This weekly feature for Andelman Unleashed, continues on its mission to explore how the media of other nations are reporting and commenting on the United States, and how they are viewing the rest of the world.
Coming to you this week from Luxembourg.
How the world views Moscow
The blame game was starting even as the death toll continued to mount. As Germany’s Deutsche Welle reported:
Russia's FSB security service said the suspected perpetrators of the deadly Moscow concert hall attack were headed toward the Ukrainian border, Interfax reported.
The FSB also said the perpetrators had contacts in Ukraine. It did not provide further information or evidence for these claims.
In Paris, Le Monde‘s headline told a very different story:
“Russia hit by a bloody attack claimed by the Islamic State”
Putin himself, though, maintained a stony, perhaps quite embarrassed, silence for hours…given the clear ineptitude of the FSB where he served as a young officer at the debut of his career.
Still it was clear that the Russian media from the first moments was prepared to cast blame on the easiest and most proximate targets. The great Russian journalist Mikhail Zygar, forced into exile at the very start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, now in New York and just recently branded officially as a “criminal” by the Kremlin, examines on his SubStack page The Last Pioneer:
Boris Korchevnikov, a talk show host on the state TV channel Russia-1 and the chief editor of the Orthodox TV channel Spas publishes a screenshot from the American Embassy website: '“Security Alert: Avoid Large Gatherings over the Next 48 Hours, the Embassy is monitoring reports that extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow, to include concerts, and U.S. citizens should be advised to avoid large gatherings over the next 48 hours".
Today Korchevnikov comments: "It was not a warning. It is a threat. And then referring to some "saints of the Russian Church," claims that "soon there will be no America".
There’s a similar reasoning in the show of the famous propagandist Vladimir Solovyov:
"First, trust only verified sources of information. Watch us. Here you will find verified information. Second, it is absolutely obvious who did it. There are no illusions here. The United States warned as early as March 8 that there would be a terrorist attack in Moscow. We remember that very well". Many more speculate that Ukrainians are to blame as well. Neo-fascist writer Zakhar Prilepin even recounts a rumor that those who escaped from the Crocus City Hall building were shouting insults at Ukrainians while running away. "They were screaming the first thing that came to their minds. But they identified the enemy."
Dozens pro-Kremlin journalists write about their anger, promise a bloody revenge, reprisals, assure that all the guilty will be killed. There are obvious signs that a new, unprecedented wave of hatred will begin in Russia after the terrorist attack, perhaps a new witch hunt….
The reaction of today's propagandists demonstrates that they are not going to search for criminals. There’s no need to investigate. They are ready to destroy their enemies. And it won’t [just] be Americans. The potential targets are Russians who oppose the war.
Indeed, the front page of the Kremlin’s mouthpiece, Pravda [“Truth”], observed without any qualification: “Over the course of several weeks, the US and British embassies in the Russian Federation issued warnings to their citizens about possible attacks in crowded places in Moscow.” The implication? That they were somehow complicit in the horrific incident—a view only reinforced by Pravda’s interview with a KGB general:
“You can't relax." The head of the FSB department said that the West will not stop trying to “spoil” Russia. Major General Yuri Sapunov on the terrorist attack at Crocus: attempts to intimidate Russia will not stop. After the US warned about the possibility of terrorist attacks in Russia, he told Pravda.Ru, “It’s impossible to flinch and react to every sneeze. But measures were taken, and they were quite effective. Therefore, I would not be in a hurry to say, someone did not fulfill their obligations and responsibilities. It’s just that here, probably, the reason is completely different: in the aggressiveness of the West’s intentions to plant some kind of nasty thing on Russia. They have been ready for this for a long time,” said the major general.
According to Sapunov, even if Russia is 100% ready for such terrorist attacks, the enemy will not stop trying to intimidate and harm the population. “No matter what we say, a special military operation influences and dominates our lives.”
That “special military operation,” of course, was the invasion of Ukraine. As it happens, it was Sapunov who, in 2006, and as “President Putin’s representative on international counter-terrorism,” first called the Kremlin’s attention to:
17 Islamic terrorist organizations whose activity is outlawed in Russia…all of which are Islamist in nature…. The list of terrorist organizations does not feature Hamas or Hezbollah [highlighted]….The reason, according to Yuri Sapunov, is that these two movements pose no threat to Russia ‘s security.
Still, that list from 2006 does include several offshoots of the Islamic State, some operating in Afghanistan and Syria against Russian forces.
On her Telegram channel, however, Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova still pointed out on Friday night:
The American authorities do not forget how their information and political environment linked the terrorists who shot people in Crocus Coty Hall with the banned terrorist organization ISIS. Now we know which country those bloody bastards planned to hide from persecution —Ukraine. The same country that, through the hands of Western liberal regimes, in ten years turned into the center of the spread of terrorism in Europe.
In Beijing, People’s Daily reported, without casting any blame, in a simple four paragraph statement that:
President Xi Jinping on Saturday extended condolences to Russian President Vladimir Putin over the serious terrorist attack that caused heavy casualties at a concert hall in Moscow….
