
Latest Articles about Middle East

Bitter US-Russian Standoff in Syria—More Hot Words Than Real Harm
A series of military incidents involving the United States, Russia, and their allies in Syria and the Baltic region have additionally hurt already strained US-Russian relations. As sign of its acute displeasure, Moscow canceled high-level talks between Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov and US... MORE

After Raqqa: The Challenges Posed by Syria’s Tribal Networks
As the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) approach the northern suburbs of Raqqa, the long-running policy debate over the advisability of using as a primary U.S. partner a militia that is dominated by the People’s Protection Units (YPG), has reached fever pitch. Dire warnings have been... MORE

Yemen: A Dangerous Regional Arms Bazaar
Yemen is the second most heavily armed country in the world after the United States. Before the current civil war began, there were an estimated 54 guns for every 100 residents. [1] Now, the number of small and medium arms in the country is far... MORE

Mess in the Middle East Opens Few Opportunities for Russia
Russia’s best chances to claim a prominent role in the Middle East usually come amidst a regional escalation of tensions. But the confluence of diplomatic rows, terrorist attacks and air strikes at the start of June did not exactly play into Moscow’s hands. As usual,... MORE

Russia’s Syria Resupply Route Through the Turkish Straits: Vulnerable to Terrorist Attack?
Since Moscow’s military intervention in the Syrian civil war began in September 2015, a key element of Russian logistical support for its forces has been a maritime supply route deployed from southern Russian Black Sea ports via the Turkish Straits to Syria. This supply train,... MORE

Russia a Fair-Weather Friend for Syria’s Kurds
In the kaleidoscopic, ever-shifting array of factions that characterize the Syrian civil war, allegiances can shift in surprising ways. Nowhere is this more evident than in the relationship between Russia and the Kurds. In theory, the two sides should be diametrically opposed. Moscow is heavily... MORE
Islamic State’s Man in Sinai: A Post-Mortem Profile of Abu Anas al-Ansari al-Saynawi
On April 2, 2017, the Egyptian military announced that 19 senior militants of the Islamic State (IS) wilayat (province) of Sinai had been killed in a series of airstrikes that took place on March 18 in the restive northern Sinai Peninsula. [1] Among the militants... MORE

Collapse of Russian Shipping in the Caspian Puts Moscow’s Regional Strategy at Risk
Since the start of 2017, the amount of cargo passing through Russian ports on the Caspian Sea has fallen, compared to last year, by 48.4 percent to only 1.1 million tons, according to the Russian Ports Association. This figure is striking given that Russian ports... MORE

The Battle for Yemen: A Quagmire for Saudi Arabia and the UAE
The Saudi- and Emirati-led war in Yemen has been ongoing for 26 months. The war, which began on March 26, 2015 and was ambitiously named “Operation Decisive Storm,” has achieved none of its stated intentions (al-Arabiya, March 26, 2015). The primary aim was the reinstallation... MORE

The Dangerous Implications of Raising the Kurdish Flag in Kirkuk
In recent weeks, the already complicated politics around the Iraqi city of Kirkuk have been further inflamed by the decision of Kirkuk Governor Najmaddin Karim to raise the flag of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) over government buildings in the city (Rudaw, March 28). The... MORE