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Analysis & Opinions - The Boston Globe

Russia, US may face a shared threat

| April 20, 2013

As evidence emerges, more is becoming known about Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the brothers suspected of carrying out the Boston Marathon attacks, writes Simon Saradzhyan. "They were reportedly devout Muslims who were born into a family of ethnic Chechens, lived in the Central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan, and studied in Russia’s North Caucasus, before coming to the United States as children. Over time, the older brother, Tamerlan, became a more radical figure. Whatever his motivation, he was following a similar path to that of some insurgents in the North Caucasus, who once focused on achieving secular independence for their homeland, but went on to become intertwined in international jihadist networks that share a belief that their number one enemy is America."

Analysis & Opinions - The Boston Globe

Russia, U.S. May Face a Shared Threat

| April 20, 2013

"The terrorists who wreaked deadly havoc by bombing the Boston Marathon and then going on a shooting spree in nearby towns did not disclose the reasons behind their actions or claim responsibility for the attack.

But as evidence emerges, more is becoming known about Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the brothers suspected of carrying out the attacks. They were reportedly devout Muslims who were born into a family of ethnic Chechens, lived in the Central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan, and studied in Russia’s North Caucasus, before coming to the United States as children. Over time, the older brother, Tamerlan, became a more radical figure. Whatever his motivation, he was following a similar path to that of some insurgents in the North Caucasus, who once focused on achieving secular independence for their homeland, but went on to become intertwined in international jihadist networks that share a belief that their number one enemy is America," writes Simon Saradzhyan for the Boston Globe.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, center, and South Ossetia's President Leonid Tibilov walk in Tskhinvali in Georgia's province of South Ossetia, on the anniversary of the 2008 Russian-Georgian war.

(AP Photo/RIA-Novosti)

Analysis & Opinions - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School Power & Policy Blog

Allegations of Medvedev's Indecisiveness Help Justify Putin's Return to Kremlin

| August 10, 2012

Belfer Center Fellow Simon Saradzhyan offers an inside view of the Medvedev/Putin relationship and why Putin “had to come back to the Kremlin four years after stepping down and backing Medvedev to succeed him as Russia’s president.” Saradzhyan writes that this act may have been connected to Medvedev’s behavior or perceived behavior during the 2008 war in Georgia as noted in a YouTube clip showing three former high-ranking Russian commanders accusing Russia’s then Commander-in-Chief Dmitry Medvedev of indecisiveness during the initial stage of the 2008 war.