Latest Articles about Middle East
An Overview of Chinese Fighters and Anti-Chinese Militant Groups in Syria and Iraq
In July, Western media reported that China’s Middle East envoy, Ambassador Wu Sike, estimated that as many as 100 Chinese citizens are believed to be members of the Islamic State organization (previously known as Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Syria and Iraq (Xinhua, July 29). [1] While... MORE
China’s Silk Road Strategy: A Foothold in the Suez, But Looking To Israel
China plans to develop a Silk Road economic belt that spans the Eurasian continent and a maritime Silk Road that links the Pacific with the Indian Ocean. We can see on a map that the two Silk Roads will cross in the Middle East region,... MORE
The Islamic State’s Oil Network
The Islamic State, previously the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), has been a key focus of global attention for the past several months, becoming the number one terrorist target for the United States and its Western allies. [1] However, one of the remarkable... MORE
IS Spokesman Issues Appeal to End the Inter-Jihadist Rivalry
On September 29, jihadist media outlet al-Furqan published a message by Abu Muhammad al-Adnani al-Shami, the so-called spokesman of the Islamic State (formerly the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria – ISIS) and the amir of ISIS in Syria. This 41-minute audio message was posted... MORE
Situation of Circassian Refugees from Syria Reportedly Precarious in Karachaevo-Cherkessia
As civil war rages in Syria, Circassians there are trying to escape to other countries, but few of them have been able to return to their historical homeland in the North Caucasus. A handful of the Circassians ended up in Karachaevo-Cherkessia, where Circassians are the... MORE
Uzbekistan Seeks to Reinvigorate Its Diplomatic Clout in the Region (Part One)
Tashkent’s recent diplomatic efforts to serve and actively pursue its vital national interests may best be described by the mantra “a strategy is always square, but tactics are always round.” The attendance of the president of Uzbekistan, Islam Karimov, at the most recent summit of... MORE
Iran Courts Kazakhstan to Reengage With Central Asia
On September 9, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani paid his first official visit to Kazakhstan since taking office last August, when he succeeded the much abrasive Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. This visit took place against the backdrop of a new round of direct talks between Tehran and the... MORE
Rising through the Ranks: A Portrait of Jabhat al-Nusra’s Abu Malik al-Shami
Abu Malik al-Shami (a.k.a. Abu Malik al-Tala) is the commander of al-Qaeda affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra (JN – Victory Front) in Syria’s mountainous Qalamoun region on the Syrian-Lebanese border west of Damascus. Al-Shami’s faction of JN has become one of the most powerful armed opposition factions... MORE
Abu Muhammad al-Adnani: The Syrian Face of ‘Islamic State’
One of the major pieces of advice that jihadist ideologues have been giving their followers in the new areas where they are operating is to make local members leaders in order to reassure their local hosts and convince them to adopt their jihadist ideology. Abu... MORE
Fugitive Egyptian Militant Faisal Suliman Salma al-Mahsna Killed in Raid
In July, Egyptian security forces raided the house of Faisal Suliman Salma al-Mahsna, a leading jihadist, after failing to find him for eight months. Al-Mahsna, 38, was shot to death at his house in Ismaliya province after a 30-minute exchange of fire with police. He... MORE