Well, it's official. There are five mascots for the Sochi Winter Olympics; the Hare, Polar Bear and Leopard will represent the Winter Olympics proper, while the Ray of Light and Snowflake will be representing the Paralympic Winter Games.
A blog over at the Village Voice stacks up the mascots against some other iterations from Games past, giving proper due to Vucko, the ski-toting wolf who represented the 1984 Winter Games in Sarajevo.
As for what I think, well, it could have been a whole lot worse. At least these things are actual, well, animals, and not creepy made-up non-animals. Some of my least favorite: Izzy, the blue, um, thing at the 1996 Atlanta Games and the utterly terrifying Hidy and Howdy, two bears who represented the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary and look like they want to invite you into their cave to murder you. Reminds me of "Bear City." Anyone? Just me again, huh?
An Honest Look at the Run-up to the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Bloomberg Picks up on Terrorism in North Caucasus
Interesting perspective on what certainly seems to be an environment that is ripe for an escalation in terrorism leading up to the 2014 Winter Games, this time from Bloomberg.com. The piece is something of a primer on the situation in the North Caucasus, touching on issues I've discussed to varying degrees (particularly Russia investing $15 billion on tourism in the region, which is something I really want to revisit). It does also throw some numbers around, discussing the number of suicide bombings/bombers in the region over the last couple of years. Plus, there's a bonus quote from Chechen head of government/Moscow-backed strongman/comedian Ramzan Kadyrov on the current state of security around Sochi: "There are no serious problems." Comedy gold.
All of that you can read for yourselves. What really got my ski poles up was that the article is the first (at least in my reasonably-exhaustive search) to draw the line directly from the recent events in the Middle East/North Africa to an expected uptick in terror in the North Caucasus. So, let's talk about that for a second because, really, it's just a throwaway couple lines.
Grigory Shvedov, chief editor over at Caucasian Knot:
Doku Umarov, who heads the non-state Caucasus Emirate, has, as I understand it, at best a vague goal of uniting Muslims in an as yet undefined state under his rule. There aren't even any clear boundaries for this state. There are no goals the bring down Russia, simply to end its influence in the region and expel the Moscow-backed regional leaders.
While some Muslims may, in face, be "mesmerized" by what is happening in the Middle East, Umarov was promising that there would be "rivers of blood," at the very latest, right around the time things got dicey for Mubarak. Umarov and his followers have taken credit for last year's metro bombing in Moscow, the attack on Domodedovo airport and, from what I read, for the recent attack on Russian tourists. The first certainly has nothing to do with unrest in the Middle East. The last two, well, the connection is dubious at best.
Now, Russia, after years of fighting in the North Caucasus, apparently decided on the innovative strategy addressing this issue through bribery, banking that they can subdue the region by easing the rampant unemployment and turning it into a tourism center. It is clearly not working and, if Umarov gets his way, it won't get the chance to work. And, unfortunately, I firmly believe that Medvedev will be forced by both internal and external (read:IOC) pressures to step up the military's presence as 2014 nears. I think the attacks are going to continue and that I'm going to be writing about this an awful lot in the near future.
All of that you can read for yourselves. What really got my ski poles up was that the article is the first (at least in my reasonably-exhaustive search) to draw the line directly from the recent events in the Middle East/North Africa to an expected uptick in terror in the North Caucasus. So, let's talk about that for a second because, really, it's just a throwaway couple lines.
Grigory Shvedov, chief editor over at Caucasian Knot:
The uprisings across the Middle East may encourage extremists in the predominantly North Caucasus further, according to Shvedov.
“The successful turnover of elites in the Middle East is mesmerizing not just militants, but also hundreds of thousands of practicing Muslims” in the region, he said.And that's it. Now, I could spend 5,000 words getting into the specifics on these statements, but my refusal to do that is what separates me from actual academics. Plus, nobody reads this as it is. What I will do is throw a few thoughts at the wall and see what sticks.
Doku Umarov, who heads the non-state Caucasus Emirate, has, as I understand it, at best a vague goal of uniting Muslims in an as yet undefined state under his rule. There aren't even any clear boundaries for this state. There are no goals the bring down Russia, simply to end its influence in the region and expel the Moscow-backed regional leaders.
