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Latest Articles about Middle East
Ain al-Hilweh: al-Qaeda’s Foothold in Lebanon
On the evening of September 27th, residents from Majdel Anjar, a Lebanese village 35 miles East of Beirut close to the Lebanese-Syrian border, stormed the local office of the Lebanese General Security Service (al-Amn al-Aam) and for couple of hours blocked the Beirut-Damascus highway demanding... MORE
IDLE PETRO-RUBLES ARE A RECIPE FOR STAGFLATION
Russia's economy is growing at a pace that invites envy from most European states. The ruble holds steady against the dollar, and Russia's trade balance for the first quarter of this year shows a record $25.9 billion. Its Central Bank, opting for a euro-shift in... MORE
The Yemeni Arms Trade: Still a Concern for Terrorism and Regional Security
The November 28 2002 attack on an Israeli airliner in Mombassa, Kenya, focused attention on Yemen and it arms markets. A UN report tasked with assessing arms trafficking to Somalia found that the shoulder fired missiles used in that attack likely originated from Yemen. Furthermore,... MORE
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Kuwait Wakes up to the Face of Militant Islam
Since the 1970s, Kuwait has felt the strain of the struggle between the politically strong religious bloc and weak liberals. The resultant extremist pressure and influence has reigned amid an environment of tacit government support and limited resistance from moderates. The positive side of such... MORE
Radical Clerics in the Firing Line
The mujahideen in Iraq continue to demonstrate a high degree of sensitivity to the pronouncements of religious clerics on the propriety of jihadist violence. The most conspicuous example of this came in the surprising announcement by Abu Mus'ab al-Zarqawi, published November 5 on an Islamist... MORE
A New Leader for Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula?
The al-Jazeera TV channel ran an audio tape given on November 1 by Shaykh Hammud bin Sa'ud al-Utaybi, one of the 26 names on the wanted list in Saudi Arabia. Delivered at the same time as bin Laden's address, he urged the Muslims to fulfill... MORE
El Kaide Turka: Tracing an al-Qaeda Splinter Cell
The terrorist attacks of November 2003 marked a milestone in Turkey’s struggle against the forces of radical Islam. As the Turkish police and intelligence services broaden their investigation into the existence of a local terrorist cell that carried out the horrific bombings of the British... MORE
Sectarian Divisions after Fallujah
Beyond the innumerable expressions of defiance at the loss to the insurgents of Fallujah, some expressions of pessimism have crept into jihadist forums – always a useful barometer of mujahideen morale. The fall of the city is of great significance "since it was considered the... MORE
RUSSIAN HISTORIANS DENOUNCE RE-STALINIZATION
With the 60th anniversary Victory Day celebrations set for May 9, the architect of perestroika and a leading historian of that period have spoken out against what they both see as the rehabilitation of Joseph Stalin. There are ample signs that something like a rehabilitation... MORE
RUSSIA EYES GREATER STATE CONTROL OVER SAKHALIN HYDROCARBON PROJECTS
Gazprom's efforts to merge with the state-owned oil firm Rosneft appear to be part of a larger strategy to boost state-control over Russia's energy sector. The Gazprom-Rosneft merger, which likely will wrap up before Gazprom's June shareholder meeting, will raise the government's stake in Gazprom... MORE