Background While international attention is currently focused on anti-government protests and factional fighting in Yemen, since 2007 south Yemen has been the scene of large and often efficiently organized anti-government demonstrations. The Yemenis involved in the protests, strikes and sit-ins in south Yemen are demonstrating... MORE

The role of jihadis in the Jordanian city of Irbid, the country’s third largest, has increased exponentially since their emergence in post-2003 Iraq. Owing to its proximity to the Jordanian-Syrian border, Irbid emerged as a transit point for Salafi-Jihadis heading to Iraq or Lebanon between... MORE

Syria has been a long-term friend of Russia during the past fifty years. Throughout this time, Moscow has sold the country weapons, supported its diplomatic posture in the Arab-Israeli struggle and has never publicly said one word about the fact that Syria is a bloody... MORE

On May 12, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) detained the Israeli military attaché in Moscow, Col. Vadim Leiderman, accused him of spying and expelled him within 48 hours. Leiderman, a former IDF pilot, immigrated to Israel in 1977 from Soviet Moldova at the age of... MORE

Executive SummaryNow in its fourth month of anti-government protests, Yemen is faced with the breakdown of central state authority and the danger of territorial fragmentation. This separatist threat is especially strong in Yemen’s eastern governorate of Hadramawt, home to a mix of groups dedicated to... MORE

The commander of the Mosul-based Second Division of the Iraqi Army, Major General Nasser al-Ghannam, claims he has improved security in the former insurgent hotbed of Mosul and does not need any further support from the United States Army. The general, however, has serious opposition... MORE

The Turkish-Israeli relationship has been in a limbo since the deadly Mavi Marmara incident in late May 2010, and various efforts to bridge the differences have failed (EDM, July 7, December 10, 2010). The approaching anniversary of the flotilla incident has reignited the debate on... MORE

Bahrain’s state television recently announced that the Kingdom’s “State of National Safety” emergency law, which allowed the monarchy to swiftly crush once pulsing opposition protests, will not be extended further than June 1, two weeks ahead of the original deadline (al-Jazeera, May 8). The three-month... MORE

The Caspian nations have reiterated pledges to solve their differences later this year ahead of the Caspian summit in Moscow, but they apparently continued to disagree on a number of key issues. During a meeting in Baku on April 26 – 27, representatives of the... MORE

NATO allies seek additional military, political, and financial means to overcome the unanticipated stalemate in Libya. Alliance leaders are also addressing incipient symptoms of fatigue with the seemingly protracted operation, conducted by an ad-hoc group of countries on NATO's collective behalf. At the same time,... MORE