Latest Articles about Middle East
Zawahiri: Foreshadowing Attacks on Israel and America?
The last three months have been a busy media season for al-Qaeda deputy leader Ayman al-Zawahiri. He has released a number of lengthy statements addressing the earthquake in Pakistan, the perfidy of President Musharraf‘s government, elections in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, and the military... MORE
ROSNEFT EYES NEW FIELDS IN EASTERN SIBERIA AND BEYOND
Rosneft, Russia's state-owned oil titan, has been pursuing a very aggressive policy in recent months in order to boost its clout in Eastern Siberia. In the meantime, Rosneft's pro-active approach has been seen as a part of the Kremlin's broader strategy to rely on major... MORE
HAS MOSCOW TURNED ITS BACK ON TEHRAN?
The protracted, slow-moving intrigue around Iran's nuclear program accelerated sharply last week as the international seals on the research facility at Natanz were removed. The frustrated European "troika" -- France, Germany, and the UK -- interrupted their fruitless negotiations with Iran, and the United States... MORE
IVANOV RESTATES KREMLIN’S MONROE DOCTRINE
An increasingly assertive Moscow appears to be revising the organizational forms it has used to dominate the post-Soviet space. While a growing number of influential Russian policymakers and pundits speak in favor of relegating the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) to the dustbin of history,... MORE
PUTIN’S GAS BLUNDER
The abortive interruption of Russian natural gas supplies to Ukraine on January 1 was a humiliating diplomatic blunder. It was an unnecessary crisis, and one that Russia clumsily lost in the court of world public opinion. While Ukraine was threatened with a gas blockade, Russia... MORE
Internal Jihadist Criticisms of the War in Iraq
Evidence continues to mount on the growing disaffection with the methodology of the mujahideen in Iraq. One of the most public demonstrations of this occurred on January 6 when the residents of Ar-Ramadi, considered a hotbed of support for the Sunni Arab insurgency, publicly blamed... MORE
Iraqi Rebels Fill Political Vacuum
As Iraqi political parties continue to wrangle over the composition of the new government, the insurgents have taken the initiative with a series of bold strikes over the past 10 days. These attacks have killed over 150 Shi'ite worshippers and mourners and at least 23... MORE
ILLARIONOV RESIGNATION REDUCES KREMLIN DEBATE ON ECONOMY, ENERGY POLICY
The December 27 resignation of Andrei Illarionov, Russian President Vladimir Putin's economic adviser, is yet another sign of Russia's departure from the liberal economic path. In the meantime, Illarionov's exodus also marks an end to insider criticism of a number of Kremlin policies, including a... MORE
AS RUSSIA IS DOWNGRADED TO “UNFREE” IS IT UNFIT TO HEAD THE G-8?
It is perhaps fitting that the Ukraine-Russia gas conflict has rekindled debates whether Russia truly belongs in the prestigious Group of Eight (G-8) advanced liberal democratic market economies. As the Wall Street Journal Europe (January 3) editorialized, "All of this makes Russia's assumption of the... MORE
KREMLIN STOPS GAS DELIVERIES TO UKRAINE
Authorized by President Vladimir Putin, Gazprom halted deliveries of Russian gas to Ukraine as of 10 am Moscow time on January 1. To maximize the political impact in Ukraine, Russia's state-controlled television channels showed Putin, his close aide and Gazprom chairman Dmitry Medvedev, and other... MORE