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Latest Articles about Middle East
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The IS Economy: Will Losing Territory Cripple Islamic State?
Two recent offensives against Islamic State (IS) in Syria have forced the group further south, squeezing its so-called caliphate into a small pocket of territory between the Syrian and the Iraqi border. More crucially, these two successful operations — one undertaken by the Syrian Democratic... MORE
Top Badr Commander Named Iraqi Interior Minister: The Ascension of Qasim al-Araji
On January 30, Qasim al-Araji, a prominent member of the Iran-backed Badr organization, was appointed to be interior minister of Iraq (al-Arabiya, January 30). As a member of the parliament and a Shia militia field commander, Mr. al-Araji is well known for his anti-U.S. views—though... MORE
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From Sochi to the Sahel: Russia’s Expanding Footprint
Like New York City, Russian diplomacy seemingly never sleeps. Last week, President Vladimir Putin conducted a series of mini summits in Sochi on consolidating a postwar order in Syria and about taking a giant step forward in Sudan. During Putin’s first meetings on Syria, on... MORE
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High-Technology Set to Dominate Russia’s Rearmament Program
Russia’s General Staff has stated that the active phase of its involvement in combat operations in Syria is drawing to a close, without any hint that this might involve withdrawing its forces or even entirely ceasing to conduct airstrikes. The complexity of the emerging post-conflict... MORE
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Malhama Tactical Threatens to Put China in its Crosshairs
In early August 2017, Malhama Tactical, an unusual militant group operating in Syria and sometimes labelled the “Blackwater of jihad,” issued a statement in which it hinted at a planned expansion into China and alluded to the experiences of China’s Uighur population in the western... MORE
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No Exit for Saudi Arabia: The Kingdom’s War in Yemen
It has been more than two and half years since Saudi Arabia began its war in Yemen. The campaign named “Operation Decisive Storm” was supposed to be a short, sharp operation to defeat — or at least cow — Yemen’s Houthi rebels and reinstall its... MORE
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Briefs
Yemen: Saudi Arabia Takes Aim at Hezbollah Yemen’s Houthi rebels fired a long-range missile targeting the Saudi capital of Riyadh on November 4. The missile, apparently destined for King Khalid International Airport, was intercepted, but it nonetheless marks an escalation in the quagmire of Saudi... MORE
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Russia in Syria: Life After the Islamic State
The fall of the main Islamic State (IS) strongholds in Syria challenges Moscow to become more focused on the political process of conflict settlement. Nevertheless, recent diplomatic moves made by Moscow appear rather muddled at first glance. On the one hand, Russian President Vladimir Putin... MORE
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Declaring Victory in Syria, Putin Stands to Lose the Elusive Peace
The meeting of three presidents—Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and Iran’s Hassan Rouhani—in Sochi last Wednesday (November 22), was supposed to mark a triumph for Russian foreign policy. But instead, the trilateral summit sent confusing signals and left mixed feelings. A day before... MORE
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Hezbollah’s Drone Program Sets Precedents for Non-State Actors
On the afternoon of September 19, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) launched from an airstrip near the Syrian capital of Damascus flew into the demilitarized zone that separates the Syrian-controlled area of the Golan Heights from that which is controlled by Israel. The Israeli military... MORE