Latest Articles about Middle East
KREMLIN’S CANDIDATE BIDS FOR PACE PRESIDENCY
Mikhail Margelov, a politician close to the Kremlin and prominent in the United Russia party of power, is set to take over the presidency of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly (PACE), the leading democracy and human-rights watchdog in Europe. An inside arrangement shepherded by... MORE
RUSSIAN GENERAL IMPLICATED IN NARCOTICS STING
On October 2 Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) carried out what initially appeared to be a routine arrest of a suspect connected with corruption in a counter-narcotics trafficking agency. However, the arrest of Lieutenant-General Alexander Bulbov, a department head in the Federal Service for Control... MORE
“ACTION FOR ACTION” ON THE CFE TREATY: OPPORTUNITY AND RISKS
Delegations from 30 countries signatory to the Treaty on Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) held an emergency brainstorming session on October 1-2 near Berlin amid Russian threats to abandon the treaty imminently. Discussions are continuing in Vienna. With NATO unity less than ironclad on how... MORE
Tactical and Strategic Factors in Turkey’s Offensive Against the PKK
A Turkish military offensive in the ethnic-Kurdish provinces of southeastern Turkey began in mid-September. Turkey's autumn campaigns against the militants of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) usually do not begin until October, but the current campaign is designed to reinforce Turkey's position in negotiations with... MORE
MOSCOW CONSIDERS ANTI-DUMPING MEASURES AGAINST CHINA
Moscow is facing an increasing deficit in bilateral trade with China. Russian industries have found themselves hard-pressed by Chinese competition, and business leaders are calling for the introduction of anti-dumping measures, indicating a looming trade dispute between the two neighbors. Russian officials have long recognized... MORE
WILL PUTIN STEP DOWN EARLY IN ORDER TO RUN AGAIN?
Over the last few weeks, President Vladimir Putin’s has elevated long-time associate Viktor Zubkov as prime minister, “accepted” the pro-Kremlin United Russia party’s “invitation” to head its list of candidates for the upcoming State Duma elections, and strongly hinted he may become prime minister (Putin... MORE
RUSSIA SETTING UP “COLLECTIVE PEACEKEEPING“ FORCES
On October 2 Russia’s Nikolai Bordyuzha, secretary-general of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, told mass media that the CSTO is creating its own “peacekeeping” forces. The member countries are Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Bordyuzha outlined the political and military concepts underlying... MORE
Khamenei’s Move to Appoint Ali Jafari as Head of Revolutionary Guard
Recent warnings about the possibility of striking Iran's military and nuclear facilities as a consequence of its failure to make concessions on the nuclear issue—most notably by French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner who said that France needed to prepare for the prospect of war—seem to... MORE
MOSCOW MEASURES THE NEW WESTERN UNITY ON IRAN
International issues have been overshadowed during the last three weeks as the Russian governmental crisis triggered an avalanche of speculation that has swept aside two stale presidential hopefuls – First Deputy Prime Ministers Dmitry Medvedev and Sergei Ivanov – and swirled around the new prime... MORE
KOZAK LEAVES MIXED RECORD AS PUTIN’S ENVOY IN THE RUSSIAN SOUTH
On September 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin reorganized his cabinet. Among the new appointments was Dmitry Kozak, who was named regional development minister. This ministry is tasked with working out the Russian government’s regional policies and monitoring relations between Russian regions and the federal center.... MORE