Latest Articles about Middle East

MOSCOW APPEARS TO WAVER OVER PACIFIC PIPELINE ROUTE

Although the Russian government has announced what was seen as a final decision for a Japan-bound Pacific oil pipeline route, some recent statements by the country's top officials suggest otherwise. According to Kremlin chief of staff Dmitry Medvedev, Pacific oil pipeline plans are to be... MORE

PUTIN SEEKS TO ASSERT CONTROL WITHOUT LEADERSHIP

Aides and speechwriters for Russian President Vladimir Putin are now putting the final touches on his annual address to the Federal Assembly due to be delivered by the end of this month. In the leak-proof Kremlin, the speech's content is guarded more vigilantly than were... MORE

“CALL ME JAVIER”?

For the second time in the space of one week, the Kremlin has embarrassed an unsuspecting European Union by holding parallel meetings on the settlement of frozen conflicts. While EU leaders came through the front door, Russian-installed secessionist leaders entered through the back door. The... MORE

MEDVEDEV INTERVIEW CONTINUES TO MAKE WAVES

The interview with Kremlin administration chief Dmitry Medvedev published in the magazine Ekspert on April 4 has drawn wide commentary from Russia's media and political elite (see EDM, April 7). While the interview was wide-ranging and touched on a number of issues, Medvedev's warning about... MORE

ARE MOSCOW AND TOKYO DOUBTING WISDOM OF NAKHODKA PROJECT?

Dmitry Medvedev's recent interview in the Russian journal Ekspert (April 4) raised eyebrows for a variety of reasons. The fact that he even consented to give an interview is news in itself. The Kremlin Chief of Staff has been largely invisible to the public eye... MORE

RUSSIAN ARMY REMAINS IN DECLINE

Russia's military manning system continues to struggle with unwilling conscripts forced to serve in deplorable conditions and with inadequate training. Health problems among young conscripts arriving in the barracks are compounded by the widespread persistence of draft dodging and the rising numbers of men seeking... MORE