When Putin finally broke his silence on Saturday, it was of course to cast blame directly on Ukraine—the target of his invasion two years ago—and by extension on America and the West as this version, in English translation, suggests:
But the final word may be left to a still-active Telegram channel of the now defunct Wagner Group, still unhappy with the Kremlin’s inept security efforts:
March 22 will forever change the face of Moscow and the lives of its citizens. Before your eyes, events took place that changed the rules of the game. [Still] the majority will again be unprepared for radical change.
Elections 2024: Senegal
Among the remnants of the vast French colonial empire in Africa that has not fallen victim to a military coup, Russian-backed dictatorship or ancestral family rule under a proto-democratic dynastic system, Senegal went to the polls on Sunday for what appears to be a truly free and fair election.
Peaceful and non-violent has already failed the test since days of violent protests followed efforts by the incumbent Macky Sall, president for 12 years, to delay voting and extend his rule, following a pledge not to stand for a third five-year term (in violation of the constitution). Finally, on short notice, he agreed to designate Sunday for the vote. The 17 candidates represent the largest number in the nation’s history and the first time since Senegal was freed from French rule in 1960 when the incumbent was not on the ballot.
Which is not to say Macky Sall does not have a favorite. His designated successor, a former prime minister, Amadou Ba, has been in and out of governments for decades. International investors would be particularly drawn to Ba as a force of continuity in a region that has seen little such stability. But he has at least a pair of formidable challengers. As Al Jazeera reported:
Leading the main opposition coalition is Bassirou Diomaye Faye. The 43-year-old has stepped in to replace opposition leader Ousmane Sonko, who was barred from running in the elections due to defamation charges. Faye and Sonko have been the most popular figures in the lead-up to the elections.
Their experience as tax administrators has boosted confidence from peers that they will tackle corruption, push for accountability, and promote a more equitable distribution of the country’s resources. They have also made bold statements about possible monetary reforms and the renegotiation of mining and energy contracts. The duo has introduced itself as an anti-establishment force wanting a radical rupture with the previous government.
Or as the Paris daily Le Figaro put it:
“We don’t want revenge, but we want justice.” It was a highly anticipated first in Senegal and a turnaround that was still unimaginable a few weeks ago before the appearance of Sonko and Faye, the two imprisoned opponents, released thanks to a law of general amnesty. Sonko, who was unable to run for president due to a legal conviction, endorsed his runner-up during a press conference on March 15, chanting: “I entrust Senegal to Diomaye”….
Their return to the game has relaunched the campaign, a little over a week before the first round of the presidential election...with an unprecedented and double-sided candidacy
Still, a 50% vote is required for victory by any one candidate in the first round, so with a crowded field, it is quite likely there will be a runoff in April between the top two finishers. Stand by.
How others see America
Gaza and Israel, rinse & repeat?
On Friday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived again in Tel Aviv, still hoping, it would appear, to restrain Israel, especially its prime minister, from taking a final, irrevocably violent action against the final southern enclave of Gaza into which most remaining Palestinians have been herded. Blinken had this to say about his mission, beginning with a bit of an oxymoron:
I came back to Israel as a friend, and to have candid conversations, as friends do.
A hundred percent of the population of Gaza is acutely food insecure. A hundred percent is in need of humanitarian assistance. Now, there have been some positive steps taken in recent days to improve the situation, but it’s not enough….
We share Israel’s goal of defeating Hamas, which is responsible for the worst massacre of the Jewish people since the Holocaust. And we share the goal of ensuring Israel’s long-term security….A major military ground operation in Rafah is not the way to do it. It risks killing more civilians, it risks wreaking greater havoc with the provision of humanitarian assistance, it risks further isolating Israel around the world and jeopardizing its long-term security and standing.
Or as the Israeli daily Haaretz reported:
The U.S. can't stop Israel's Rafah offensive, Netanyahu told Blinken. The prime minister said he told the American Secretary of State that Israel 'will do it alone' if necessary, as Blinken said the invasion would further isolate Israel internationally….
[Then] Netanyahu told the Knesset [parliament]: 'We must all unite against' U.S. efforts to prevent an invasion of Rafah.”
Business as usual?
It hardly made front pages anywhere outside the U.S., but London’s Financial Times reported, somewhat perfunctorily, certainly unsurprisingly:
US senators reached a deal on a $1.2tn spending bill to avert a government shutdown….The bill’s progress in the upper chamber of Congress, which is controlled by Democrats, followed a tumultuous passage of the legislation in the House of Representatives, which is led Republicans [and] triggered a backlash from allies of Donald Trump.
How others see the World
Doing without?
In Luxembourg, at the EU Diplomacy Lab’s “Transatlantic Affairs Forum: Unraveling Uncertainties and Forging Alliances,” Andelman Unleashed presented its take on the future of trans-Atlantic relations under a future second Trump presidency….Since SubStack does not support links to PowerPoint slideshows, we are happy to email this to anyone who requests it in our ‘chat.’
