![](/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/region-middle-east.jpg)
Latest Articles about Middle East
![](/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Kazakh_fighters.jpg)
‘Our People in an Alien War’: Kazakhstanis Fighting for the Islamic State
In late September 2014, Erlan Karin, the newly appointed director of the Astana-based Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies, presented a report on Central Asians fighting for the Islamic State (IS—formerly known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS) called “Our People in... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Iran-Turkey_Pipeline.jpg)
Iranian-Turkish Relations Vis-à-Vis Turkey’s Energy Transit Policy
Despite Western economic sanctions, Iranian-Turkish relations have been developing in many different directions in recent years. Illustratively, on October 24–25, the Eastern Anatolia Development Agency (DAKA), Iran’s Foreign Ministry Institution for Political and International Studies (IPIS) and the Turkish Asian Center for Strategic Studies (TASAM)... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Tajik.jpg)
As Tajikistan Reports Foiling a Terrorist Plot, the Severity of Threat It Faces Appears Exaggerated
On October 18, police in Tajikistan announced that they had arrested 13 members of a terrorist group who had allegedly plotted to attack a military unit, seize weapons, and blow up two major tunnels linking the country’s north with the rest of the republic. According... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Turkish_soldiers_on_the_syrian_border_at_Kobane_source_europressagency.jpg)
Understanding Turkey’s Hesitation over the Kobane Crisis
In recent weeks the crisis over the beleaguered Syrian city of Kobane has been a major focus of world headlines, leading to increased scrutiny of Turkey’s policies toward Syria and Kobane in particular. To understand Turkey’s reluctance to intervene in Kobane, it is important to... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Khamenei_source_office_of_the_supreme_leader.jpg)
Iran and the Anti-Islamic State Coalition
On September 15, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, announced on national TV that he had ruled out Iran’s participation in the U.S.-led military coalition to combat the Islamic State organization, previously the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/IS_Fighters.jpg)
Moscow Suddenly Shows Concern About the Growing Influence in Russia of Islamic State
The recent meeting between US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Paris, on October 15, concluded on a positive note, according to the participants themselves. Secretary Kerry announced that Russia and the United States had agreed to an exchange... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/muhsin_al_fadhli_source_State_Department.jpg)
A Post-Mortem Analysis of Muhsen al-Fadhli – Former Head of Syrian AQ Affiliate Khorasan
In September, the United States conducted successful attacks against terrorist groups fighting in Syria. While the bulk of the strikes focused on the Islamic State organization, other missiles targeted the Khorasan Group, a splinter of Jabhat al-Nusra. The missiles not only leveled the group’s training... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Chechens.jpg)
Number of Disillusioned North Caucasian Militants Returning From Syria Increases
International observers have paid much attention to the fact that many foreigners are fighting against the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad. Tunisia holds first place among the countries of Asia and Africa, supplying volunteer fighters to the Syrian opposition forces (i100.independent.co.uk, September 11). Of the... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Nidhal_Selmi__a_former_pro_soccer_player_who_was_recently_killed_in_Syria_source_Business_news_TN.jpg)
The Geography of Discontent: Tunisia’s Syrian Fighter Dilemma
In June, Tunisia’s interior minister said that at least 2,400 Tunisian jihadists are fighting in Syria. The majority of them, about 80 percent, are allegedly fighting within the ranks of the Islamic State organization, previously the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), although some... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Mansour_al_Turki_Saudi_Ministry_of_Interior_spokesman_source_MoI.jpg)
Saudi Security Forces Crack Down on al-Qaeda and Islamic State
A U.S. citizen working for Vinnel Arabia, an American defense contractor, was shot dead and another wounded at a gasoline station in eastern Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on October 14 (Bloomberg Businessweek, October 14). The Saudi Arabian Embassy in Washington, D.C. issued a statement identifying the... MORE