Latest Articles about Middle East
POST-PUTIN RUSSIA: POLITICAL RUMBLINGS, POTENTIAL PRESIDENTS
Politics, like nature, abhors a vacuum. Confounding skeptics who saw him as weak and isolated, President Vladimir Putin has succeeded in eliminating all serious, organized political challenges to his "vertical power structure." But new political forces are now surfacing and jostling to fill the political... MORE
CHUBAIS SURVIVES YET AGAIN, BUT THE PROSPECTS FOR HIS REFORMS ARE NOT GREAT
In Russian politics, there is no other individual -- except, certainly for Vladimir Putin -- that triggers so much emotional reaction as Anatoly Chubais. Many impoverished Russians hold him personally responsible for the dubious privatization program of the mid-1990s, while new entrepreneurs praise him as... MORE
Understanding the Second Houthi Rebellion in Yemen
2004 witnessed a lengthy battle between Shabab al-Mu'minoon (Believing Youth), a Shi’a religious organization, and the Yemeni government. Believing Youth’s leader and inspirational figure, Hussein Badr ad-Deen al-Houthi, was killed in early September and his death marked the end of that conflict. The fighting, however,... MORE
GENERAL BALUYEVSKY RAISES THREAT OF MILITARY FORCE AGAINST TERRORISTS
General Yuri Baluyevsky, Chief of the Russian General Staff, has raised the issue of Russia's ultimate use of military force against terrorists. Baluyevsky signaled the possible of use of military force against terrorists, as a last resort, during a meeting with his Italian counterpart, Admiral... MORE
RUSSIAN NATIONAL IDENTITY: STILL A WORK IN PROGRESS
The marking of "Russia Day" on June 12 triggered another round of debate about Russian identity. In his speech to a celebratory concert on Red Square, President Vladimir Putin said he was certain that Russia faces a "shining future" as "a great and flourishing power."... MORE
RUSSIA AND CHINA BAND TOGETHER TO OPPOSE U.S. IN SPACE
Russia and China have combined to pressure the United Nations Disarmament Conference, the UN's main disarmament body, to open immediate talks on how to prevent an arms race in outer space. The move, an apparent strategic partnership, is understood to be anti-Washington, due to known... MORE
BAM RAILWAY TO BECOME EXPORT ROUTE?
The Baikal-Amur Railway line (BAM) was originally designed to become a strategic alternative to the Trans-Siberian Railway. The BAM was also supposed to give the development of Eastern Siberia a much-needed boost. But instead of powering new industries in the region, BAM appears on its... MORE
Al-Qaeda Magazine Defends Jihad and Mujahideen in Iraq
On June 3, after a delay of three months, the second edition of Dhurwat al-Sanam (The Pinnacle) appeared on the web. This is the periodical issued by ‘the information department of the Organization of Qaedat al-Jihad in the Land of the Two Rivers (the full... MORE
Unraveling the Saga of Zarqawi’s Injury
The recent torrent of Internet and print media stories about the wounding and demise, and then the resurrection and return to battle, of al-Qaeda's commander in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, kicked up a great deal of dust but little solid information. After the initial announcement... MORE
SERGEI IVANOV CHALLENGES THE NEW POLITICAL GENERATION
After four years on the job, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov has no impressive record of achievements. His most important "victory" happened some eleven months ago when Anatoly Kvashnin, the ambitious and stubborn chief of the General Staff, was fired and replaced with a quiet... MORE