Carnegie Moscow Center
While Edward Snowden’s asylum in Russia was a factor in the decision to cancel the summit, the more significant problem was that the Obama administration has spent the past several months working to identify steps for joint cooperation with Russia with little progress.
Russia’s decision to offer Edward Snowden asylum stems from Vladimir Putin’s desire to maintain a global image as the one major power that can resist U.S. pressure.
Snowden’s continued stay in the Moscow airport has put new strains on the U.S.-Russian relationship. While Moscow is unwilling to extradite Snowden, it has also stopped short of embracing the fugitive.
The two suspected terrorists were influenced at least indirectly by the Chechen wars which devastated Chechnya. While this was traumatic for most, a small minority have become radicalized.
Muslims make up around 20 percent of Russia’s population and there are disgruntled elements that are active on the internet.
There is so far no evidence that the two suspects in the Boston bombings had direct links with any known terrorist organizations in the region. Most likely, the overall environment was conducive to their radicalization.
The current situation in Dagestan may have more bearing on the actions of the Boston bombers than the situation in Chechnya.
If proven to be part of a Caucasian-based jihad, the Boston Marathon bombings would be the first time Islamist actions from that region had been perpetrated against the United States.
The Boston Marathon bombing offers evidence of the importance of Moscow and Washington sharing intelligence on security issues.
It is important not to assume there is a link between the Tsarnaev brothers and the motivations behind Chechen separatist or Islamist groups.