While some Muslims may, in face, be "mesmerized" by what is happening in the Middle East, Umarov was promising that there would be "rivers of blood," at the very latest, right around the time things got dicey for Mubarak. Umarov and his followers have taken credit for last year's metro bombing in Moscow, the attack on Domodedovo airport and, from what I read, for the recent attack on Russian tourists. The first certainly has nothing to do with unrest in the Middle East. The last two, well, the connection is dubious at best.
Now, Russia, after years of fighting in the North Caucasus, apparently decided on the innovative strategy addressing this issue through bribery, banking that they can subdue the region by easing the rampant unemployment and turning it into a tourism center. It is clearly not working and, if Umarov gets his way, it won't get the chance to work. And, unfortunately, I firmly believe that Medvedev will be forced by both internal and external (read:IOC) pressures to step up the military's presence as 2014 nears. I think the attacks are going to continue and that I'm going to be writing about this an awful lot in the near future.
Olympic Torch in Space?
Lighter note today, as numerous media outlets reported that Russia was maybe, possibly, thinking about considering a plan to send the Olympic torch to the International Space Station as part of its trip around the world in the run-up to the 2014 Olympics. The deputy head of Russia's Federal Space Agency, Vitaly Davidov, has said that the idea is "theoretically possible." In the understatement of the year:
Of course, I guess it's no more or less silly than projecting and evaluating Russia's 2014 hockey roster in February. Of 2011.
"The idea itself is very interesting and, in theory, could be implemented. But ways of its realization must be studied painstakingly," Davydov said. "Frankly speaking, we have not studied possibilities to deliver [the] Olympic flame to the ISS. This is a very specific issue. Naked flame onboard the space station is prohibited for safety reasons," he added.Unfortunately, I can already report that "tradition prevented Russia from taking the novel step of lighting the torch in space from sunbeams." I don't even really have a joke here for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that this story kind of stands on its own. But close your eyes and imagine an open flame in a space shuttle for days on end. Then hit yourself in the head for even thinking about it.
Of course, I guess it's no more or less silly than projecting and evaluating Russia's 2014 hockey roster in February. Of 2011.
Monday, February 21, 2011
3 Skiers Dead Following Terrorist Attack
I really do hate to say I told you so. Within 24 hours of my post on Medvedev searching for someone to blame for any future security problems around the Sochi Winter Olympics, there is distressing news that three skiers were gunned down in Russia’s Kabardino-Balkaria region. In addition to that, 3 undetonated explosives were found in a car at a hotel near Mount Elbrus, also in the Kabardino-Balkaria region. From the Moscow Times:
What is clear is that this issue isn't going away and that the terrorists from the North Caucasus have identified Olympic-related attacks as a primary means of garnering international attention. The question is: will the IOC or Russia blink?
One of the three victims of the shooting was Irina Patrusheva, who shares the same name as the daughter of former FSB director Nikolai Patrushev. Since bandits in the region do not generally kill women, according to a police source cited by Komsomolskaya Pravda, there are suspicions that this bus was targeted because of her.What makes these attacks particularly distressing is that the area around Mount Elbrus, while in the Caucasus, has traditionally avoided the types of attacks that have plagued Chechnya and Dagestan, for example. This region relies on tourism to drive the local economy and, obviosly, some folks are concerned about the effect this will have on the industry. In fact, just last month the federal government pledged to spend $15 billion to build up the tourism infrastructure in the region. But even the head of the North Caucasian Federal District, Alexander Khloponin, wants to stop receiving tourists until the security issue is addressed. However, others, such as Moscow-backed Chechen leader/strongman Ramzan Kadyrov, offer a different perspective. From the earlier Moscow Times article:
And Rossiiskaya Gazeta reported that people posed as police officers and specifically asked for Patrusheva.
However, the dead woman was not a relative of the FSB man, and a police source told RG that the terrorists had been unable to confirm exactly who she was before the attack.
“But our enemies do not like it when our lives are getting better.Huh. Well, that's another take.
“This will not slow down [the development of resorts]. I want to say that we will do everything to ensure that the Caucasus is not associated with terrorist threats.”
Kadyrov added that while Russia needed to sharpen up security in general, there was a religious dimension to the issue in the North Caucasus.
