Topic: The 2010 Polish Air Force Tu-154 crash
The Polish Air force Tu-154 was an aviation incident that occurred on 10th of April 2010. The aircraft Tupolev Tu-154 operated by the Polish Air Force crashed in the Smolensk Province(in Russia). The victims of the incident were: Polish president Lech Kaczyński and his wife Maria Kaczyńska and other officials, the Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Army, the senior military officers, the central bank governor, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and the dignitaries in the government, vice-speaker and the members of the upper and lower houses of the parliament and senior members of clergy of various denominations. They were all on the way to the 70th anniversary of the Katyn massacre. This is a site that is about 19 km west Smolensk. According to the investigation the pilot attempted to land at the Smolensk-North air base. He ignored the advice of the ground control to use a safer airport in Minsk or Moscow. On the final approach the plane hit an antenna and as a result of the fog fell in the trees. All of the 96 passengers and the group aboard died.
Article 1
Bulgaria
Russia Rules Out Technical Failure as Cause of Smolensk Crash
http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=115114
The short article talks about the fact that the Russian investigators have concluded that the plane crash near Smolensk which killed the Polish president and the high-ranking Polish delegation, was not caused by technical failure. As the Russian media announced, the head of the investigation committee has stated to Vladimir Putin that no technical problems could have caused the crash. The based opinion of the investigation was more certain once the tapes between the pilots and the command canter on the ground were listened to. According to the information on the tape conversations, the flight captain was notified about the bad weather conditions, but he ignored that and decided to land in Smolensk regardless of those issues. However, those tapes are still going to be examined in more details in Moscow, where the investigators seem to be confident about their conclusions.
Article 2
Canada
Tu-154 likely not to blame for crash: analyst
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20100410/tu_154_100410/20100410?hub=TopStoriesV2
The article gives some historical facts about the Tu-154 aircraft. It gives an opposing opinion of the reasons for the catastrophe. The analyst Miller explains that plane attempted to land three times, four times in the fog would indicate that the airplane was functioning well. This is view is further supported by saying that if the pilot knew that there had been even a hint to a problem they would have gone to Moscow or somewhere else. The analyst further gives his opinion on the issue, stating that one of the issues they were whether if the pilot felt pressure to get that plane on the ground, as he knew that it was an important ceremony.
Article 3
China
Putin flies to plane crash site to meet Polish PM
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2010-04/11/content_9712728.htm
The article is a short extract taken from a Russian report and placed in the Chinese source website. It briefly informs that Vladimir Putin has left for the site of the plane crash that killed the Polish President Lech Kaczynski to meet with his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk who was also on his way to Smolensk . Putin said "The Polish premier wished to travel to the scene of the tragedy. I will go to meet him. We will visit the place of the crash together." He also said that the victims of the incident would be sent to Moscow for identification and a s special center would be opened to help the victim`s relatives from Poland. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk added that the modern world has unheard of this kind of tragedy.
Reflection/Analysis
The first article presents an argument that after listening to the tape conversations between the pilots and the command canter. It concluded that the captain was aware of the bad weather conditions but still ignored the danger and decided to land in Smolesnk. Whereas the second article argues that the pilot was not aware of the risk and if he was then he would have acted differently and landed the plane somewhere else. The third article informs about the events after the tragedy. It talks about Vladimir Putin’s meeting with the Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and their discussion.
In my opinion such incidents are terrible and unpredictable, as you can never be sure about the possible risk. Although, I suppose that they could have taken some other route, if the pilot knew that there is some kind of risk. Regardless of a possibility that the Polish President and the government might have been late for the Ceremony they were planning to attend. Well once again you could always look backwards and find more evidence for him to in a certain way and not to act in another. As the pilot might not have been unaware of the fatal seriousness of his choice. I think this incident demonstrated the instability of the human factor in this case and late response that followed and ended as a tragedy.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Topic: 2010 Moscow metro bombings
The Moscow Metro bombings of March 29, 2010, were suicide bombings which were carried out by two women, at the two stations called Lubyanka and Park Kultury. The bombings occurred with a 40 minute interval between them. About 40 people were killed and over a 100 were injured. The investigation indicated that the bombings were prepared by the Islamist Chechen separatists of the Caucasus Emirate. The attack proves to be the deadliest and most sophisticated terrorist act after 6 years of silence. On 31st of March the Chechen rebel leader Doku Umarov had approved his responsibility for ordering the attacks. A video was released, where he stated that the such attacks in Russia would continue.
