Russia -US tensions rise associated Sochi Olympics
Winter Olympics in Sochi , Russia , has opened a new chapter of mutual distrust between the United States and Russia .
Tensions between the two countries are increasingly related to the preparation of the Olympics because of security concerns about the threat of attacks from militant groups , such as reported by AFP .
Analysts said the two countries ever to compete in the Cold War it was not possible to take the risk for a massive confrontation on the issue of Olympic security in Sochi , which is the first Olympic games were held in Russia since the U.S. boycotted the Olympics in Moscow in 1980 .
However, some experts say the United States and Russia's failure to engage fully in dealing with various problems can ultimately jeopardize the security of the Games .
National security experts of the Council on Foreign Relations " think tank " Micah Zenko argues that the safety and security of all those attending the Winter Olympics in Sochi are at stake in a risk that should not be there , due to mutual distrust between counterterrorism and intelligence officials Russia and the United States .
The U.S. government has previously expressed " concern " about the threat of attacks by militants against the Olympics in Sochi .
Concerns about the security of the Olympic games get worse with two suicide bomb incident last month in the southern city of Volgograd , Russia , which killed 34 people .
Meanwhile , senior U.S. officials have complained that Russia is " not being open in sharing specific information about the threat of attack " .
The U.S. Olympic Committee has advised the athletes who will compete in Sochi not to wear their uniforms or team uniforms bearing the USA in and out of competition during the sporting event , which is from February 7 to February 23 , so as not to become targets of attacks .
Former Russian ambassador to the United States Temuri Yakobashvili said that U.S. concerns about the safety of the Winter Olympics in Sochi was a " very legitimate thing " .
" The U.S. government obviously must be very careful and be very concerned because of the anti-American sentiment , " said Yakobashvili .
As reported earlier , a militant group in a video released on the Internet in early January said that they were the perpetrators of the two suicide bombings that killed at least 34 people in the city of Volgograd , Russia , last month and threatened to carry out an attack on the Winter Olympics in the city of Sochi .
In the video contains a threat to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the attacks carried out in the Olympics next month , a man in Russian saying , " If you carry the Olympic games , you will receive a gift from us ... to you and all the tourists who will come in an Olympic event . "
A senior U.S. official said , " We have been talking with the Russians about the issues of regional security . Issue of security in the North Caucasus is an old concern . " .
The official U.S. government admitted " frustration " with the lack of information provided by the Russian intelligence .
" This is a difficult problem because of the intelligence problem . We ( US- Russia ) have a good relationship , we had a good conversation , but the U.S. government has always wanted to know more , " the official said .
" So , what do you hear from us is an expression of frustration because we do not know anything about this security threat , " he continued .
Nevertheless , national security expert Micah Zenko says the United States and Russia remain " locked " in a relationship of mutual trust .
" Russia does not want to provide information that could reveal sources and methods used in collecting the state and signals intelligence information , while the United States does not want to share the technology that can control the car bomb that use radio signals , " Zenko said .
U.S. lawmakers Republican Peter King said the United States is very vigilant in sharing technology with Russia .
" I can understand why people in the U.S. government is reluctant to share information because the technology is so advanced it may be used against us in the future , " he said in an ABC television broadcast .
Meanwhile , Yakobashvili also said he hoped there was no " clash " between the U.S. and Russia at Sochi Olympics security issues .
" I do not think that the United States is trying in any way to deal with the Russian Federation and its leadership , " he said .
In fact , the U.S. government has repeatedly offered assistance to the security of Russia .
Last week , U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks over the phone regarding security diplomacy Olympiad in Russia .
The Pentagon also has said it is prepared to provide security assistance to Russia to deploy air forces and naval forces , including moving two U.S. warships to the Black Sea . However , Russia has rejected the offer.
No comments:
Post a Comment