“Terrorists call on Islam when they have no relationship with the religion,” he added. “Therefore we are going to the mosques, universities and schools to show the true colours of these devils.”
What is clear is that this issue isn't going away and that the terrorists from the North Caucasus have identified Olympic-related attacks as a primary means of garnering international attention. The question is: will the IOC or Russia blink?
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Medvedev Flails about for Sochi Threat Boogeyman
Over at Rueters (and, in fairness, a lot of other places) comes unsurprising news that Russian President Dimitri Medvedev has his eye on a certain special someone this Valentine month. With Russia (and the IOC, privately) jumpy about the security situation for the Games, an apparently desperate Medvedev reached out to his old fling from the summer of 2008: Georgia! I guess he was unsatisfied with how things ended. Regardless, per Medvedev, in addition to unspecified internal threats to security (Muslims/dark people), in his mind the biggest risk rests in Georgia:
There are two so-called 'breakaway' regions within Georgia: South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Before the fall of the Soviet Union, South Ossetia operated as the South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast within the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic. The South Ossetians declared independence after the fall and formed an unrecognized separatist government. This led to a war with Georgia in 1991-1992, in which there were plenty of human rights violations to go around and one in which the South Ossetians were supported militarily by Russia. Ultimately, an uneasy truce resulted, with Georgia and a South Ossetian government unrecognized by Georgia controlled different parts of the region. This conflict flared up again in 2004 and again in 2007 and Georgia resolved to firm up control and, thus, the 2008 war.
With post-Soviet Abkhazia, the situation is much the same. A breakaway region of Georgia supported by Russia, there were conflicts after the fall and the 2008 war in South Ossetia spilled over into Abkhazia, with military support rendered by Russia.
Georgia (much as Russia does when it comes to Chechnya, etc) resents Russian intrusion into what it considers to be internal matters in both regions, especially with regard to military support provided. In August of 2008, Russia recognized the independence of both South Ossetia and Abkhazia and this thoroughly pissed off the Georgians. Official diplomatic relations between Russia and Georgia are no more and that, briefly, is how we get to today.
And now, for the really juicy bit...
As the folks over at Nosochi2014.com remind us, the Sochi Games coincide with the 150th anniversary of what they term the 'Circassian Genocide,' though it has not been officially recognized as such by any international body that I know of. They call for the removal of the Games from Sochi on grounds that Sochi is on the lands once inhabited by the Circassian people. They assert that, at the conclusion of the Caucasian War in the mid-19th century (in which Tsarist Russia finally subdued much of the Caucasus), 400,000-1.5 millioni Circassians were deported and/or killed. Russian government records do indicate that there were mass deportations of people from the Caucasus and the closest Russia has come to acknowledging this was a statement by Boris Yeltsin in 1994 affirming the 'legitimacy' of the Circassians resistance to Tsarist Russia, but explicitly refusing to acknowledge the genocide.
And so, belatedly, to bring the issue full circle, Medvedev's current problem with the Georgians is that the Georgian Parliament is considering recognizing this act as genocide. This is, no doubt, a response to public grumbling from Russian authorities about alleged collaboration between Georgia and al-Qaeda/Muslim extremists in carrying out terrorist attacks within Russia. These accusations remain unsubstantiated. And so it happens that a truly tragic story that deserves to be told is caught up in the mess that is Georgia-Russia relations in 2011.
I am certain of only a few things in this world: 1) Russia is not going to acknowledge any 'genocide. 2) The IOC is not going to strip Russia of the Games. 3) This move by the Georgian Parliament is purely politcally motivated to get back at Russia for its support of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. 4) This will come up again after the next terroist act in Russia (and there will be one) and will provide convenient cover for the Russian government as they struggle to contain their own breakaway regions in the Caucasus.
It sure seems like 'foreign agents' have been in the news a lot lately, doesn't it?
"Forces that would impede holding the Olympics must be identified and brought to justice, if we are talking about citizens of our country," Medvedev told his Security Council at a meeting in the games venue Sochi, up the Black Sea coast from Georgia. "You all understand that there are also certain problems connected to our neighbour, Georgia."Ah, 'certain problems.' What might those be? Ok, let's back up briefly. You can read all the gory details of of Russia's issues with Georgia at the above link but I'll summarize the important stuff, as it relates to the 2014 Winter Olympics.
