Latest Articles about Middle East
Abu Hamza Al-Murqoshi: The Enigmatic Amir of Yemen’s Ansar Al-Shari’a
Abu Hamza Al-Murqoshi, the enigmatic Amir of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula’s (AQAP) newly formed Ansar al-Shari’a, rose to power last spring as anti-government revolts overwhelmed former President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s government and military in Sana’a. Under the Amir’s leadership, Ansar al-Shari’a has seized control of and... MORE
Syrian Circassians Under Pressure from both the Government and Opposition
On March 20, members of a Russian parliamentary delegation who traveled to Syria reported that at least 100 families of Syrian Circassians were prepared to immediately emigrate to the Russian North Caucasus. They said at least 300 families were also considering emigration to the Circassian... MORE
Azerbaijan Breaks Iranian-Linked Spy Network
The South Caucasus has emerged as a battleground between Iran and its adversaries. Recent weeks have seen Iranian assassination attempts against Israeli diplomats in Baku and Tbilisi, a massive Israeli-Azerbaijani arms deal (EDM, March 7) and, most recently, the announcement that Azerbaijan’s national security ministry... MORE
Iranian Soft Power in Tajikistan: Beyond Cultural and Economic Ties
On March 9, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi wrapped up a three day visit to Tajikistan to discuss developments in joint economic projects including the construction of the Cangtuda-2 dam, Istiqlol tunnel and the beginning of a new Aini hydroelectric station in the Zarafshan... MORE
Array of security challenges face Yemen’s new leader – Abd Rabbu Mansur al-Hadi
In the opening days of his presidency, Yemen’s new leader Abd Rabbu Mansur al-Hadi has as his priorities the restructuring of the military and the expulsion of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and allied militant Islamist group Ansar al-Shari’a from the restive southern province... MORE
BRIEFS
AL-QAEDA EXPANDS TO PUNTLAND IN ANTICIPATION OF OIL BOOM Under military pressure from Kenyan forces, the African Union Mission in Somalia and various Somali militias and government forces campaigning in its traditional area of operations in southern Somalia, al-Shabaab has announced an expansion into Puntland,... MORE
Gulf States Consider Political and Military Union to Counter Iranian Security Threat
With growing talk of a political confederation of the Arab states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Saudi Arabia’s Defense Minister, Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, has raised the possibility of transforming the existing Peninsula Shield Force [PSF] into a “unified Gulf army” able to... MORE
Kremlin Seeks to Alarm Southern Neighbors About Cooperating with the Pentagon
It is well-known that the aggressive foreign policy of Iran’s clerical regime makes Central Asian governments uneasy. Most obviously, Iran and its Caspian neighbors have a longstanding dispute over Tehran’s expansive claims to offshore energy resources. In addition, the Central Asian states have repeatedly rejected... MORE
Who is Sayf al-Adel?
Recent reporting that Egyptian authorities have arrested one of al-Qaeda’s iconic figures, Sayf al-Adel, at the Cairo International Airport resurrects a number of tantalizing questions that can be answered only as more information becomes available. [1] It is difficult to understand how a man who... MORE
The Free Syrian Army: An In-Depth Profile of Colonel Riad Al-Asaad
Colonel Riad al-Asaad served in the Syrian Air Force since the late 1970s. As of July 2011, he is the commander of the Free Syrian Army (FSA), which currently represents the main dissident military organization opposing Bashar al-Assad’s regime. During his meetings with the media,... MORE