Latest Articles about Middle East
Massoud Barzani Conducting Dangerous Games in Northern Iraq
With the Turkish army massing on the border of northern Iraq, the hard-won gains of Iraq's Kurdish nationalists now face a serious threat. Massoud Barzani, the leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the president of Kurdistan since 2005, has adopted a provocative stance... MORE
THE SHTOKMAN GAS DEAL: AN INITIAL ASSESSMENT OF ITS IMPLICATIONS
Gazprom’s just-concluded agreement with the French firm Total to develop the Shtokman gas field marks a new stage in Russia’s energy strategies and policies. First, it re-defines to Russian unilateral advantage the concept of Western access to Russian energy reserves, by separating access from ownership.... MORE
KREMLIN BRINGS FRENCH TOTAL ON BOARD GAZPROM’S SHTOKMAN PROJECT
Russian energy giant Gazprom created a double business sensation last Friday by signing an agreement with French oil “champion” Total on developing the Shtokman gas field in the Barents Sea. Part of that surprise was the reversal of the wholly unexpected October 2006 decision to... MORE
RUSSIA LAUNCHES MASSIVE PROGRAM TO DEVELOP BLACK SEA PORTS
On July 11 Russia’s First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov and Transport Minister Igor Levitin unveiled a comprehensive modernization program for Russian Black Sea ports during an inspection visit there. The program is ambitious in both scale and pace, with most of its goals scheduled... MORE
Firefight in Iraq Exposes Presence of Turkish Al-Qaeda Operatives
The northward moves by Kurdish rebels into Turkey in recent weeks and their bombings of Turkish military and civilian targets have been reported extensively, as have the consequent threats by the Turkish military to move into Iraq to bring about a halt to the Kurdistan... MORE
RUSSIAN AUTHORITIES PREPARE FOR POSSIBLE ATTACK IN NORTH OSSETIA
On the night of July 6, Caucasian rebels carried out a hit-and-run raid on the Russian military garrison in Ingushetia. First reports of the incident came from the Ingushetiya.ru website. The website reported that starting at 12:45 am, sounds of shooting and explosions could be... MORE
MOSCOW RECONSIDERS ABANDONING CFE
In his annual address to the Russian Federal Assembly on April 26 President Vladimir Putin announced “a moratorium on Russia’s implementation of the CFE treaty until all NATO countries ratify it and start to strictly adhere to it” (see EDM, May 2). The Conventional Forces... MORE
MOSCOW DERAILS WESTERN POLICY ON KOSOVO
Russia has forced the United States and European Union to blink in the standoff over Kosovo. Unable to overcome Moscow’s stonewalling in the U.N. Security Council and apparently losing the resolve to bypass it, the United States and European allies have accepted yet another postponement... MORE
Yemen Attack Reveals Struggle Among Al-Qaeda’s Ranks
Throughout the spring and early summer, a schism has emerged within the ranks of Al-Qaeda in Yemen, pitting younger, more radicalized members against the moderate old guard. These strategic differences materialized on July 2, when a suicide bomber attacked a convoy of Spanish tourists in... MORE
Maliki Government Faces a Governance Crisis
Post-Baathist Iraq is undergoing a perilous phase in its short history. The Nuri al-Maliki government, which was formed in May 2006 as the first "unity government" after the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime, is now facing a major breakdown in its multi-sectarian coalition. In late... MORE