Latest Articles about Middle East
The Impact of the Ergenekon Investigation on Turkish Counterterrorism Operations
The judicial investigation into a shadowy ultranationalist group known to the Turkish media as Ergenekon has become increasingly characterized by a mixture of incompetence, paranoia, politicization and willful disinformation. Supporters of the ruling Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi - AKP) in the... MORE
Iraq’s Baath Party Looks to a Final Showdown with the Baghdad Government
The Baathist Supreme Command for Jihad and Liberation (SCJL) has announced that it is preparing to launch the “Battle of Baghdad.” The SCJL is a coalition of at least twenty-two insurgent groups headed by Izzat al-Douri, the leader of the banned Iraqi Baath Party (Al-Quds... MORE
MEDVEDEV’S PLANS FOR MILITARY REARMAMENT
At the end of August President Dmitry Medvedev announced five foreign policy priorities. The first and third points are benign: Russia will "recognize the fundamental principles of international law" and "does not want confrontation with any other country" nor does it intend to isolate itself.... MORE
Shaykh Qaradawi Alarms Egypt with Warning of Shiite Imperialism
In remarks very similar to recent statements from Egyptian al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, a popular Doha-based Egyptian Islamic scholar has accused Iran of being behind a new wave of Shia “imperialism” that threatens the existence of Sunni Islam in Egypt and other Muslim countries. 82-year-old... MORE
Village Guards on the Frontline of Turkey’s War on Terrorism
The Village Guard system is one of the key aspects of Turkish security polices in the nation’s ethnic-Kurdish southeast. In response to the growing power of the Kurdistan Workers Party (Partiya Karkeren Kurdistan - PKK), the state has resorted to increasingly complex and aggressive counterterrorism... MORE
PROSECUTOR GENERAL’S OFFICE PROPOSES NEW ANTI-EXTREMISM AGENCY
The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office has called for a new law-enforcement agency to fight extremism, arguing that federal and local authorities have been ineffective in fighting hate crimes. Some human rights experts, however, have expressed concern that such a body could be used against critics... MORE
CHUBAIS REPORTEDLY BEHIND KREMLIN BID TO TAKE OVER SPS
Nikita Belykh, the leader of the Union of Right Forces (SPS), announced on September 26 that he was resigning over proposals by top party leaders to cooperate with the Kremlin. According to a number of observers, Belykh’s resignation is part of an effort being led... MORE
RUSSIA FAVORS STRONGER REGULATION TO TACKLE MARKET VOLATILITY
The Kremlin moved to employ strong regulatory methods to deal with this month's market turmoil. Russian officials have also tended to cite spreading fallout from the American credit crisis as a major reason for market volatility. The financial authorities reacted promptly, and the measures they... MORE
RUSSIAN NAVY DEPLOYMENTS APPARENTLY INTENDED TO ANNOY U.S.
While most military analysts observing last month’s confrontation between Georgia and Russia over South Ossetia and Abkhazia tended to focus on the ground clashes, the naval significance of the encounter has spread far beyond Georgia’s waters. The U.S. Navy dispatched relief to Georgia on warships... MORE
Al-Qaeda’s Golden Opportunity to Deal a Devastating Blow to the United States
When Osama bin Laden declared war on the United States in al-Qaeda’s name in the late summer of 1996, he outlined ambitious worldwide Islamist goals, but noted that al-Qaeda could not accomplish them on its own. He said that al-Qaeda could, at best, serve as... MORE