Latest Articles about Middle East
RUSSIA REINFORCES FORCES IN ABKHAZIA AS A POSSIBILITY OF ARMED CONFLICT LOOMS
On April 29 the Russian Foreign Ministry accused Georgia of concentrating forces and weapons in the upper part of the Kodori Gorge in Abkhazia. An official foreign ministry communiqué stated, "More than 1,500 Georgian army and police personnel are already in the Kodori Gorge." According... MORE
Confronting the Sadrists: The Issue of State and Militia in Iraq
On April 26, Iraqi Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr stood down from his threat to wage an all-out war against the Iraqi government and the coalition. A week before, the anti-American cleric had issued a statement threatening to declare an open war if the security crackdown... MORE
Susurluk and the Legacy of Turkey’s Dirty War
On April 23 the Turkish Council of State ordered former Interior Minister Mehmet Agar to stand trial for allegedly “forming a criminal organization” in the dirty war against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) during the 1990s, a period most Turks refer to as the “Susurluk”... MORE
Turkey and Pakistan Cooperate on Counter-Terrorism Efforts
Facing well-entrenched insurgencies and numerous acts of terrorism, Turkey and Pakistan have initiated cooperative efforts to increase their security in the face of these threats. Following a two-day, high-level official visit to Pakistan by Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan, the two nations announced “strategic” cooperation... MORE
Al-Qaeda in Iraq: Still Striving to Undo al-Zarqawi’s Damage to Mujahideen Unity
Although dead for almost two years, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi’s negative impact in Iraq continues to be a serious problem for al-Qaeda. Indeed, of all the threats and dangers encountered by al-Qaeda since 9/11, al-Zarqawi was the only strategic threat to the organization’s continuing viability. Al-Zarqawi’s... MORE
RUSSIA’S ROLE AS PUTIN BUILDS A POWERFUL PREMIERSHIP
In a question-and-answer session with journalists at the offices of the weekly Argumenty i Fakty on April 29, President-elect Dmitry Medvedev was asked whether a second “ruling party,” other than United Russia, might appear. “No one knows what the political system’s final configuration will be,... MORE
RUSSIA STRUGGLES TO ENCOURAGE JAPANESE INVESTMENTS
Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda has made his first trip to Russia since his election last September. Despite optimistic official pronouncements, Russia appears to be struggling to secure any significant economic commitments from Tokyo, notably on the Pacific-bound oil pipeline route. Meanwhile, both sides remained... MORE
EXPERTS DOUBT THAT RUSSIA’S POPULATION DECLINE CAN BE HALTED
Health and Social Development Minister Tatyana Golikova told her ministry on April 25 that over the past 15 months, Russia had experienced what she called “a real demographic explosion,” with more than two million children born between January 1, 2007, and April 1, 2008. Golikova... MORE
PUTIN PACKS HIS BAGS BUT MEDVEDEV STILL BIDES HIS TIME
Russia has effectively closed down for the long holidays as the Orthodox Easter comes close to May Day, which opens the traditional week of dacha spring works to be concluded by the always high-spirited celebrations of Victory Day. Coming back to business after this break,... MORE
RUSSIA AND ITS ALLIES CONDUCT EURASIAN AIR DEFENSE DRILL
NATO’s eastwards expansion plan, articulated earlier this month at a summit in Bucharest, has firmed up Kremlin opposition to the alliance’s interest in former Soviet republics, particularly Georgia and the Ukraine, which over the last year has taken the form of military power projections beyond... MORE