apparatus of the state was caught by surprise. Now, after tens of thousands of deaths on both sides, the region is in a seemingly intractable state of unease, which can have significant repercussions globally.
The feared Federal Security Service (FSB), the Russian Internal Security and Counterintelligence Service, was created in 1994 as one of the successor agencies of the Soviet-era KGB. It is responsible for counterintelligence, antiterrorism, and military surveillance. It is again astonishing that just a few days after President Putin was reelected to a sixth term, the agency was wholly caught off guard.
American officials stressed that they had shared intel with Russia (although we’re at war with them) following a long-standing policy to advise foreign governments about imminent terror threats. In that communique, American officials stressed that an attack by ISIS-K, including on concert halls, was highly likely. It is a pity that the attack happened despite these warnings.
No one expects intelligence agencies to bat a thousand. But, for citizens’ unending faith in security agencies, which were pillars of trust for decades, recent examples have shown that the agencies often dabble in politics and have come to lose citizens’ trust.
The cost to life and limb of intelligence failures has been catastrophic.
The disparate and sloppy coordination among America’s intelligence agencies resulted in death and destruction on 9/11. Three years later, America went to war in Iraq, again on faulty intelligence from the Mossad, the CIA, and MI6. This sowed the seeds for a two-decade-long Middle East conflict that gave birth to ISIS, a resurgent Iran, and the October 7 Hamas attacks.
Each failure has placed the world in danger. If President Putin concludes that Ukraine was involved in the Moscow attacks (and not ISIS-K) and escalates his actions in Ukraine, that would be tragic at the very time when even the Pope said a “White Flag” approach to begin peace talks was ideal.
Ever since President Biden signed up for a reckless “as long as it takes” proxy war against Russia, the world has teetered on geopolitical instability. Repeated intelligence failures are pushing the world further into the abyss.
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1. South Gaza Comes Under Intense Israeli Bombardment Despite Ceasefire Resolution – AFP
A fireball lit up the night sky in the southern city of Rafah, the last remaining urban center in Gaza not to have been attacked by Israeli ground forces. About 1.5 million people are crammed in the area, many having fled south towards the border with Egypt.
Besieged Gaza is in desperate need of aid, and the United States said it would continue airdrops despite pleas from Hamas to stop the practice after the group said 18 people had died trying to reach food packages.
2. In Iran, Hamas Leader Says Israel Experiencing ‘Unprecedented Political Isolation’ – AFP
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, on a visit to Iran on Tuesday, said Israel is experiencing “unprecedented political isolation,” a day after the UN Security Council called for a ceasefire in the Gaza war.
He added that Israel is “losing political cover and protection even in the Security Council” and “the U.S. is unable to impose its will on the international community.” “The Zionist entity” has “not succeeded in achieving any of its military or strategic objectives” after more than five months of war, Haniyeh said.
3. Iran Spy Ship Provided Intel On Vessels Transiting Through Red Sea, U.S. Admiral Says – Al Arabiya
Iran, the main supplier of weapons to Yemen’s Houthis, has provided intelligence on maritime ships transiting through the Red Sea, a senior U.S. military official said.
According to Rear Adm. Marc Miguez, the Iranian ship named the MV Behshad is in the Gulf of Aden.
“We assess that that ship… has provided some sort of intelligence information on maritime ships,” said Miguez, the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group commander. Asked if and when the Iranian ship would become a legitimate U.S. target, Miguez said: “I won’t go into specifics on that.”
4. Russian Intel Heads Allege Western Support For Moscow Attack – D.W.
Two allies of President Vladimir Putin in Russia’s intelligence community have implicated Ukraine and its Western allies in the attack on a concert hall near Moscow claimed by ISIS-K without providing evidence.
When asked by a reporter whether it was “ISIS or Ukraine” behind the attack, the secretary of Russia’s Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev, said, “Of course Ukraine.”
“In general, we believe they are involved in this,” Alexander Bortnikov, the director of Russia’s FSB domestic intelligence agency, said again without offering evidence.
5. Russian Court Extends WSJ Journalist Evan Gershkovich’s Pre-Trial Detention – UPI
A Russian court extended Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich’s pre-trial detention to at least June 30, marking a year he has been in the Federal Security Service’s custody.
Gershkovich was arrested in Yekaterinburg on a reporting trip when the FSB, similar to the old Soviet KGB, charged him with espionage. All of his attempts to appear in his pre-trial detention have been denied.
6. Zelenskiy Replaces National Security And Defense Council Secretary In Latest Personnel Shake-Up – RFE/RL
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy dismissed Oleksiy Danilov as secretary of the National Security and Defense Council and replaced him with Oleksandr Lytvynenko, who has served as Ukraine’s foreign intelligence chief.
Zelenskiy had not indicated he was planning any changes, and no reason was given for Danilov’s dismissal.
The country’s top political, security, and defense chiefs comprise the council, which has a coordinating role on national security and defense issues under the president.
7. China’s Xi Meets Foreign Business Leaders Amid Jitters Over Economy – Al Jazeera
Chinese President Xi Jinping met with American business leaders and academics at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People. He is trying to woo foreign investment back to China after a challenging few years for the world’s second-largest economy.
