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Latest Articles about Middle East
KREMLIN WANTS TO SET PARAMETERS ON WESTERN INTERESTS IN CIS STATES
As the geopolitical competition in the former Soviet lands becomes more acute, the Kremlin is seeking to revamp its strategy towards the Commonwealth of Independent States. First Moscow sends a signal to the West, saying it is ready to reach some sort of accommodation in... MORE
ONE YEAR LATER, BESLAN STILL A SERIOUS TEST FOR PUTIN
Last week Russia marked the first anniversary of the Beslan tragedy. On September 1, a terrorist group from Chechnya seized a school in the North Ossetian town of Beslan, taking more than 1,0000 people, mostly children, hostage. More than 300 hostage died during the chaotic... MORE
PUTIN FIRES RUSSIA’S TOP ADMIRAL ONE DAY BEFORE HIS ANTICIPATED RETIREMENT
On September 4 Russian President Vladimir Putin fired Admiral Vladimir Kuroyedov, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy. While the stated reason was the admiral's age, other factors clearly influenced the decision. Indeed, Putin fired Kuroyedov one day before his 61st birthday, when he would have retired... MORE
POURING OIL MONEY OVER STAGNATION AND DISCONTENT
Hurricane Katrina forced the United States and the European Union to open their strategic oil reserves, but Moscow is confident that the dip in prices is only a minor deviation from the unstoppable upward trend. This conclusion was incorporated in a draft state budget for... MORE
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Saudi al-Qaeda Leader al-Awfi Slain in Medina…
Among the six al-Qaeda militants killed during police raids in the cities of Medina and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia yesterday was Salih Muhammad al-Awfi, supposed leader of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Al-Awfi gained some notoriety in the Western media after numerous reports of his... MORE
Al-Qaeda vs. the Iraqi Constitution
Al-Qaeda in Iraq has been active in a campaign to warn off Iraqis from voting on the constitution. The jihadi forums have carried the latest visual offerings from the Media Division of [Abu Mus'ab al-Zarqawi's] Organization of al-Qaeda in the Land of the Two Rivers.... MORE
…as Another Qaeda Leader Arrested in Turkey
The arrest of an alleged top figure in the Turkish division of al-Qaeda following the failed plan to attack Israeli tourist cruiser ships, promises analysts a windfall of information on the present structure of the international Islamist terror organization. According to the Turkish daily al-Zaman,... MORE
RUSSIA’S REGIONS: NEVER-ENDING RESHUFFLING WITH DIMINISHING RETURNS
Russian President Vladimir Putin may be having second thoughts about his decision to cancel regional elections and appoint governors with only pro forma confirmation by respective parliaments. Just a year ago, the plan appeared to offer a perfect solution to the multiple problems of federalism,... MORE
RUSSIAN-CHINESE WAR GAME MEANT TO BOOST BILATERAL PARTNERSHIP
As Russian troops started their first joint military exercise with China, the war game is seen as a manifestation of the Moscow-Beijing bilateral "strategic partnership." But at the same time, Russia's simultaneous northern war game appears intended as a demonstration of Moscow's strategic military might.... MORE
RUSSIA’S UPS AND DOWNS IN THE KOREAN NUCLEAR NEGOTIATIONS
The most recent session of the six-power talks over North Korean nuclearization finally got down to serious negotiations. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Alexeyev, head of Russia's delegation, confirmed afterward that the draft statement of principles is 95% complete. What remains, he said are several... MORE