
Latest Articles about Middle East
A View From The Other Side: An Introduction To Arab Media
Beginning with this issue, the Terrorism Monitor on a regular basis will analyze the Arab media's portrayal of the ideological sources of terrorism. This will include the most recent broadcasts of Al-Jazeera, Al-Arabi, and other Arab television networks and will focus on the issues of... MORE
Saudi Arabia: Friend Or Foe?
Much is being said and written about today's Islam and its role in international relations. "Islamic extremism" is understood as political extremism that uses Islam as an ideological basis. "Fundamentalism," "Wahhabism," "political Islam," and "militant Islam" are often viewed as synonyms. Those who try to... MORE
The De-baathification Of Iraq
In October of 1974, Panteleimon Ponomarenko , the former head of the Soviet Union's Central Staff for Guerrilla Movements during the Second World War, gave a lecture at a secret school in the settlement of Novoe Nagornoe in the Pushkin district, forty miles outside of... MORE
Iran And Al Qaeda
The presence of al Qaeda elements in Iran has made headlines since the collapse of Taliban rule in Afghanistan. The issue of deporting or extraditing them to the United States or to their countries of citizenship has engaged several governments through diplomatic channels as well... MORE
Iran And Afghanistan: Hedging Bets
As with all of its foreign policy issues, Iran is hedging its bets in Afghanistan. Driving Tehran's policy is its obsession with the United States and anxieties about how Washington's actions will impinge on Iran's national interests. This is all the more crucial for Iran... MORE
RUSSIAN DEFENSE INDUSTRIES EXPAND FOREIGN SALES
Russian defense industries are seeking to boost foreign sales primarily in Latin America and the Middle East, providing opportunities for Russian companies to compete with potentially expensive Western options. In Latin America the main fields of military cooperation are aviation, small arms, as well as... MORE
WAS THE RICE-LAVROV QUARREL REALLY ABOUT BELARUS?
Russian President Vladimir Putin's annual state of the nation address, given April 25, was remarkable for one glaring omission. It was quite surprising that Putin did not say one word about Russia's "brotherly" relations with Belarus, providing only an abbreviated sketch of the whole area... MORE

Coalition Warfare, Part II: How Zarqawi Fits into Bin Laden’s World Front
The Iraq-based organization of Abu Mus'ab al-Zarqawi is the most recent addition to Bin Laden's coalition, the World Islamic Front Against Crusaders and Jews. Zarqawi is the most important addition to the Front since it absorbed Zawahiri's Egyptian Islamic Jihad. It is therefore worth examining... MORE

RUSSIAN PRESIDENT TRAVELS TO MIDDLE EAST, BEARING GIFTS FOR ALL
From April 26-30 Russian President Vladimir Putin will make an unprecedented trip to Israel and the Palestinian territories, and he will be the first Russian leader to visit Egypt in 40 years. Putin's Middle East tour has a very clear set of objectives. Essentially Putin... MORE
RUSSIAN ENERGY MINISTER VISITS TOKYO, PLEDGES TO CONTINUE DISCUSSIONS ON PIPELINE ROUTE
While Russia wavers on a Japan-bound Pacific oil pipeline route, Tokyo is making new overtures toward Moscow. Last week, Russia and Japan pledged to work out concrete ways of cooperation in order to build the Pacific oil pipeline. According to the memorandum signed in Tokyo... MORE