Latest Articles about Middle East
Houthi Offensive in Marib Represents Dual Threat to Yemeni Government
The oil-rich governorate of Marib has increasingly become the focal point of the war in Yemen as the Houthis’ determination to take control of the strategic governorate has intensified over the past several months. Marib is the last remaining stronghold in the north for Yemen’s... MORE
Will Egypt Send Troops to Libya?
On July 20, the Egyptian Parliament authorized the deployment of Egyptian armed forces outside of the country. The bill made no mention of Libya (Arab News, July 21). Nonetheless, the authorization serves as a proverbial shot across the bow for Turkey and Qatar, which support... MORE
Armenian Resettlement From Lebanon to the Occupied Territories of Azerbaijan Endangers Peace Process
On August 25, the Armenian media announced the arrival of two ethnic-Armenian families from Beirut, Lebanon, to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan (Asbarez, August 25). This was declared part of Yerevan’s assistance programs to Lebanon’s Armenian community. The wider initiative specifically includes a plan to... MORE
Is Turkey’s New Gas Discovery in the Black Sea a Game Changer?
In mid-August, Turkey officially announced the discovery of a massive, 320-billion-cubic-meter (bcm) natural gas field in the Black Sea, in an exploration zone called “Tuna-1” (TRT World, August 21). The news was met with some skepticism from energy experts, notably in the Middle East (Arab... MORE
Russia’s Kavkaz 2020: International Participation and Regional Security Implications
Despite some disruptions to this year’s military training schedule caused by the COVID-19 pandemic (see EDM, April 21, 22), the Russian Armed Forces are preparing to hold their annual capstone strategic-operational exercise on September 15–26. “Kavkaz 2020” (“Caucasus 2020”) will feature large-scale drills spread across... MORE
Azerbaijani President Rebukes Putin Over Russian Military Cargo Deliveries to Armenia
The Kremlin’s website reported, on August 12, that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev had initiated a phone call to congratulate Vladimir Putin on the Russian vaccine against COVID-19 and to discuss bilateral issues. The next day, however, in a wholly unprecedented move, Aliyev’s press service sharply... MORE
The Shadowy Leader of the PMU Confronting the U.S. in Iraq—Abdul-Aziz al-Muhammadawi
On February 21, leaders of the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU)—the official umbrella group of Iraq’s Shia-dominated militias—announced that they had agreed to appoint Abdul Aziz al-Muhammadawi as the chief of staff of their organization (al-Mayadeen, February 20). Al-Muhammadawi (a.k.a. Abu Fadak) has been a shadowy... MORE
Ibrahim Sadr: The Hardline Former Military Chief Maintaining Influence Over the Taliban
In early May, the Taliban announced the appointment of Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob, son of its founder-leader Mullah Mohammed Omar and deputy to its current amir (leader) Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada, as chief of its military commission. Ibrahim Sadr, who Yaqoob replaced, and Abdul Qayyum Zakir would... MORE
The Strategic Implications of Chinese UAVs: Insights from the Libyan Conflict
Introduction In recent years, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has emerged as a leading producer of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) platforms for both commercial and military use, and its technologies are being used in unprecedented ways. For example, as the COVID-19 pandemic began to... MORE
