Latest Articles about Middle East
RUSSIAN PERSONNEL CHANGES TO AFFECT FAR EAST REGION
Russian President Vladimir Putin's latest personnel shakeup is likely to affect the country's Far Eastern region, as well as relations with some neighboring states. When Putin promoted his chief of staff, Dmitry Medvedev, to the post of first deputy prime minister on November 14, the... MORE
The Algerian 2005 Amnesty: The Path to Peace?
On September 29, Algerians voted in an unprecedented referendum to approve a charter for “peace and national reconciliation,” offering amnesty to Algerian insurgents in exchange for laying down their arms. The charter also extends the same offer of clemency to police and security agents involved... MORE
GSPC Rival Leader Hattab Reclaims Title
Following the referendum on the amnesty for Islamist militants still holding out in the mountains, Hassan Hattab, the former leader of the Groupe Salafiste pour la Prédication et le Combat (GSPC), gave a unique interview to the pan-Arab newspaper al-Hayat (www.daralhayat.com). The information he provides... MORE
Al-Qaeda in Iraq Takes Credit for the Amman Bombings
Yesterday, November 9, a series of explosions at international hotels in the Jordanian capital appears to have claimed 50-60 lives and wounded over 100. The Grand Hyatt, Radisson SAS and Days Inn hotels were struck, as the Radisson was hosting a wedding reception with some... MORE
Al-Zarqawi Threatens Moroccan Diplomats, Ignites Debate Among Clerics
On November 3, al-Zarqawi’s al-Qaeda in Iraq issued a statement on the Internet sentencing two kidnapped Moroccan diplomats, Abderrahim Boualem and Abdelkrim al Mouhafidi, to death by its “Shari’ah court.” According to the statement, the accused constitute ansar al-tawaghit, or “supporters of the tyrants,” who... MORE
PUTIN’S RUSSIA AS AN UNCERTAIN PROPOSITION
The presentation of the first annual Failed States Index – a joint project of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the Fund for Peace – provided considerable fodder for the Russian media. The authors used 12 different indicators, from demographics and regional contrasts to... MORE
SECURITY OFFICIALS SCORE VICTORY IN DAGESTAN BUT INSURGENCY INCREASES IN INGUSHETIA
The massive October 13 rebel attack on the city of Nalchik, the capital of Kabardino-Balkaria, diverted attention from the equally tense situation in the eastern part of the North Caucasus, specifically the republics adjacent to Chechnya: Dagestan and Ingushetia. Nevertheless, the endless battle between the... MORE
NEWLY RUSSIAN INVENTED HOLIDAY BECOMES A DAY OF NAZI UNITY
The good Soviet tradition of marching in early November acquired a new and disturbing twist this year. The Communist demonstrations on November 7 were quite unimpressive in Moscow and close to pathetic in most other cities, with the weak praise for the Great Revolution of... MORE
RUSSIA PLEDGES TO UP TRADE AND INVESTMENT TIES WITH CHINA
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov visited Beijing November 3-4 to discuss trade and investment ties with China. But despite repeated promises, Moscow made no legally binding commitment to build an oil pipeline to China. Instead, Fradkov only said that consultations "continue" and that Russian and... MORE
PUTIN PERFORMS A EUROPEAN PIROUETTE
A visit to the Netherlands on November 1-2 provided Russian President Vladimir Putin with a timely opportunity to re-establish his European credentials. The previous week had a distinct Asian flavor with the prime-ministerial meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Moscow (Kommersant, October 27).... MORE