Flat Invitation

the january 24 suicide bomb in Domodedovo airport, which killed 36 and wounded over 100, was, President Dmitry Medvedev said, aimed at “bringing Russia to its knees” by stopping its president from going to an upscale economic forum in Davos, Switzerland.

“Those who carried out this evil, directing the attack on citizens of various countries, calculated… that the President will not go to the forum. This is the criteria used to choose the time and place of the crime,” Medvedev said. Davos is where the world’s economic elite convenes each year – paying tens of thousands of dollars apiece –  to ruminate on financial crises and rub shoulders with one another.

Medvedev did not let the bombing alter his plans completely, instead making a lightning visit to the picturesque Alps town, shortening his long-awaited, two-day trip to just a few hours. Analysts had, before the bombing, predicted Medvedev would deliver a “pre-election” speech to the international community at Davos.