Latest Articles about Middle East
CIS PRIME MINISTERS’ MEETING: WHEN IRRELEVANCE MAKES NEWS
The prime ministers of the Commonwealth of Independent States member countries convened on June 3 in Tbilisi for what turned out to be the briefest high-level meeting in the organization's history. It lasted 30 minutes; adopted more than 20 documents, apparently too irrelevant to be... MORE
SHANGHAI GROUP CONSIDERS POST-ANDIJAN SECURITY IN CENTRAL ASIA
On June 4 the foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) met in Astana to formally agree on an agenda for their upcoming summit, scheduled to be held in Kazakhstan's capital July 5-6. Yet in addition to the organizational elements discussed, the meeting provided... MORE
RUSSIA’S SHRINKING HORIZONS OF ECONOMIC PLANNING AND POLITICAL PLOTTING
Hardly anybody in Russia misses the rigid Soviet pattern of five-year plans, but many Russians are growing uncomfortable about the chaotic play of market forces. Putin's plan to strengthen central control over key economic activities was supposed to reduce this unpredictability and provide a sound... MORE
Lashkar-e-Jhangvi: Sectarian Violence in Pakistan and Ties to International Terrorism
The following article is the second and final part of a series on sectarian organizations in Pakistan linked with international terrorism. The first part, Sipah-e-Sahaba: Fomenting Sectarian Violence in Pakistan, appeared in Terrorism Monitor Volume 3, Issue 2. In the dizzyingly diverse universe of Pakistani... MORE
KHODORKOVSKY AND ADAMOV: A TALE OF TWO TRIALS
The trial of Mikhail Khodorkovsky finally came to its predictable conclusion on May 31, with the unfortunate magnate sentenced to nine years, less the 18 months he has already spent behind bars. The reaction to the outcome of the most important criminal case in post-Soviet... MORE
RUSSIAN ANALYSTS SAY MOSCOW MAY BENEFIT FROM FRENCH AND DUTCH “NO” TO EU CONSTITUTION
As the European Union's leadership reels from the French and Dutch rejection of the bloc's proposed constitution in national referendums on May 29 and June 1, respectively, most Russian analysts believe this new development may work to Russia's advantage. The resolute refusal to approve the... MORE
LAVROV MEETS CHINESE, INDIAN COUNTERPARTS IN VLADIVOSTOK
As Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met his Chinese and Indian counterparts Li Zhaoxing and Natwar Singh in Vladivostok on June 2, talk resurfaced about the three countries combining forces into a Moscow-Beijing-New Delhi axis, an alliance of three nuclear-armed countries that are home to... MORE
RUSSIA STUDIES OSH FOR POSSIBLE NEW MILITARY BASE IN KYRGYZSTAN
Russia is seriously contemplating the possibility of increasing its military presence in Kyrgyzstan, largely in response to the Kyrgyz revolution in March and the recent unrest in Uzbekistan. Despite senior individuals with strong influence within the Kremlin alluding to Osh as the location of a... MORE
CHINA, RUSSIA FLOAT IDEA OF SELLING BAIKAL WATER
Chinese and Russian officials are considering the possibility of diverting water from Lake Baikal in Siberia through Mongolia to China's Inner Mongolia Region. According to an unnamed official from China's Ministry of Water Resources, Russian officials contacted them in May about such a project (Chinadaily.com.cn,... MORE
Osama bin Laden on the Demise of the Saudi Regime
Speeches by Osama bin Laden have an avid Western audience when he thunders against the United States and its allies, threatening imminent destruction. Other bin Laden speeches dealing with religious issues or the state of Islamic civilization, however, tend to attract much less attention. This... MORE