Latest Articles about Middle East
MOSCOW’S INITIATIVE: YOUR TERRORIST IS OUR DEAR GUEST
Russian President Vladimir Putin's official visit to Spain last week was not a great success. Spanish journalists asked too many direct questions, and senators at the closed-door meeting were not shy about raising unpleasant issues like judicial independence and human rights (Nezavisimaya gazeta, February 10).... MORE
MOSCOW SEEKS TO ACQUIRE RUSSIAN DIAMOND MONOPOLY
As the Russian government moved to take over the country's diamond monopoly, Alrosa, the company simultaneously opted to diversify by acquiring majority stakes in several Siberian oil and gas assets. While Alrosa has been seen as a potential nucleus for a state-owned natural-resources giant, the... MORE
KREMLIN CALLS ON COMPATRIOTS TO COME BACK TO MOTHER RUSSIA
The Kremlin has set up a commission charged with encouraging the denizens of the former Soviet republics to migrate to Russia. Although Russia is experiencing a severe demographic crisis and needs migrants to sustain its economic development, the government's ambitious repatriation plan appears to be... MORE
Bulgarians to Dismantle Iranian Terrorist Group MKO in Iraq
As the United States advances steadily toward a confrontation with Iran, the fate of an Iraqi-based Iranian opposition group appears to have been sealed. It has now been confirmed that Bulgarian troops will assume control of the formerly-armed Mojahedin-e-Khalq (MKO) organization's Ashraf camp. This move... MORE
POST-SOVIET SECESSIONISTS HEDGING THEIR BETS ON A “KOSOVO PRECEDENT”
The London meeting of the Contact Group, which launched the negotiations toward defining Kosovo's status (Interfax, February 1, 2), is being assessed by the post-Soviet secessionist leaderships cautiously. They do not seem to assume that the outcome in Kosovo would necessarily set an international precedent... MORE
RUMORS SUGGEST MAJOR RUSSIAN MILITARY REORGANIZATION IMMINENT
Western accounts of Vladimir Putin's Russia have almost wholly ignored the regime's ongoing efforts at defense reform, even though they have been steadily underway for at least two or three years. Indeed, there are numerous signs that reforms are not only continuing but may actually... MORE
The Egyptian Media’s Response to the Latest al-Qaeda Statements
Egypt’s prominent newspapers and magazines had a somewhat tepid response to recent statements made by al-Qaeda leaders Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri. Media commentary did not support statements made by bin Laden and al-Zawahiri, but was critical of U.S. counter-terrorism efforts. Al-Qaeda’s statements were... MORE
Anbar Tribesmen Take on al-Zarqawi
A report by al-Hayat on January 26 that “Tribal Popular Committees” have been formed in Ramadi (capital of Anbar province) to hunt down Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and his followers, “for the purpose of expelling them from the Iraqi border to Syria,” does not come as... MORE
Internet Mujahideen Refine Electronic Warfare Tactics
The recently declassified document called “Information Operations Roadmap,” which highlights how the U.S. military is learning to “fight the net,” has drawn much interest from Western commentators. There is concern over the ambitions to exercise control over the internet expressed in the document. The October... MORE
RUSSIA REGISTERS GROWTH IN TRADE WITH CHINA, BUT INCREASE DUE TO HIGHER PRICES, NOT MORE TURNOVER
The Kremlin has boasted that Russia's growing trade with China is a manifestation of Moscow's "strategic" bilateral partnership with Beijing. Yet despite Russia's stated reluctance to limit itself to the role of raw materials supplier for the Chinese economy, actual export and import trends in... MORE