Latest Articles about Middle East
Osama bin Laden: Taking Stock of the “Zionist-Crusader War”
Osama bin Laden's statement broadcast by al-Jazeera television on April 23 shows the al-Qaeda chief on top of his rhetorical game [1]. Examined in the proper context—that is, in the context of al-Qaeda's self-defined, primary mission as the vanguard and inciter of jihad—bin Laden's speech... MORE
Fears of Intelligence Penetration of the GIMF
The fallout from the arrests of Saudi mujahideen following the Abqaiq attack and the suspicions of penetration of the al-Hesbah forum by intelligence agents (Terrorism Focus, April 11) continues to concern the jihadi forum participants. Under the present state of heightened alarm, the latest organization... MORE
RUSSIA-PACIFIC PIPELINE PROJECT BRUSHES OFF ENVIRONMENTAL OBJECTIONS
The Kremlin appears keen to deliver on its repeated pledge to connect Russia's oil fields with the Asia-Pacific region by a pipeline running from eastern Siberia to the Pacific Ocean, despite protests by environmentalists. Semyon Vainshtok, head of the Transneft pipeline monopoly, recently dismissed objections... MORE
The Importance of the Western Sahara to Maghrebi Security
On March 11, 2004, as the world focused on the Madrid commuter bombings, there were reports that armed forces from Chad, Niger, and Mali had engaged a large group of operatives from the Algerian Salafist Group for Call and Combat (GSPC), and had inflicted significant... MORE
The Presence of Saudi Nationals in the Iraqi Insurgency
This article is based upon extensive research with knowledgeable sources that dealt with the author only on the strict condition of anonymity and non-attribution. It is widely recognized that Saudi nationals are currently participating in the Iraqi insurgency and have been involved in operations that... MORE
RUSSIA WALKS THE TIGHTROPE BETWEEN IRAN AND WASHINGTON
The virtually simultaneous revelation of U.S. contingency -- and even operational -- planning for Iran by Seymour Hersh in the New Yorker magazine and of Iran's capacity for enhancing uranium may not have generated a massive outpouring of overtly emotional replies in Russia. Indeed, Sergei... MORE
RUSSIAN PUNDITS SAY WORLD COMMUNITY DOES NOT HAVE LEVERAGE OVER IRAN
The Iranian leadership's announcement that Tehran has successfully enriched uranium prompted two types of reaction among Russia's analytic community. Most nuclear experts flatly dismiss Iran's overly triumphant claims, arguing that the country's specialists are pursuing routine research, that, if anything, the Islamic Republic is still... MORE
KOSOVO AND THE POST-SOVIET CONFLICTS: NO ANALOGY MEANS NO “PRECEDENT”
Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov and other officials have shifted their tactics regarding the negotiations on the status of Kosovo. The new theme of their statements and tactical approach to the negotiations is: "No Haste." In their view, the negotiations must prepare a... MORE
PUTIN’S FEAR OF ELECTIONS AND FEAR OF INVESTMENT
Every recent election in Europe has severed a connection with Moscow, allowing Russia to drift further and further away from the rest of the continent. Italy is the latest point in this trajectory since Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's defeat this week signifies for Russian President... MORE
Al-Qaeda in Iraq: Has al-Zawahiri Reined in al-Zarqawi?
Media reports during the past week have announced that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi—al-Qaeda's chief in Iraq—has been "replaced" or "demoted" from the leadership of Iraq's Sunni resistance coalition (Daily Star, April 3; al-Bawaba, April 2). The stories have said that al-Zarqawi was removed as "the result... MORE