Article 1
Moscow remains insecure after ten years of fighting terrorism in North Caucasus
http://www.jamestown.org/programs/ncw/single/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=36210&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=24&cHash=e22cf4f230
The article discusses the fact that the Russian TV channels delayed the news about the bombings in Moscow for one or two hours after the attack. This shows that the government was surprised and did not know how to respond for some time. The article claims that Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin returned to the same language as before. He used his famous expression “kill the terrorists in the toilet”. President Dmitry Medvedev had promised to eradicate the terrorists. The article argues that little has been offered so far to improve the safety of Moscow’s inhabitants, apart from rhetoric. If the Russian security services adopt the usual way of reacting to terrorist attacks, more suspected insurgents are likely to be killed in North Caucasus in the next few weeks. The article states that both Russian leaders, President Medvedev and Prime Minister Putin, came to such measures as execution in order to deal with terrorism. So they rarely arrest suspects in the North Caucasus, preferring to kill them. The article refers to the Russian way of dealing with terrorism in such a way as “failed practices”. It concludes that the bomb attack was the second deadliest attack on the Moscow metro in its entire history. Even though the principal leaders of the insurgency in the North Caucasus had been killed,the only one left is Doku Umarov. In one of his latest statements he threatened to take the war to Russian cities.
Article 2
Middle East
Moscow metro blasts kill dozen
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2010/03/201032943641817269.html
The article states that Moscow`s chief prosecutor said that the suicide bombers had been wearing explosive belts. He told the reporters that the belts with explosive devices were attached to their bodies. A Russian expert at the London University said that the violence spread throughout the North Caucasus involves 200 activists, who are a problem for Russian and they are targeting them. The article also supports the argument that Russia is using brutal methods that antagonize the local population. A 19 year old student, Valentin Popov, travelling on the train to Park Kultury, said "Everyone was screaming. There was a stampede at the doors. I saw one woman holding a child and pleading with people to let her through, but it was impossible." The attack was seen as politically motivated, targeting the most symbolic signs of Russian authority in the capital when thousands of people were using the metro. The article also talks about the security methods Russia is prepared to use. The Russian civil aviation authorities had already ordered increased security airports, after the attack. A Russian political and security analyst, Alexander Pikayev explained that the conflict with the Chechen separatists is still unresolved.
Article 3
Attacks on Moscow Metro
Germany
http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,686283,00.html
The article provides general statistics and information about the incident and the extremist group responsible for it. The article talks about how the attacks were perceived by the leaders around the world. President Barack Obama stated that "The American people stand united with the people of Russia in opposition to violent extremism and heinous terrorist attacks that demonstrate such disregard for human life, and we condemn these outrageous acts.” The European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said: "We cannot allow violence to prevail over freedom and democracy." NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, said: "There can be no justification for these kinds of attacks on innocent civilians. NATO remains committed to cooperating with Russia in the fight against international terrorism." The article contains some additional information of what happened after the attack. The Moscow police had blocked the cell phone frequencies, in case another attack was planned and so that way they could prevent the explosion by mobile phone. In the end it gives some historical observance of the attacks in Moscow’s subway that happened in 2001,1998, 1996.
Reflection/Analysis
The first article taken from a Caucasus information source was interesting to read. The article is written by a Russian reviewer and provides a more or less fair analysis of the situation. Although I do not fully agree that Russia’s position is incorrect and they should avoid execution in all cases. As another future revenge might be caused due to other executions, that way it is always possible to cling to any execution that presumably affected the leader of the terrorist organization. Or considering the possibility of an arrest, after their release, the terrorist might not learn their lesson. As well as they might still seek for revenge and create other terrorist attacks. The article taken from the Middle East article is more informative, but it also does not provide accurate statistics in comparison with the other sources. The third article taken from a German source is useful as it provides the reaction of international authorities and additional information after the attack.
In my opinion the attacks that happened in Moscow’s subway are terrible and seem immoral. I think that terrorism in general is a very psychopathic concept and the leaders of terrorist organizations are mentally ill people. Of course, who have the right manipulative skills to drag weaker people in the line of terrorism. Apart from the fact that in Caucasus the Islamist religion is fairly extremist, the leaders of those organizations also use a variety of methods to convince simple people that terrorism is a good mechanism for revenge. They are likely to supply them with appropriate drugs, brainwashing music and strong persuasion. All these methods are used for the members of those organizations to lose their conscious perception and step beyond any morals. As a result they become completely aggressive and believe that the terrorist attack would be necessary to accomplish and it is worth losing one’s life in the name of revenge. I think that the government certainly needs to enhance the security system in the public places and create a better public awareness of any possible threat.
The Moscow Metro bombings of March 29, 2010, were suicide bombings which were carried out by two women, at the two stations called Lubyanka and Park Kultury. The bombings occurred with a 40 minute interval between them. About 40 people were killed and over a 100 were injured. The investigation indicated that the bombings were prepared by the Islamist Chechen separatists of the Caucasus Emirate. The attack proves to be the deadliest and most sophisticated terrorist act after 6 years of silence. On 31st of March the Chechen rebel leader Doku Umarov had approved his responsibility for ordering the attacks. A video was released, where he stated that the such attacks in Russia would continue.
