Latest Articles about Middle East
Assessing the Iraqi Elections’ Impact on Terrorism and Insurgency
As Iraq staged its first election for a full-term parliament since the fall of Saddam Hussein, there are increasing hopes in Washington and London that the pace of the steadily growing insurgency may have at long last been stunted. But if previous elections in post-Saddam... MORE
Westerners Being Recruited by al-Qaeda
A statement entitled "al-Qaeda's Future Soldier: Rakan Bin Williams," published by a group calling itself "al-Qaeda's Voice on the Internet," indicates that al-Qaeda plans to recruite white European converts to Islam rather than depend on Arabs and Muslims from Middle Eastern or Asian origin (posted... MORE
Al-Zawahiri Encourages Targeting of Gulf Oil…
Along with the "Impediments to Jihad" audiotape, the al-Sahab Media Productions company produced on September 19 a 43-minute video featuring a meeting with Ayman al-Zawahiri, five minutes of which was broadcast on that day by the Arab television network al-Jazeera. On December 7, al-Jazeera re-ran... MORE
PUTIN PROTECTS ISLAM AND PRAISES DEMOCRACY IN GROZNY
The newly elected Chechen parliament held its first session on Monday, December 12, and the big surprise was the unscheduled appearance of Russian President Vladimir Putin (Vremya novostei; Kommersant, December 13). His seventh visit to Chechnya lasted only about an hour, including time to change... MORE
RUSSIA EYES STRONGER ECONOMIC TIES WITH JAPAN
In the wake of Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent visit to Tokyo, Russian officials have reiterated their calls for stronger economic ties with Japan. However, there have been no indications of movement towards a solution of the bilateral territorial row. Disputed issues, including ownership of... MORE
RUSSIA’S ARMS DEAL WITH IRAN: KREMLIN BELIEVES U.S. TOO WEAK FOR STRONG RESPONSE
The Russian leadership appears to believe that the Iraq debacle marked the tuning point in the short-lived era of American global supremacy. The Iran arms deal suggests that the Kremlin will likely continue pursuing an assertive foreign policy in regions the U.S. deems vital for... MORE
BESLAN MOTHERS TURN TO INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO FIND THE TRUTH
The consequences of the September 2004 terrorist attack on the town of Beslan continue to shake the political situation in North Ossetia. Tensions between the Russian authorities and local residents have increased for more than a year and have now come to a head. Relatives... MORE
RUSSIA INSISTS ON TRANSFORMING THE TERMS OF GAS TRADE WITH UKRAINE
On December 8, live on Russian state television (which is widely received in Ukraine), Russian President Vladimir Putin harangued Ukraine at length to triple the price for Russian natural gas, and to pay in cash. Putin skillfully calibrated his tone to avoid antagonizing Ukraine's populace... MORE
RUSSIA AND UKRAINE AGREE TO DISAGREE ON GAS SUPPLIES
Despite top-level discussions and official pledges, Russia and Ukraine remain deeply divided over natural gas supply terms for 2006. Russia is satisfied with Ukraine's readiness to review prices for Russian natural gas to be supplied to Ukraine and then piped to Europe via Ukrainian territory,... MORE
CSTO SEEN AS A SHIELD AGAINST OUTSIDE MEDDLING
Russia has reiterated its pledges to strengthen the regional security grouping it has established with five former Soviet states. At an unprecedented November 29-30 meeting in Moscow of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO, which includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan) Council of... MORE