Latest Articles about Middle East
Al-Qaeda’s New Leader in Afghanistan: A Profile of Abu al-Yazid
Al-Qaeda's late-May naming of Mustafa Ahmed Muhammad Uthman Abu al-Yazid as the "general leader" of the group's activities in Afghanistan shows that Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri believe that helping the Taliban win the Afghan war is a top priority. It also suggests that... MORE
Turkey’s Evolving Anti-Terrorism Measures on the Iraqi Border
Along the Turkish-Iraqi border, the struggle between Turkish security forces and Kurdish militants is escalating. The Turkish press has released testimonies from captured Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants who claim to have witnessed U.S. armored vehicles supplying weapons to a PKK base on Mount Qandil... MORE
ARMS CONTROL AS A “SAFE ISSUE” AT KENNEBUNKPORT
It has never been clear during the last few weeks whether there is a point to the informal July 1-2 meeting between Presidents George W. Bush and Vladimir Putin at Kennebunkport, Maine. U.S.-Russian relations have certainly deteriorated since the start of this year, and the... MORE
MOSCOW SEEKS TO RAISE GRAIN EXPORTS AND REDUCE EU AGRICULTURAL SUBSIDIES
Russia has proposed launching a dialogue with major grain producers and exporters about creating an organization to coordinate global grain production and trade, a sort of "grain OPEC." The international response has been mixed. "Ukraine supported us, and we will hold similar talks with Kazakhstan,"... MORE
PKK Introduces Use of IEDs Against Turkish Targets
The casualties suffered since the beginning of June in Turkey's military operations against Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) members in its southeast region provide a disturbing illustration of the spread of technology and techniques among terrorist groups. Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) have been used by the... MORE
Second Samarra Bombing Strengthens Status of Moqtada al-Sadr
On June 13, suspected anti-Shiite Sunni attackers once again bombed the al-Askari shrine mosque in the city of Samarra, just north of Baghdad. This time, however, the two blasts leveled the two minarets, which were the only parts of the ruined shrine left standing after... MORE
KREMLIN REJECTS “FOREIGN” APPROACH TO RUSSIAN HISTORY
Last week President Vladimir Putin met with a selected group of delegates attending a Kremlin-organized conference, “Timely Issues in Teaching Modern History and Social Science.” Putin told the teachers: “Many school books are written by people who work to get foreign grants. They dance to... MORE
GABALA PLAN SHOT DOWN BY TEHRAN, MOSCOW’S STRATEGIC PARTNER
Although several Russian press commentaries have claimed that President Vladimir Putin’s proposal that the United States and Russia jointly establish a radar base at Gabala, Azerbaijan, has somehow shaken up Washington and NATO, this appears to be wishful thinking (RIA-Novosti, June 14; Kommersant, June 9).... MORE
TURKMENISTAN AND IRAN STRENGTHEN RELATIONS
Bilateral relations between Iran and Turkmenistan appear on the verge of a breakthrough. At the end of Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimukhamedov’s official visit to Tehran on June 15-16, the presidents of the two countries committed themselves to closer joint efforts across a broad range of... MORE
SOUTH STREAM: GAZPROM’S NEW MEGA PROJECT
On June 23 in Rome, ENI Chief Executive Paolo Scaroni and Gazprom Vice-Chairman Alexander Medvedev signed a memorandum of understanding to build a gas pipeline from Russia to Italy -- South Stream. Energy Ministers Pierluigi Bersani of Italy and Viktor Khristenko of Russia joined the... MORE