There are two so-called 'breakaway' regions within Georgia: South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Before the fall of the Soviet Union, South Ossetia operated as the South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast within the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic. The South Ossetians declared independence after the fall and formed an unrecognized separatist government. This led to a war with Georgia in 1991-1992, in which there were plenty of human rights violations to go around and one in which the South Ossetians were supported militarily by Russia. Ultimately, an uneasy truce resulted, with Georgia and a South Ossetian government unrecognized by Georgia controlled different parts of the region. This conflict flared up again in 2004 and again in 2007 and Georgia resolved to firm up control and, thus, the 2008 war.
With post-Soviet Abkhazia, the situation is much the same. A breakaway region of Georgia supported by Russia, there were conflicts after the fall and the 2008 war in South Ossetia spilled over into Abkhazia, with military support rendered by Russia.
Georgia (much as Russia does when it comes to Chechnya, etc) resents Russian intrusion into what it considers to be internal matters in both regions, especially with regard to military support provided. In August of 2008, Russia recognized the independence of both South Ossetia and Abkhazia and this thoroughly pissed off the Georgians. Official diplomatic relations between Russia and Georgia are no more and that, briefly, is how we get to today.
And now, for the really juicy bit...
As the folks over at Nosochi2014.com remind us, the Sochi Games coincide with the 150th anniversary of what they term the 'Circassian Genocide,' though it has not been officially recognized as such by any international body that I know of. They call for the removal of the Games from Sochi on grounds that Sochi is on the lands once inhabited by the Circassian people. They assert that, at the conclusion of the Caucasian War in the mid-19th century (in which Tsarist Russia finally subdued much of the Caucasus), 400,000-1.5 millioni Circassians were deported and/or killed. Russian government records do indicate that there were mass deportations of people from the Caucasus and the closest Russia has come to acknowledging this was a statement by Boris Yeltsin in 1994 affirming the 'legitimacy' of the Circassians resistance to Tsarist Russia, but explicitly refusing to acknowledge the genocide.
And so, belatedly, to bring the issue full circle, Medvedev's current problem with the Georgians is that the Georgian Parliament is considering recognizing this act as genocide. This is, no doubt, a response to public grumbling from Russian authorities about alleged collaboration between Georgia and al-Qaeda/Muslim extremists in carrying out terrorist attacks within Russia. These accusations remain unsubstantiated. And so it happens that a truly tragic story that deserves to be told is caught up in the mess that is Georgia-Russia relations in 2011.
I am certain of only a few things in this world: 1) Russia is not going to acknowledge any 'genocide. 2) The IOC is not going to strip Russia of the Games. 3) This move by the Georgian Parliament is purely politcally motivated to get back at Russia for its support of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. 4) This will come up again after the next terroist act in Russia (and there will be one) and will provide convenient cover for the Russian government as they struggle to contain their own breakaway regions in the Caucasus.
It sure seems like 'foreign agents' have been in the news a lot lately, doesn't it?
Friday, February 18, 2011
Putin and Medvedev Test Olympic Ski Run, Listen to Deep Purple and Avoid Avalanches
A little weekend fun for you, as Sochi hosts its first major skiing competition since the completion of the downhill course. Putin reports that the "specialists say it is one of the best slopes in the world."
You know, except the article leads with: "The ski slopes for the 2014 Olympics got a cautious thumbs-up after the first international test event Friday, though a second competition had to be canceled due to the threat of avalanche after heavy snowfall."
So, uh, hopefully there either won't be any snow during the Olympics or downhill skiing won't be held on mountains in 2014. Of course, I guess it would just be cross-country skiing at that point. And nobody except me and the Norwegians watch that shit.
Anyway, here's your fearless leaders testing the slopes...
You know, except the article leads with: "The ski slopes for the 2014 Olympics got a cautious thumbs-up after the first international test event Friday, though a second competition had to be canceled due to the threat of avalanche after heavy snowfall."
So, uh, hopefully there either won't be any snow during the Olympics or downhill skiing won't be held on mountains in 2014. Of course, I guess it would just be cross-country skiing at that point. And nobody except me and the Norwegians watch that shit.
