Latest Articles about Middle East
RUSSIA POISED TO LEAD AN EVOLVING CARTEL OF GAS-EXPORTING COUNTRIES
Convening in Doha, Qatar on April 9, the Gas-Exporting Countries’ Forum (GECF) has taken a first step toward creating an exporters’ cartel at the intergovernmental level. However, the Western gas-exporting countries -- Canada, Norway, and the Netherlands -- oppose this initiative, as does Azerbaijan; while... MORE
RUSSIAN ECONOMIC DYNAMISM UNDERMINED BY “STATE CURSE”
The Russian economic boom continues to gain momentum, leading the Ministry for Economic Development and Trade (MEDT) to raise its growth forecast for the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2007 from 6.2% to 6.5% (RosBusinessConsulting, April 6). At the annual the Higher School of Economics... MORE
Yemeni Sheikh al-Zindani’s New Role as a Healer
Despite being designated by the United States and the United Nations as a "global terrorist," Yemen's Sheikh Abdul Majid al-Zindani continues to be protected by the Yemeni government. Most recently, Sultan al-Barakani, chairman of the ruling General People's Congress Caucus, said that the U.S. government... MORE
OPERATION BITE CAPTURES RUSSIAN ATTENTION
The tentative alliance between Russia and the West on the Iranian nuclear issue that seemed to emerge last month may be fizzling out and replaced by a renewed controversy over Iran and Ukraine. Russian officials have been accusing Washington of preparing a sneak attack on... MORE
READING AND MISREADING MOSCOW’S POSITIONS ON KOSOVO
On March 30 in Brussels, the meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the European Union’s 27 member countries showed for the first time some cracks in the EU’s common front regarding conflict resolution in Kosovo. The EU collectively, as well as the United States... MORE
KOSOVO: RUSSIA’S FIFTH FROZEN CONFLICT?
To continue freezing the resolution of the four post-Soviet secessionist conflicts, Russia needs a fifth frozen conflict in Kosovo and a linkage to make resolution of one dependent on resolution of the others. At the same time, Moscow hopes that a linkage policy could lead... MORE
KREMLIN USING NATIONALISTIC RHETORIC TO NEUTRALIZE OPPOSITION BEFORE ELECTIONS
On March 24, the authorities in the Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod brutally broke up an anti-government rally using riot police. The Nizhny Novgorod rally was the third “March of the Discontents” organized by Other Russia, a coalition of opposition parties and groups have united... MORE
The Sadr-Sistani Relationship
One of the oddest developments in the recent history of Iraq has been the growing connection between the young firebrand cleric, Moqtada al-Sadr, and the highest-ranking Shiite cleric, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. Earlier in 2003, the erratic politics of al-Sadr, with his mix of Arab nationalism... MORE
The New Issue of Technical Mujahid, a Training Manual for Jihadis
The al-Fajr Information Center, a jihadi organization, recently published the February 2007 issue of Technical Mujahid, a magazine released once every two months that is available online. The release marks the second issue of the publication. The various jihadi websites have posted links to different... MORE
PKK Survives EU Arrests
In early February 2006, French and Belgian police arrested more than a dozen senior members of the PKK (Kurdish Workers' Party), a militant group fighting for greater political, social and civil rights for Turkey's Kurdish minority. Initially, the arrests seemed a success for Turkey and... MORE