Latest Articles about Middle East
MOSCOW INSISTS ON SEEING NO EVIL IN IRAN
Russia's position on Iran, as presented by President Vladimir Putin to President George W. Bush in Bratislava and by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to the EU "troika" in Luxembourg, is crystal clear and rock solid. Their nuclear cooperation is strictly commercial and has absolutely no... MORE
CIS ECONOMIES: GROWTH WITHOUT PROSPERITY?
The economies of the Commonwealth of Independent States have seen five years of steady growth and low inflation, a welcome contrast to the economic slump and financial instability of the early 1990s. They have also managed to shift their trade patterns away from their former... MORE
MOSCOW OFFERS MUTED RESPONSE TO POSSIBLE END OF EU ARMS EMBARGO AGAINST CHINA
Despite U.S. opposition, the European Union is proceeding with plans to lift the arms embargo against China by June 2005. The ban had been imposed following the June 1989 crackdown on democracy protestors in Tiananmen Square. Beijing is looking for alternative sources for the arms... MORE
IS EUROPE TOO SMALL FOR BOTH BUSH AND PUTIN?
"Disappointing" may be the common post-mortem on the Bratislava summit, but it would still be unfair to call the meeting a non-event. Reviewing the unresolved issues, it is now possible to see that the preparations on the Russian side were rather unconventional: it appeared that... MORE
INDIA’S QUEST FOR CENTRAL ASIAN ENERGY
India, the world's second fastest growing economy, relies on oil and gas imports for its economic development. And, as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh observed, it can no longer remain complacent in the face of China's global campaign to acquire reliable energy supplies. Thus India has... MORE
RUSSIAN COMMENTATORS: PUTIN WON ON POINTS
As expected, the issue of Russian democracy -- or, rather, its shrinkage -- figured in President George W. Bush's summit with President Vladimir Putin in Bratislava, Slovakia, at least in the joint press conference they held following their two-and-a-half hour private meeting. However, the American... MORE
DIFFERENT UNDERSTANDING OF DEMOCRACY MAY PUT BUSH AND PUTIN ON COLLISION COURSE
All smiles and backslapping notwithstanding, the Bush-Putin Bratislava summit laid bare the stark divergence of the two leaders' political philosophies. Describing their social ideals and values, "George" and "Vladimir" seem to be using the same words, but they mean different things. This ideological disconnect will... MORE
RUSSIA INSISTS ON ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP WITH IRAN
Despite differences between Russia and the United States over Tehran's nuclear ambitions, Moscow nonetheless continues to move towards boosting economic ties with Iran. Moreover, the Kremlin remains keen to strengthen its partnership with Tehran. At a meeting in Moscow with the visiting Secretary of the... MORE
THE BUSH-PUTIN MEETING: SOFTLY, SOFTLY
As President George W. Bush heads to Bratislava for tomorrow's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the rhetoric among commentators in both Moscow and Washington has led to some speculation about a radical shift in U.S.-Russian relations. However, all the signs over the past week... MORE
YUKOS-MENATEP EXECS TESTIFY BEFORE CONGRESS
The U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations held a hearing yesterday (February 17) on "Democracy in Retreat in Russia." The star witnesses were Steven Theede, the embattled Yukos oil company's chief executive officer, and Tim Osborne, a member of the board of directors of Group... MORE