WASHINGTON — The Boston Marathon bombings could provide an opportunity for the US and Russia to find some common ground for cooperation as authorities investigate the two ethnic Chechens accused of carrying out the attack.
Ties between the two nations have soured over disputes about stopping Syria's civil war, child adoptions and other issues. But understanding how the brothers became radicalized is of paramount importance to Washington as it seeks to prevent similar attacks. It's also important to Moscow, which long has battled terrorism in its southern territories.
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Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, right, talks with Secretary of State John Kerry before the start of the NATO-Russia Council meeting in Brussels today.
But the tragedy also risks hardening resentment between former Cold War foes which, under President Obama and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, have seen efforts to "reset" relations falter. Even their counterterrorism coordination has sometimes been strained.
"Certainly, this incident is going to lead both sides to re-examine the issue" of intelligence sharing, said Andrew Kuchins, a Russia analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "It's not hard for Russia to imagine that these two brothers who became radicalized in the United States could have been inspired to go back to Russia to launch an attack."
Much depends on how the US and Russian governments mobilize the emotions produced by Boston a week after one of the most significant terrorist attacks on US soil since 9/11.
The American public is demanding quick answers. In Russia, one prominent official already has declared the twin bombings an American problem. And even if US or Russian authorities never link the attack to Chechen extremist groups, some fear the Kremlin nevertheless will use that as added justification for a harsher crackdown on the Muslim-majority region, especially as it prepares to welcome the world to the 2014 Winter Olympics.
"Both sides seek to mend ties," says Anya Schmemann at the Council on Foreign Relations. "But it remains to be seen if the Boston bombings offer an opportunity for US-Russian cooperation or if it will lead to an overly aggressive Russian response in the North Caucasus that could be worrisome for the United States."
Investigators in the United States are trying to figure out how Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, and his 19-year-old brother Dzhokhar evolved from asylum seekers to apparently assimilated US residents to alleged terrorist bombers.
Tamerlan was killed during a furious getaway attempt last week after the bombings that killed three people and left more than 180 injured. Dzhokhar is hospitalized in serious condition with a neck wound and has been charged with crimes that could lead to the death penalty.
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