Latest Articles about Middle East
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
Algeria’s AQIM Becomes a Regional Threat Despite Surrender of Senior Leaders
The Algerian-based al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) organization is facing new challenges to its leadership and its mission as a result of Algerian counterterrorist measures. The loss of a number of AQIM’s commanders to defections or arrest during security sweeps is beginning to have... MORE
AQAP’s New Strategy: Targeting Westerners and Promoting the Individual Jihad
A recent article appearing on jihadi websites insists that al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) members will "carry out Osama bin Laden’s orders” to capture and execute U.S. nationals if jihadist captives in the United States receive death sentences. Sada al-Malahim, the magazine of al-Qaeda... MORE
Iran’s Nuclear Crisis Causes Unease in Armenia
Armenia is watching, with unease, the latest developments in neighboring Iran’s standoff with the international community over its controversial nuclear program. The new, harsher sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council on Tehran last week raise fresh questions over the growing Armenian-Iranian economic ties which... MORE
Iran Integrates the Concept of the “Soft War” Into its Strategic Planning
An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said this week that “certain countries” are waging a “Soft War” against Iran that should be countered through the establishment of closer relationships with other nations (Tehran Times, June 8). The concept of a “Soft War” is quickly becoming an... MORE