Latest Articles about Middle East
TRANSNEFT ON A ROLL
In a wide-ranging news conference during the Economic Forum just held in St. Petersburg (Interfax, June 10), Transneft president Semyon Vainshtok outlined the state pipeline monopoly’s ambitious plans for internal and external expansion. Transneft, monopolist for crude oil pipelines, is swallowing up the smaller Transnefteprodukt,... MORE
RUSSIA WANTS A WHOLLY DIFFERENT TREATY ON CONVENTIONAL FORCES IN EUROPE
The “Extraordinary Conference of States Parties to the Treaty on Conventional Forces in Europe” (CFE), under way in Vienna since June 11 at Russia’s initiative, is developing in a wholly different way than had been expected. Russia is proposing what amounts to an almost total... MORE
New Arrests Show Turkey as a Recruiting Ground for Islamist Militants
On May 30, Istanbul police arrested 11 people suspected of having links with al-Qaeda. The authorities reportedly discovered al-Qaeda-related documents and false passports and identity documents in houses belonging to the arrested men. Police officials reported that they believe those arrested were making preparations for... MORE
PUTIN SAILS THROUGH HIS LAST G-8 SUMMIT
As is usually the case, the weeks preceding the G-8 summit saw a dramatic escalation in tensions between Russia and other members of this elite club, in particular the United States. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who hosted this year’s summit, had remained noncommittal since the... MORE
RUSSIA CONSIDERS INCREASING COAL USE TO FACILITATE GAS EXPORTS
A series of deadly incidents has dealt Russia's coal industry a serious blow, as the sector's safety standards apparently remain low. Nonetheless, the Russian government is still considering long-range plans to increase the use of coal in power generation in order to reduce natural gas... MORE
WAYS TO TRANSFORM RUSSIA’S “PEACEKEEPING” OPERATION IN MOLDOVA
The United States, NATO, and European Union are prepared to negotiate with Russia at an international conference next week about transforming Russia’s “peacekeeping” operation in Moldova into a genuinely multilateral operation with Russian participation. They are offering to Russia the “carrot” of ratifying the 1999-adapted... MORE
TNK-BP KEEPS KOVYKTA LICENSE, FOR NOW
Throughout this year, Russian regulators have targeted the Kovykta gas development project, officially for failing to fulfill production quotas. However, the regulatory pressure was understood to be aimed at putting the giant Kovykta gas field, which is estimated to hold up to 3 trillion cubic... MORE
The Hidden Hand of Iran in the Resurgence of Ansar al-Islam
Ansar al-Islam, an Islamic militant group based in the Kurdish mountains that briefly housed Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, was at the height of its power in 2002-2003. They controlled the areas of Bayarah and Tawilah along the Iranian border and operated with impunity. Yet, during the... MORE
PLAYING CATCH-UP WITH RUSSIA ON CASPIAN ENERGY TRANSIT
U.S. government officials are fanning out to the Caspian region after the signing of Russia’s monopolistic agreements on energy transit with three Central Asian countries and Austria in May (see EDM, May 14, 16, 17, 29, 31). Those agreements, mostly of intent, would kill the... MORE
KREMLIN, ABKHAZ, SOUTH OSSETIAN LEADERS DELIBERATELY AMBIVALENT ABOUT KOSOVO
Moscow is redoubling its rhetorical support for Serbia over Kosovo, ostensibly on the basis of the territorial-integrity principle, while backing its Abkhaz and South Ossetian protégés on the basis of the self-determination principle (as Moscow construes it). Russian President Vladimir Putin leads the charge on... MORE