Anyway, here's your fearless leaders testing the slopes...
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Lukashenko Still in Sochi - World Remains Safe for Irony
Be not afraid! In what is almost certainly a delicious coincidence and not because he heard the corruption dinner bell calling him home, Europe's Last Dictator™, Alyaksandr Lukashenko, is still safe and sound in Sochi. What's he doing in Sochi, you ask? Well Belarus' official news agency reports that the strongman is skiing with his 6-year old at Krasnaya Polyana, of course. Lukashenka has taken an "indefinite leave of absence" from benignly tending to his flock and, if he can get himself off the slopes, "the president would familiarize himself with the progress of the construction of Belarusian sports and tourist facilities there and meet with representatives of Russian government and business circles."
Wait, what?
Oh, I'm sorry. Maybe I should have mentioned that, in addition to being the freely-elected leader of Belarus, Lukashenko is also head of the National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Belarus. And an award-winner. Straight from the awkwardly-translated horse's mouth over at the Belarus NOC website:
Now, this is a perfect segue for me to launch into a discussion of what that means and what on Earth a National Olympic Committee does, how in the hell dictators win awards from the IOC (or get to be president of the IOC, for that matter), etc. I'm going to take on these issues in my next posts but, suffice it to say, it is unusual for the head of a nation to also be the head of said nation's NOC. Like, I can't think of one off the top of my head. This is gonna be fun.
In the meantime, I'm surprised that the Russians haven't made a bigger deal out of a head of state and head of an NOC testing out their newly-built slopes and touring the lack of progress made so far on the Olympic build. Hell, at this point I'm not sure who comes off looking worse.
***Bonus unrelated political opinion: How fun is it to go through Lukashenko's life in quotes in light of everything happening in Tunisia/Egypt/Yemen/Bahrain/Iran? Super fun. It's almost like he was cloned from a Middle East leader and dropped in the snow in Belarus. Pulled directly from the all-knowing Wikipedia:
Wait, what?
Oh, I'm sorry. Maybe I should have mentioned that, in addition to being the freely-elected leader of Belarus, Lukashenko is also head of the National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Belarus. And an award-winner. Straight from the awkwardly-translated horse's mouth over at the Belarus NOC website:
Or maybe you prefer his 2008 prize from European Olympic Committees for "Outstanding Contribution to the Olympic Movement. Believe it or not, those wet blankets over at Play the Game didn't think that one was such a good idea.By the decision of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko has been awarded the special prize “Sport and Society” for the year 2006.
President of Belarus Receives Special Prize from International Olympic Committee (08.06.2006)
This award has been conferred on the Head of State in recognition of his great personal contribution to the development of sports in modern society.
The special prize is an annual award by the IOC upon proposal of national Olympic committees to a person or an organization which have made great contribution to the propagandizing of sports in their countries and in the whole world.
Now, this is a perfect segue for me to launch into a discussion of what that means and what on Earth a National Olympic Committee does, how in the hell dictators win awards from the IOC (or get to be president of the IOC, for that matter), etc. I'm going to take on these issues in my next posts but, suffice it to say, it is unusual for the head of a nation to also be the head of said nation's NOC. Like, I can't think of one off the top of my head. This is gonna be fun.
In the meantime, I'm surprised that the Russians haven't made a bigger deal out of a head of state and head of an NOC testing out their newly-built slopes and touring the lack of progress made so far on the Olympic build. Hell, at this point I'm not sure who comes off looking worse.
***Bonus unrelated political opinion: How fun is it to go through Lukashenko's life in quotes in light of everything happening in Tunisia/Egypt/Yemen/Bahrain/Iran? Super fun. It's almost like he was cloned from a Middle East leader and dropped in the snow in Belarus. Pulled directly from the all-knowing Wikipedia:
Lukashenko himself commented about the criticism on him by saying: "I've been hearing these accusations for over 10 years and we got used to it." Before the polling he said: "We are not going to answer them. I want to come from the premise that the elections in Belarus are held for ourselves. I am sure that it is the Belarus people who are the masters in our state." He warned that anyone joining an opposition protest would be treated as a "terrorist", adding: "We will wring their necks, as one might a duck".
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