The meeting included Evan Greenberg, the chief executive of the U.S. insurance company Chubb, Stephen Orlins, the president of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, and Craig Allen, the president of the U.S.-China Business Council.
8. China Hits Out At U.S. And UK Over Cyberhack Claims – BBC
China has hit back at accusations from the U.S. and UK that it is behind a state hacking operation targeting millions of people in Western countries.
A foreign ministry spokesperson said Washington and others should stop their own cyber attacks, accusing them of “political manipulation.” He added that Britain’s evidence for alleging its electoral commission and MPs had been hacked was “inadequate.”
The U.S. and the UK have blamed a Chinese state-run cyber unit for the attacks.
9. China Steps Up Checks For People Bypassing The ‘Great Firewall’ – RFA
Police in China are stopping people in public and checking their phones for apps used to bypass the Great Firewall of government internet censorship.
According to recent interviews, Chinese authorities have stepped up spot-checking operations on the streets and on public transport in the years since the “white paper” protest movement of 2022, which the government blamed on infiltration by “foreign forces.” They have also been forcing people to download an “anti-fraud” app that monitors their phone usage.
10. ‘Trust Deficit’ Between China And Myanmar’s Military, Report Says – Nikkei Asia
China, which has shielded Myanmar’s regime from United Nations Security Council sanctions, has nevertheless refused to provide significant diplomatic backing and full recognition of the Burmese generals, according to a new International Crisis Group report.
Brussels-based ICG said in its report “Scam Centers and Ceasefires: China-Myanmar Ties Since the Coup”:
The extent of China’s displeasure with the Myanmar regime became even clearer via its muted response to a major offensive by the Three Brotherhood Alliance in northern Shan state, right on its border.
11. U.S. Says It Did Not Carry Out Airstrikes In Syria – D.W.
The Pentagon has said that the U.S. has not carried out air strikes in Syria after Syrian and Iranian state media blamed Washington for a dawn bombing on Tuesday.
Iranian militias have a strong presence in Syria’s eastern province of Deir el-Zour near the Iraqi border, where Tehran has expanded its military presence, according to Western intelligence sources.
12. British Court Gives U.S. 3 Weeks To Show Julian Assange Would Get Fair Trial – UPI
Britain’s High Court ruled that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange can mount a fresh appeal against extradition to the U.S. on spying charges unless Washington provides assurances his First Amendment rights will be protected.
The two-judge panel gave the U.S. three weeks to clarify whether Assange would be permitted to rely on the constitutional free speech defense, even though he is Australian, and that he would not face the death sentence, the maximum penalty for espionage.
14. North Korea Rejects Talks With Japan, Nixes Floated Summit: KCNA – Kyodo News
North Korea rejected any further contact or negotiations with Japan and said it is of no concern to it about a floated summit meeting between leader Kim Jong Un and Japanese PM Fumio Kishida.
Kim Yo Jong, sister of the North Korean leader, clarified Pyongyang’s stance in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency, a day after Tokyo rejected her call to drop its insistence on the return of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korean agents in the 1970s and 1980s.
15. Yen Hits 34-Yr Low Vs Dollar As BOJ Signals Ultraeasy Policy To Stay – Kyodo News
The yen briefly hit a 34-year low near the 152 line against the U.S. dollar Wednesday in Tokyo on renewed expectations the Bank of Japan will maintain its accommodative stance even after raising interest rates for the first time in 17 years.
The yen fell to around 151.97 per dollar, its lowest level since 1990, after Bank of Japan board member Naoki Tamura said short-term interest rates would remain near zero for the time being, despite the central bank ending negative interest rates last week.
16. India’s Chipmaking Ambitions Shadowed By Infrastructure Concerns – Nikkei Asia
India is accelerating its efforts to become a global powerhouse in semiconductor production, with three factories breaking ground this year. However, its success hinges on whether it can dispel lingering infrastructure concerns.
Under PM Narendra Modi, India has worked to attract investment in the field through tax reform and subsidies. At the end of February, the government approved the construction of three semiconductor facilities.
17. Almost One Child In Six Is Cyberbullied: World Health Organization – AFP
Some 16 percent of children aged 11 to 15 were cyberbullied in 2022, up from 13 percent four years ago, a WHO Europe report covering 44 countries said.
“This report is a wake-up call for all of us to address bullying and violence, whenever and wherever it happens,” WHO regional director for Europe Hans Kluge said in a statement.
Eleven percent of boys and girls reported being bullied at school at least two or three times a month in the past couple of months, compared to 10 percent four years ago.
19. No Lost Sleep With Regular Physical Activity, Study Says – UPI Health
According to new research, insomniacs looking to get more shut-eye could experience better sleep with regular exercise.
The study, published in the journal BMJ Open, found those who exercised regularly were 55% more likely to sleep a normal cycle of six to nine hours a night.
Insomnia and chronic sleep disturbances are associated with cardiovascular disease, metabolic dysfunction, psychiatric disorders, and increased mortality, researchers said.
Republished with permission from TIPP Insights
