Latest Articles about Middle East
New Qaeda threats to the UAE
Additional threats from the mujahideen against the United Arab Emirates emerged at the end of July, with a renewed warning from a group calling itself the "al-Qaeda Organization in the Emirates and Oman". It called for the dismantling of all U.S. military installations within ten... MORE
Al-Qaeda expanding into Palestine?
On August 2 a posting on the forum al-Mustaqbal al-Islami (Islamic Future) included what it termed the "First Declaration of al-Qaeda from the Land of the Outpost, Occupied Palestine," specifically the ‘military wing' of a group calling itself "Alwiyat al-Jihad fi Ard al-Ribat" (The Jihad... MORE
ISSUES CLOUDING GOOD-NEIGHBORLY RELATIONS BETWEEN MOSCOW AND HELSINKI
On August 1-2, Russian President Vladimir Putin paid a quick visit to Finland. Relations between the two neighboring countries are in an excellent state now, and the level of bilateral cooperation is intense, Finnish President Tarja Halonen told a news conference in the city of... MORE
RUSSIA’S DISREGARD FOR JAPANESE INTERESTS MAY REDUCE JAPANESE ECONOMIC INVESTMENT
As Russian President Vladimir Putin looks toward a scheduled state visit to Japan November 20-22, the pace of bilateral diplomatic activity has recently quickened. The upswing in contacts is also related to the resumption of the six-party talks over North Korean nuclearization and Russia's efforts... MORE
TERRORISM DOMINATES RUSSIAN SECURITY AGENDA
Senior Russian security officials are once again confirming the importance and priority of terrorism in Russia's domestic security agenda. A mixture of exercises, discussions, and initiatives to advance the interests of the Federal Security Service (FSB) has culminated in substantial increases for Russian spending on... MORE
PUTIN’S ANTI-BALTIC MONOLOGUE REBUFFED
In an unprecedented development, a European head of state has publicly and outspokenly refuted Russian President Vladimir Putin's accusations that Estonia and Latvia oppress their Russian residents. Most European officials are aware that those accusations are unfounded, but would not contradict the Kremlin publicly. Visiting... MORE
DISENTANGLING THE MOSCOW-BERLIN AXIS: FOLLOW THE MONEY
Russian foreign policy under Vladimir Putin’s presidency has been generally undetermined and often opportunistic with only one constant: strategic partnership with Germany. This country definitely occupies the central place in Putin’s worldview: those several years he spent in the KGB’s Dresden office in the mid-1980s... MORE
KREMLIN ENVOY SAYS BRUSSELS IS A DIFFICULT PARTNER
On July 25, Russian President Vladimir Putin appointed veteran diplomat Vladimir Chizhov to be Russia's permanent representative at the European Union. Assessing his new role, the Kremlin envoy conceded that the recently expanded EU had become a tougher partner for Moscow. But Chizhov himself is... MORE
SAKHALIN ENERGY PROJECTS FACE REALITY CHECK
As the Shell-led Sakhalin-2 liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in the Russian Far East faces cost overruns and delays, now Russian Sakhalin ventures appear to be facing a reality check, cooling Moscow's ambitious plans to tap lucrative energy markets in the Asia-Pacific. Earlier this month,... MORE
CORRUPTION UNDERMINES RUSSIAN MILITARY REFORM
High-profile efforts by Russia's authorities to promote a positive image of military reform, notably its efforts to switch more divisions to contract service, are being undermined by allegations of financial corruption within the military. These allegations have become commonplace in post-Soviet coverage of the Russian... MORE