Latest Articles about Middle East
RUSSIA TAKES ANOTHER STEP AWAY FROM DEMOCRACY
Last Friday, June 9, the Russian State Duma approved legislation that would eliminate the voting option "against all" in the ballots provided for elections at all levels, from local to presidential. According to Boris Gryzlov, the chairman of the Duma, this step is aimed at... MORE
NATO AND GUAM COUNTRIES HOLD FIRM AT CFE TREATY REVIEW CONFERENCE
The OSCE's Conference to Review the Operation of the Treaty on Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) ended on June 2 in Vienna with a tactical success for the West. The NATO and GUAM countries (Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Moldova) thwarted Russia's goal to trigger the ratification... MORE
ANOTHER SENATOR IS FIRED: THE KREMLIN TARGETS THE LEADER OF KALMYKIA
Russia continues to be rocked by purges of the Federation Council, the upper house of the Russian parliament, where deputies (often called "senators") represent regional governments. On May 14, Sergei Mironov, speaker of the Federation Council, dismissed four members of the Council. The ousted senators... MORE
RUSSIA VIEWS THE VIENNA AGREEMENTS ON IRAN AS VICTORY
The five-power agreement on Iran reached in Vienna on June 1 represented a victory for Russian diplomacy, in that Moscow and China's tenacity forced Washington to consent to direct participation in talks with Iran, provided it ceases uranium reprocessing and enrichment under IAEA verification (www.payvand.com... MORE
Morocco Cracks Down on Islamist Opposition Group JSA
In a major operation in late May, Moroccan security forces arrested over 300 members of al-Adl wa al-Ihsane (Justice and Spirituality Association—JSA), including ranking leaders, over vague allegations that the group was plotting a violent overthrow of the monarchy (https://www.aljamaa.com). The arrests were made in... MORE
Kurdish Officials Provide Information on al-Qaeda Operatives in Custody
It is widely acknowledged that northern Iraq has escaped the chaos and violence wrought by the Iraqi insurgency, but this does not mean that al-Qaeda and affiliated groups have not attempted to operate in the Kurdish Regional Government's (KRG) territory. Many al-Qaeda members have been... MORE
USTINOV’S FIRING REVEALS CLAN MANEUVERING INSIDE KREMLIN
Russian President Vladimir Putin is known to have a penchant for surprise cadre changes that invariably leave experts second-guessing the move. His decision to sack Prosecutor-General Vladimir Ustinov, taken late last Thursday (June 1) and approved by the astonished Federation Council at the next morning’s... MORE
Al-Qaeda’s Presence in the Territories
Other than launching Katyusha rockets at Israel in December 2005 and attempting to launch rockets at Eilat from Aqaba in Jordan in August 2005, al-Qaeda has not launched significant attacks against Israeli targets in the Middle East. Al-Qaeda has not been active in the Palestinian... MORE
RUSSIA-TURKEY RELATIONS: COOPERATION AND COMPETITION IN ENERGY SPHERE
Both Moscow and Ankara appear intent on further developing their lucrative energy ties. At the same time, Russia and Turkey are destined to continue vying for the role of major fuel supplier to the countries of Southern Europe. The recent visits to Turkey by two... MORE
RUSSIAN AUTHORITIES TALK ABOUT GLOBAL THREATS, BUT PREPARE FOR LOCAL WAR
On May 10 Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered an address to the Russian Federal Assembly. Focusing on issues such as reform of the armed forces and threats to national security, Putin declared that Russia now had to address many security issues and the army should... MORE