The Week 22Feb2020

16 NEWS Best articles: International

THEWEEK 22 February 2020

The Swiss role

in aglobal

spy game

Tages-Anzeiger

(Zurich)

Switzerland’s rolein “oneofthe largestespionageoperations in history”has been revealed, says

ThomasKnellwolf–and thecountryisreeling.For halfacentury,the Swiss securitycompany

CryptoAGsoldencryption machines to more than120 worldgovernments. But, all along,thefirm

wassecretlyowned andcontrolled by America’s CIAand itsGerman equivalent, the BND.The

machines were deliberately weakened,allowing the CIA andBND to spyonfriends andfoes, while

making millions fromsales. FortheCIA,it was “theintelligence coupof thecentury”;itreportedly

let them eavesdrop on Iranduringthehostagecrisisof1979-81, andsupply Britainwith intelligence

about Argentina in theFalklands War. This “brazen”operation–madepossibleby Switzerland’s

“neutrality” andgoodname–lasteduntil the 2000s. The Swiss government knew allalong –its own

equipmentwasn’ttamperedwith –but failedtostop it.It’s amess. If we don’taddressthis head on

–investigateit, disclose everything andprosecute wherenecessary–nocountry thatwas dupedwill

trustus again. Whowill buy sensitive technology fromtheSwiss ifwe tolerate such duplicity?

Acrisisin

Germany’s

political order

Deutsche Welle

(Bonn)

Germany’spostwarpolitical order isinperil,saysChristophStrack.The dramaticresignation ofthe

CDU leader AnnegretKramp-Karrenbauer (knownasAKKandseenasAngela Merkel’sanointed

successor aschancellor)dealt a“severe blow” tothe governingcentre-rightparty. Her authority was

shot;thefinalnailinhercoffincamewhenlocalCDU politiciansinthe eastern state ofThuringia

defiedherbycontroversiallyjoiningforceswiththefar-rightAfDtovotein aregionalpremier.

Merkelsaidthealliancewas“unforgivable”;thechosen premier steppeddown–followedafew

dayslater by AKK.It’sall evidence that the CDU–inpower since2005–has“lost its way”. Finding

asuccessorto Merkel isa“formidable challenge”,andrelies on theparty working out what itstands

for. Meanwhile, theCDU’s historicrivals, the SPD,are“haemorrhaging support”, andtherise of the

AfD haspromptedwarningsthat the “dark spirits” of Germany’spast couldbere-emerging. The

timing of allthis is particularlyunfortunate: Germany’seconomyis running out ofsteam;USforeign

policyiscontributing toglobal instability;andBrexithas posedprofound questions for the EU. If

AKK’s departureis apoliticalearthquake, aftershocks willsurely follow. “Testing times lieahead.”

Stalinist show trialsare makingacomebackin Russia, says Andrei Kolesnikov. In the latest travesty,

atroika ofmilitaryjudges sentencedseven young mento between six and18yearsinpenalcolonies.

Theywereconvicted on dubiousterror charges;prosecutors claimedthat theybelongedto agroup

called “Network” whichhadplotted attacks during the 2018 presidentialelectionandWorldCup,

with theultimateaimofoverthrowing the government. Buthuman rightsgroups insist thecharges

were entirely “fabricated”,and thatthe accused were torturedintoconfessions.Indeed,the only

evidence against them is that theyidentified as anarchistsoranti-fascists,andall playedAirsoft, a

paintball-styleshootinggame.Severalof them hadnever even metbefore theirarrest.Wemustbe

clear:handingan18-yearjail termtoa27-year-old whohasn’tkilledorinjuredanyone,orstolen

billions–unlikemanymembers of Russia’s elite–is“pureStalinism”. Itssole aimistoshowthat

Russia’s autocracywon’t tolerate dissent; anecho of an erawhen theparanoidSoviet leader purged

imagined enemies. As PresidentPutin pushes throughreformsaimedat keeping himinpower

beyond the endof hiscurrent termin2024, thelivesof young menare beingwrecked.

The return

of the Soviet

show trial

The Moscow Times

SWITZERLAND

GERMANY

RUSSIA

Iran’sclericalelitehasgonetogreat

lengthstofixthisweek’selection,said

Al-Monitor(Washington).InFriday’s

parliamentarypoll,voterswillhave

foundtheirchoicesevenmore

narrowedthanusual.Thehard-line

GuardianCouncil,whosemembers

areappointedbySupremeLeader

AyatollahAliKhamenei,alwaysvets

electioncandidates.Butthistimeit

eliminated 9 ,000ofthe 16 ,0^00

peoplewhoappliedtostand–the

mostdraconianpurgesincethe 1979

revolution.Moderateandreformist

politicianssaythey’reonlyableto

standin 60 oftheparliament’s 290

seats.“Khameneiisclosetoconsolidatingpowerinparliament

andthegovernment,”saidMiddleEastEye(London).Atthe

sametime,thesecurityforcesarecrackingdownoncriticsand

raidingjournalists’homes.Thereformistpresident,Hassan

Rouhani,slammedthepurgein“unprecedentedlystrong

terms”,describingtheraceas“engineered”.Butthoughhe

calledonhissupporterstoturnoutinlargenumbers,many

moderatesplannedsimplytoboycottthe ballot altogether.

TheIslamicRepublichas enduredmuchsince 1979 ,saidGerrit

Wustmann on Telepolis(Hanover),“butthesituationhasnever

beenas fragile asit isnow”.Hundredswerekilledand

thousandsarrestedinprotestsover

petrolpricerisesinNovember.Then

thecountry’stopgeneral,Qassem

Soleimani,waskilledinaUSdrone

strikeon3January.Theassassination

initiallybroughtthousandsof

supporterstothestreets,butthemood

turnedsourafewdayslater,whenit

emergedthatIranianforceshadshot

downaUkrainianpassengerjet,killing

176 people,andtriedtocoveritup.

Iran’snewgeneration–two-thirdsof

thepopulationisunder 30 – viewthis

week’selectionsasasham.Theiranger

couldbeabouttoboilover.

WhenRouhaniwonhissecondtermin2 01 7,therewasa

real“senseofoptimism”thatIranwouldprosper,saidEllie

GeranmayehinWorldPoliticsReview(NewYork).But

sanctionsimposedbytheTrumpadministrationhavebeen

“devastating”:theeconomycontractedby8.7%lastyear.

LiberalIraniansfeel“exhausted,frustratedandincreasingly

hopeless”becausethereformistshaveachievedsolit tle,while

thisweek,conservatives–ofwhomthere are many–are like ly

toturnoutin force, galvanisedbySoleimani’s assassination.

TrumpaimedtochangeIran’sbehaviour, but hiscampaign

“hasonlyplacedthetwosidescloserthanevertodirectconflict,

whileallowing Iran’shardlinerstotighten their grip onpower”.

AyatollahKhameneiandRouhani:atodds

Crackdown in Iran: the purge of the moderates