Latest Articles about Middle East
Kuwaiti Cleric Hamid al-Ali: The Bridge Between Ideology and Action
Hamid bin Abdallah al-Ali is an influential Salafi cleric in Kuwait. He is designated by the U.S. government as a global terrorism financier and supporter, yet his website is registered in Vancouver in Washington state. Figures such as al-Ali are critical to the education and... MORE
Shiite Power Struggle Unfolds in Diwaniya
Since the political bloc loyal to Moqtada al-Sadr abandoned the parliament and government ministries on April 16—in a move to demand Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki set a timetable for the withdrawal of foreign troops—the Sadrist movement now appears to be tilting toward a more militant... MORE
KREMLIN EXPANDS ECONOMIC INTERESTS IN NORTH KOREA
Few observers believe that Russia has played -- or is playing -- a major role in the six-party talks on North Korea’s nuclear program. But this fact has not dissuaded Moscow from continuing to push for the realization of its interests insofar as the Korean... MORE
YELTSIN – THE MAN WHO CREATED CONTEMPORARY RUSSIA
Former Russian President Boris Yeltsin died of heart failure in a Kremlin hospital on Monday, April 23. He was 76. His successor, Vladimir Putin, and other Russian and international dignitaries expressed their condolences, praised Yeltsin for creating a new democratic Russia, and many plan to... MORE
RUSSIA’S AMBITIOUS RAILWAY VISION FOR EASTERN SIBERIA FACES REALITY CHECK
Russia has announced an extraordinary project to build a transcontinental Yakutsk-Magadan-Anadyr-Alaska rail link, which would include the world's longest subsea tunnel under the Bering Strait. However, the news comes as a reminder that Russia's major railway projects in the East tend to be loss-making and... MORE
ECONOMIC THINKING IN THE KREMLIN SHIFTS IN THE “MUNICH” DIRECTION
The organizers of the Russian Economic Forum in London never thought that the Kremlin would sanction their high-profile event. The 10th annual meeting, aimed at bringing together Western investors and Russian business leaders, opened April 22 with only a few scheduled presentations by Russian officials,... MORE
RUSSIA LAUNCHES NEW STRATEGIC SUBMARINE
The Russian nuclear shipbuilding industry celebrated two successes on Sunday, April 15. At Sevmash -- Russia's largest nuclear submarine-building shipyard -- in Severodvinsk, located north of Moscow on the White Sea, First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov officially launched the first of the Borei class... MORE
INDEPENDENT RUSSIAN GAS PRODUCER INCREASES COOPERATION WITH GAZPROM
Novatek, Russia's second-largest natural gas producer, has long been seen as the country's major independent gas player. However, earlier this month Novatek took another step toward further cooperation with state-controlled gas giant Gazprom by taking part as a proxy in a controversial auction to sell... MORE
Afghanistan and Iraq: Two Sunni War Theaters Evolving Into One?
The lack of reliable metrics that can be used to measure progress or the lack thereof in the war on terrorism is a continuing problem. This is particularly the case when trying to assess what appears to be an evolving and common approach to the... MORE
Turkey Turns up the Heat in Northern Iraq
Although a final decision has not yet been made in the Turkish capital of Ankara, preparations by the Turkish armed forces continue for a series of strikes against the northern Iraqi bases that hold an estimated 3,800 guerrillas of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), an... MORE