
Latest Articles about Middle East

Uyghurs Convicted in East Turkestan Islamic Movement Plot in Dubai
On June 29, a court in Dubai found two ethnic Uyghurs guilty of plotting to attack a massive shopping mall made up of 400 shops selling Chinese-made goods (The National [Abu Dhabi], June 30). This attempted attack was not only the first terrorist plot to... MORE

South Lebanon’s Shiites Clash with French Peacekeepers – A Hezbollah Strategy?
A series of clashes in southern Lebanon between peacekeeping troops of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and local residents have raised concerns that hostilities may escalate along the Israeli-Lebanese border. Tensions have been running high in the Levant since Israel accused Syria... MORE

Moscow Uses Anti-Iran Sanctions as Bargaining Leverage on Washington
To hinder Iran’s uranium-enrichment program, the US has introduced sanctions that bar deliveries of gasoline and other refined oil products to Iran. The European Union is following the US lead in this case. Russia’s initial response is calculated to suggest that it does not consider... MORE

Moscow-Tehran Oil and Gas Roadmap to Circumvent Sanctions on Iran
On July 14 in Moscow, Russian Energy Minister, Sergei Shmatko, and Iran’s Oil Minister, Masoud Mirkazemi, announced ambitious plans for bilateral cooperation, short-term and long-term. If implemented, these would circumvent two sets of sanctions imposed (outside the UN Security Council) by the United States and... MORE

Turkish-Israeli Relations Deteriorate Further
Turkish-Israeli relations continue to worsen, despite attempts to heal the divisions caused by the flotilla crisis. Ankara has asked Tel Aviv to issue an official apology for the killing of its citizens, pay compensation to the victims’ families, accept an independent international probe into the... MORE

The Russia-US “Reset” and Medvedev’s Non-Leadership
President, Dmitry Medvedev, can consider his visit to the US successful, but it was still not good enough to put relations on a sure footing. He enjoyed new gadgets in Silicon Valley and hamburgers with US President, Barack Obama, he tried to make the best... MORE

Interest Surging in Azerbaijani Gas (Part Two)
International demand for Azeri gas (EDM, July 1) is also rising outside the European Union. It is mostly driven by the anticipation of post-crisis industrial recovery and by considerations of supply security through diversification.Russia’s Gazprom is preparing in its own way for Europe’s post-crisis recovery.... MORE

A Portrait of Hafiz Muhammad Saeed: Lashkar-e-Taiba’s Unrepentant Leader
Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, an anathema to the world’s security strategists, is the perfect embodiment of Pakistan’s infamous “Strategic Depth Doctrine.” Running one of the most feared jihadi organizations in the world, and perhaps the largest in terms of firm infrastructure and known membership, Saeed is... MORE

Generating Leaders: The Rise of Uthman al-Ghamdi within AQAP
On May 26, 2010 Al-Qaeda in Arabian the Peninsula (AQAP) released a propaganda video entitled Amreeka w’al-Fakh al-Akheer (America and the Final Trap). The video, which was produced by the al-Malahim Establishment for Media Production, the media arm of the AQAP, and disseminated by the... MORE
June 2010 Briefs
IRAN HANGS ANOTHER RIGI, FUTURE OF JUNDULLAH UNCERTAIN On June 20, 2010, just weeks after his brother Abdolhamid Rigi was hanged by the Iranian state (see Militant Leadership Monitor, May 2010), Jundullah chief Abdolmalek Rigi was marched to the gallows of the infamous Evin prison... MORE