Latest Articles about Middle East
Would Iran Want Turkey as a Mediator for U.S.-Iranian Negotiations?
On the eve of possible talks between the United States and Iran, Ankara is encouraging Iranian leaders to seize the opportunity for peace now that a new administration that favors dialogue is in office in Washington (Today's Zaman, March 10). Turkish President Abdullah Gul went... MORE
China’s Palestine Policy
The geopolitics of China’s rise and its implications for the Arab world and wider Middle East is a topic for serious debate. Currently, China’s Middle East strategy revolves around shoring up its energy security and tapping consumer markets and investment opportunities for Chinese businesses. Given... MORE
Turkey-Iran Relations: A Trade Partnership or a Gateway for Iran to Escape International Sanctions?
While the international community has been discussing whether Iran finally has the technological capacity to produce nuclear weapons, the diplomatic traffic between Turkey and Iran has been increasing. In addition to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's visit to Turkey, nine meetings at the ministerial level were... MORE
Assessing the Role of Hezbollah in the Gaza War and Its Regional Impact
In the aftermath of the recent Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip, there has been an intense debate regarding Hezbollah’s non-intervention in the conflict and the reasons behind this strategic decision. However, the group’s failure to take part in an armed attack against Israel... MORE
Tensions Increase in the Gulf over Iranian Nuclear Projects
This week Sergei Kiriyenko, the chief of Russia's Federal Atomic Energy Agency (Rosatom), went to the Persian Gulf port of Bushehr to announce that Russia had completed construction of Iran's first light-water, industrial, 1,000-megawatt nuclear power reactor. Kiriyenko told journalists that "The construction stage of... MORE
Rising Arab-Kurdish Tensions over Kirkuk Will Complicate U.S. Withdrawal from Iraq
Kurdish suspicions of Iraq's central government have reignited after a January 22 decision by Baghdad to deploy the army's 12th Division north towards the disputed oil-rich city of Kirkuk. This development, coupled with U.S. military plans to gradually disengage from Iraq, led Kurdistan Regional Government... MORE
The Frozen S-300 Missiles Deal: A Signal to Obama or a Deal with Israel?
Iranian Defense Minister General Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar visited Moscow this week to discus the purchase of sensitive weapons systems, the antiaircraft S-300PMU-1 missiles in particular. According to the daily Kommersant, the contract to sell Iran five S-300 missile divisions was signed "some time ago" and the... MORE
In the Aftermath of Iraq’s Provincial Elections, Part Two: Shi’a Militancy Takes a Blow from al-Maliki’s Mainstream
Iraqis cast their votes on January 31 in new provincial council elections whose outcome could shape Iraq's balance of power and set the tone for the upcoming general elections in December 2009. With 440 seats contested in 14 provinces, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's Dawalt al-Qanon... MORE
In the Aftermath of Iraq’s Provincial Elections, Part One: A Dangerous Year Ahead for Iraqi Kurds
Some ominous signs have appeared for northern Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) following the January 31 nationwide provincial elections. If the elections offer an indicator of the national mood of Iraq, then in this case Iraq's Arabs seemed to show a growing preference for Iraqi... MORE
BRIEFS
EGYPTIAN ISLAMISTS URGE AL-QAEDA TO DECLARE A TRUCE Al-Jama'ah al-Islamiyah (JI - The Islamic Group), once one of Egypt's most feared Islamist terrorist organizations, has issued a statement urging al-Qaeda to observe a ceasefire to better assess the intentions of the new Obama administration in... MORE