Latest Articles about Middle East
MOSCOW MAY DISPATCH FIREBRAND NATIONALIST TO NATO
The Russian Foreign Ministry has confirmed that the outspoken, anti-Western Dmitry Rogozin is about to be appointed to an important diplomatic position, and “This may be the post of permanent representative to NATO” (RIA-Novosti, Reuters, October 24). The current Russian representative at NATO headquarters, General... MORE
Tactical and Strategic Problems of a Turkish Winter Campaign in Northern Iraq
As Turkish troops mass along the border with Kurdish northern Iraq, chief of the Turkish General Staff General Yasar Buyukanit has promised to make the rebels of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) “grieve with an intensity they cannot imagine” (AP, October 27). While an attack... MORE
PUTIN COMPARES U.S. MISSILE DEFENSE TO CUBAN CRISIS
Expectations before the regular meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and the EU leadership had set a new record low, and the summit in Mafra, Portugal, last Friday, October 26, generally lived up to them. The top priority for the Portuguese EU presidency has been... MORE
RUSSIA PUSHES OIL COMPANIES TO FIND MORE OIL IN EASTERN SIBERIA
On October 19 Russian Natural Resources Minister Yuri Trutnev reported to President Vladimir Putin on the progress of the Eastern Siberia-Pacific Ocean (ESPO) pipeline and pledged to crack down on energy companies found to be violating their license agreements. The use of natural resources in... MORE
The Hakim-Sadr Pact: A New Era in Shiite Politics?
The recent "pact of honor" made by two of Iraq's most influential Shiite clerics, Moqtada al-Sadr and Abdul Aziz al-Hakim—aimed at preventing violence and helping to maintain the "Islamic and national interest" of Iraq—appears to signal a significant shift toward stability in Iraq. The two... MORE
U.S. FLOATS “ZERO OPTION” ON MISSILE DEFENSE IN EUROPE
The row between Moscow and Washington on missile defense (MD) has moved into the realm of Cold War rhetoric and typical Cold War “peace initiatives.” These are grand-sounding public offerings of extravagant compromises that are primarily publicity stunts. Last June, during the G-8 summit in... MORE
Azerbaijan Increasingly Caught Between Salafism and Iran
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Azerbaijan became a battleground for many religious groups, sects and radical organizations. Being a predominantly secular society, Azerbaijanis cautiously watched the appearance of new religious movements. Neighboring countries such as Iran, Turkey as well as the Arab Gulf... MORE
Tracking Yemen’s 23 Escaped Jihadi Operatives – Part 2
In mid-September, Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh issued a stern warning to the Wa'ilah tribe in northern Yemen: turn over the six al-Qaeda suspects you are sheltering or face serious repercussions (al-Wasat, September 12). The six men that Saleh believes have found refuge with the... MORE
Proposed Yemen-Djibouti Bridge Threatens AFRICOM Security
Two major developments to unfold in the coming years signal Africa's growing strategic importance, especially the Horn of Africa (HoA). As of October 1, the African continent came under the auspices of a newly created U.S. military command, AFRICOM, establishing one staff responsible for affairs... MORE
PKK Changes Battlefield Tactics to Force Turkey into Negotiations
Recent attacks by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) suggest that the organization is adopting new battlefield tactics in order to increase the psychological pressure on Turkey in the hope of forcing the Turkish authorities to enter into peace negotiations. Since it resumed its armed struggle... MORE