As this forum was underway, however, EU leaders meeting at a summit in Brussels did take a substantial step toward strategic unity, at least with respect to the war in Ukraine….as the Kyiv Post exulted:
The EU leaders have decided to go ahead and use profits from frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine. Prior to the decision, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had repeatedly called for the assets to be confiscated but failed to gain majority support. Commentators are happy that Europe has recognized the seriousness of the situation, but for some it is still too sluggish in its actions.\
Still, some caveats, as London’s Guardian reported:
EU leaders have agreed in principle to commandeer a large majority of the profits generated from frozen Russian assets and give them to Ukraine.
The proposal could generate €3bn (£2.6bn) this year and the first billion could be released to Ukraine by July, the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said at the end of the first day of an EU leaders’ summit in Brussels.
Still, an important measure for most, as the Italian daily La Stampa observed:
As US support for Kyiv falters, Europe must pick up the slack….The support already provided will not be enough to turn the conflict around. At best it will enable Ukraine to maintain its lines of defense. Much more is needed to restore peace in Europe....The European Council is aware that it will increasingly be up to Europe to ensure the defense of Ukraine. And although a Russian attack on other European countries is not imminent, the risk would increase exponentially if Europe fails to support Kyiv....
Bad all over …
Despite the best efforts by the West, especially the Biden administration, once the only determined defender of Israel’s actions in Gaza among leading democracies, Ramadan began with little real headway in turning the Netanyahu government away from a full-scale attack on the last major urban area in Gaza—Rafah. And this at the very time that a growing swath of Gaza Palestinians are faced with the prospects of empty dinner plates and still with targets on their back, as French cartoonist Adene highlighted:
At the same time, Haaretz was reporting:
Israel is seeking to let armed gangs control Gaza but could find Hamas back in charge…[their position being] that the PLO is the sole representative of the Palestinian people, and that Gaza is an inseparable part of Palestine.
The longer this situation continues, the harder it will be for Israel to find a reliable, responsible body that will not only agree to take on the task but will also be able to contend with these armed gangs.
Even if the Palestinian Authority agreed to enter Gaza, it would need a powerful policing force, well-armed, trained, and skilled, in order to begin restoring order. Meanwhile, Israel, concerned about a renewed reestablishment of Hamas rule, is trying to eliminate its civilian capabilities, not only its military ones. This is creating a chaotic situation in Gaza, with armed gangs ruling the streets, possibly becoming a greater threat than Hamas.
Just when we thought things couldn’t get any worse in Israel and its Palestinian territories, along came hard-right cabinet minister Benny Gantz, as France 24 reported:
An area of about 1,980 acres in the northern Jordan Valley has been declared "state land", said far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who has vowed to expand Jewish settlements in the West Bank, which are regarded as illegal under international law.
Israeli settlement watchdog Peace Now said the seizure was the single largest since the 1993 Oslo Accords, and that "2024 marks a peak in the extent of declarations of state land". Peace Now called the timing of the announcement a "provocation" as it came during a visit by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who has been critical of settlement expansion by the hard-right government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
And then one place where they’re all wet ….
As Singapore’s Straits Times reported, on Bali in neighboring Indonesia—the world’s most populous Islamic nation—there’s also the minority Hindu people. And for them, this time of year, it’s all about fun….
Finally, there’s Stellina….
The great Taiwanese cartoonist Stellina reflects on the trajectory of democracy in Hong Kong. Despite the first carefully cultivated and hard-won blooms of freedom in 2020, even if imprisoned in a golden cage, a new security law just this past week has now firmly shackled Beijing’s recalcitrant colony, once designed as a showplace of freedom and innovation to the world. As Antony Blinken observed on Saturday:
The United States expresses deep concern over Hong Kong authorities’ enactment of national security legislation [that]...threatens to further undermine the rights and freedoms of people in Hong Kong. It includes vaguely defined provisions regarding “sedition,” “state secrets,” and interactions with foreign entities that could be used to curb dissent. Hong Kong authorities could seek to apply the new legislation extraterritorially in their ongoing campaign of transnational repression
Implementing the new law and its opaque provisions could further violate the PRC’s international commitment to maintain Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy, undermine the “One Country, Two Systems” framework, and damage the city’s reputation as an international business hub.
Indeed, could this be Taiwan’s future as well?
Stellina Chen, based in Taiwan, deals with both local politics and international issues. Her work appears frequently in The News Lens/International, Courrier International, Le Monde and France 24 in France, and Le Temps in Switzerland. She is a member of the global, Paris-based collective Cartooning for Peace.
Here’s how Stellina imagines herself:
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You are so right, professor ... BUT the Jews are establishing unstable lines of authority (aka red lines) across Gaza and the West Bank that in the long run (and even short or medium terms for that matter) are in my view utterly untenable and indefensible.
Israel is asking for even more dangerous trouble if it can't immediately find a way to establish order in the conquered or "liberated" parts of northern Gaza that are now anarchic.
You are so right, professor ... BUT the Jews are establishing unstable lines of authority (aka red lines) across Gaza and the West Bank that in the long run (and even short or medium terms for that matter) are in my view utterly untenable and indefensible.
Israel is asking for even more dangerous trouble if it can't immediately find a way to establish order in the conquered or "liberated" parts of northern Gaza that are now anarchic.