Article 1
Moscow remains insecure after ten years of fighting terrorism in North Caucasus
http://www.jamestown.org/programs/ncw/single/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=36210&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=24&cHash=e22cf4f230
The article discusses the fact that the Russian TV channels delayed the news about the bombings in Moscow for one or two hours after the attack. This shows that the government was surprised and did not know how to respond for some time. The article claims that Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin returned to the same language as before. He used his famous expression “kill the terrorists in the toilet”. President Dmitry Medvedev had promised to eradicate the terrorists. The article argues that little has been offered so far to improve the safety of Moscow’s inhabitants, apart from rhetoric. If the Russian security services adopt the usual way of reacting to terrorist attacks, more suspected insurgents are likely to be killed in North Caucasus in the next few weeks. The article states that both Russian leaders, President Medvedev and Prime Minister Putin, came to such measures as execution in order to deal with terrorism. So they rarely arrest suspects in the North Caucasus, preferring to kill them. The article refers to the Russian way of dealing with terrorism in such a way as “failed practices”. It concludes that the bomb attack was the second deadliest attack on the Moscow metro in its entire history. Even though the principal leaders of the insurgency in the North Caucasus had been killed,the only one left is Doku Umarov. In one of his latest statements he threatened to take the war to Russian cities.
Article 2
Middle East
Moscow metro blasts kill dozen
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2010/03/201032943641817269.html
The article states that Moscow`s chief prosecutor said that the suicide bombers had been wearing explosive belts. He told the reporters that the belts with explosive devices were attached to their bodies. A Russian expert at the London University said that the violence spread throughout the North Caucasus involves 200 activists, who are a problem for Russian and they are targeting them. The article also supports the argument that Russia is using brutal methods that antagonize the local population. A 19 year old student, Valentin Popov, travelling on the train to Park Kultury, said "Everyone was screaming. There was a stampede at the doors. I saw one woman holding a child and pleading with people to let her through, but it was impossible." The attack was seen as politically motivated, targeting the most symbolic signs of Russian authority in the capital when thousands of people were using the metro. The article also talks about the security methods Russia is prepared to use. The Russian civil aviation authorities had already ordered increased security airports, after the attack. A Russian political and security analyst, Alexander Pikayev explained that the conflict with the Chechen separatists is still unresolved.
Article 3
Attacks on Moscow Metro
Germany
http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,686283,00.html
The article provides general statistics and information about the incident and the extremist group responsible for it. The article talks about how the attacks were perceived by the leaders around the world. President Barack Obama stated that "The American people stand united with the people of Russia in opposition to violent extremism and heinous terrorist attacks that demonstrate such disregard for human life, and we condemn these outrageous acts.” The European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said: "We cannot allow violence to prevail over freedom and democracy." NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, said: "There can be no justification for these kinds of attacks on innocent civilians. NATO remains committed to cooperating with Russia in the fight against international terrorism." The article contains some additional information of what happened after the attack. The Moscow police had blocked the cell phone frequencies, in case another attack was planned and so that way they could prevent the explosion by mobile phone. In the end it gives some historical observance of the attacks in Moscow’s subway that happened in 2001,1998, 1996.
Reflection/Analysis
The first article taken from a Caucasus information source was interesting to read. The article is written by a Russian reviewer and provides a more or less fair analysis of the situation. Although I do not fully agree that Russia’s position is incorrect and they should avoid execution in all cases. As another future revenge might be caused due to other executions, that way it is always possible to cling to any execution that presumably affected the leader of the terrorist organization. Or considering the possibility of an arrest, after their release, the terrorist might not learn their lesson. As well as they might still seek for revenge and create other terrorist attacks. The article taken from the Middle East article is more informative, but it also does not provide accurate statistics in comparison with the other sources. The third article taken from a German source is useful as it provides the reaction of international authorities and additional information after the attack.
In my opinion the attacks that happened in Moscow’s subway are terrible and seem immoral. I think that terrorism in general is a very psychopathic concept and the leaders of terrorist organizations are mentally ill people. Of course, who have the right manipulative skills to drag weaker people in the line of terrorism. Apart from the fact that in Caucasus the Islamist religion is fairly extremist, the leaders of those organizations also use a variety of methods to convince simple people that terrorism is a good mechanism for revenge. They are likely to supply them with appropriate drugs, brainwashing music and strong persuasion. All these methods are used for the members of those organizations to lose their conscious perception and step beyond any morals. As a result they become completely aggressive and believe that the terrorist attack would be necessary to accomplish and it is worth losing one’s life in the name of revenge. I think that the government certainly needs to enhance the security system in the public places and create a better public awareness of any possible threat.
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