Latest Articles about Middle East
PUTIN TAKES “LIFE-IS-GOOD” APPROACH WITH RUSSIAN PUBLIC
Last Wednesday, October 25, Russian President Vladimir Putin held his annual live call-in television show. For three hours he answered questions from 10 specially arranged locations, from Nakhodka, near Vladivostok in the Far East, to Baltiisk, near Kaliningrad. Public attention to this PR exercise was... MORE
HOW PUTIN MIGHT WIELD “INFLUENCE” AFTER 2008
The most-talked about part of President Vladimir Putin’s recent nationally televised call-in program was his answer to a question concerning his plans after his second term ends in 2008. “I have said: even though I like my work, the Constitution does not allow me to... MORE
RUSSIA AMBIVALENT ABOUT SAKHALIN PRODUCTION SHARING DEALS
Russian energy projects governed by production sharing agreements are now facing environmental scrutiny, possibly indicating Moscow's unhappiness over the terms of deals made almost a decade ago. Russian officials went as far as threatening to shut down the country's largest production sharing agreement (PSA) project,... MORE
WESTERN SANCTIONS OVER IRAN DAMAGE RUSSIAN AVIATION INDUSTRY
Russian aircraft producer Sukhoi and the official arms trader Rosoboroneksport are beginning to feel the sanctions imposed last July by the U.S. Department of State for violating the Iran Non-Proliferation Act of 2000 (EDM, August 7). Sukhoi Civil Aircraft announced that the restrictions might hamper... MORE
Online Jihadi Forums Provide Curriculum for Aspiring Mujahideen
A recent discussion on https://tajdeed.org.uk demonstrates the increasingly common practice of training up-and-coming mujahideen via the internet. The postings attached archived copies of al-Ansar magazine, Sawt al-Jihad and Mu'askat al-Battar, all of which were clearinghouses for al-Qaeda's jihadi strategists. Such forum postings illustrate the way... MORE
Israel Accuses Syria of Smuggling Arms into Lebanon
Renewed Israeli claims that Syria continues to rearm Hezbollah in defiance of UN Resolution 1701 come at a time when there are fears in Israel that Arab groups in Gaza and the Golan Heights may be planning to emulate Hezbollah's tactics in last summer's fighting.... MORE
Islamic Army in Iraq Pursues Strategy of Negotiation and Violence
The Islamic Army in Iraq, a prominent insurgent group, is pulling away from the purely rejectionist trend of most Sunni Arab insurgents, refining its approach toward conducting the Iraqi insurgency. Instead of exclusively focusing on the military fight (as most Sunni insurgents have done), or... MORE
ANNA POLITKOVSKAYA: VICTIM OF A KREMLIN POWER STRUGGLE?
Various theories have circulated regarding who might have murdered the journalist Anna Politkovskaya on October 7, and why. According to these, she was targeted by nationalist extremists, or by Russian military officers that she had named in connection with human rights abuses in Chechnya, or... MORE
RUSSIAN POLITICS AND ECONOMICS FACE AN ENERGY CRISIS
Russian President Vladimir Putin endured a most unpleasant dinner with the EU heads of state and top officials last Friday (see EDM, October 20). The day before he departed for Lahti, Finland, he held one of the least successful meetings with the ministers and heads... MORE
Shifting Alliances in the Salafi Movement After the Lebanon War
The recent war in Lebanon could become a significant factor leading to a transformation within the Salafi movement in the Arab world. The conflict may also have a similar impact on Salafis as did the Gulf War of 1991. Transformations within the Salafi movement tend... MORE