Latest Articles about Middle East
PUBLIC SENTIMENT TURNS TOWARD KHODORKOVSKY, WHILE PUTIN GRAPPLES WITH BLACKOUT
On May 16, a Russian court began reading the verdict in the trial of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, owner of the destroyed oil giant Yukos, and his partner, Platon Lebedev. By the end of the first week of reading the 1,000-page verdict aloud, a different issue had... MORE
THE RUSSIAN MILITARY FLEXES ITS WEAKENED MUSCLES
Russia State Duma deputies have launched a concerted effort to rally opposition to the American military's rising interest in, and possible future deployments around, the Caspian region. Specifically, some deputies fear that the Baku-Ceyhan oil pipeline might be used as a pretext for stepping up... MORE
Baathist Origins of the Zarqawi Letter
Coalition forces recently captured a seventeen-page letter detailing plans to foment civil war in Iraq before the June 30 deadline for the hand-over of power. Some analysts have suggested the letter is proof of al-Qaeda's involvement in terrorist attacks in Iraq today, attributing authorship of... MORE
RUSSIA HAILS BORDER DEAL WITH CHINA DESPITE CRITICISM
As Russia and China officially resolved their lingering border dispute, officials in Moscow hailed the agreement despite criticism from the opposition, the public, and the media. "For the first time in our history, bilateral relations with China will not be marred by a border dispute,"... MORE
MOSCOW SENDING MIXED MESSAGES ON IRANIAN NUCLEARIZATION
While Russia helped Iran build its nuclear reactor at Bushehr, Moscow now appears to be pushing Tehran to abandon dreams of further nuclearization (Interfax April 28, 29). Iran claims to have suspended some nuclear activities relating to uranium enrichment as part of a deal with... MORE
RUSSIA ASKS COUNCIL OF EUROPE TO INVESTIGATE “POLITICAL REPRESSION” IN UKRAINE
Russian President Vladimir Putin justified his policy of supporting Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych in the 2004 Ukrainian presidential elections by stating that it was Russian policy to only work with the elected authorities, not with the opposition. Russia has also declared that the election-monitoring missions... MORE
MOSCOW SIGNALS IT MAY REDEPLOY SOME FORCES FROM GEORGIA TO ARMENIA
Meeting with the staff of Komsomolskaya pravda on May 23, Russian President Vladimir Putin said, with reference to the possible closure of Russian bases in Georgia: "We must create the necessary conditions for the evacuation of our troop contingent, its accommodation on Russian territory or... MORE
REPORTS SUGGEST MOSCOW WANTS NEW BASE IN KYRGYZSTAN
On May 19, a Russian delegation led by Andrei Kokoshin, chairman of the State Duma Committee on the Commonwealth of Independent States, met with Kyrgyzstan's Acting President Kurmanbek Bakiyev in Bishkek. A number of Russian news agencies reported that they discussed many bilateral issues, including... MORE
A New Phase for Jihad in Egypt?
The Egyptian government fought a low-level war with Islamist radicals in the 1990s and claimed victory through the use of hard-nosed tactics and negotiations with the larger, known militant groups. Meanwhile, moderate Islamists, the Muslim Brotherhood and the Centrists attempted to enter politics by legitimate... MORE
RUSSIAN PUNDITS DIVIDED ON HOW TO REACT TO THE DEATH THROُES OF POST-SOVIET WORLD
The violent unrest spreading across eastern Uzbekistan may symbolize the second, and final, stage of the Soviet Union's collapse. Russian strategists appear divided as to what Moscow's response should be to the ongoing geopolitical transformations. While the liberal minority suggests Russia would be well advised... MORE