Latest Articles about Middle East
KREMLIN REVISES COSTS FOR EXPENSIVE SOUTH STREAM PROJECT
On July 29, the Russian government made public a hefty increase in its cost estimate of Gazprom’s South Stream pipeline project. Russian Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko reevaluated the cost at $20 billion, and stated that even this figure is an interim one, pending another financial... MORE
RUSSIAN OFFICIALS AND MEDIA HAIL DEAL CEDING ISLANDS TO CHINA
Russia moved to finalize its border arrangements with China in an apparent bid to prop up its bilateral “strategic partnership.” On July 21, Russia and China signed an agreement that finally settled the demarcation of their 4,300-kilometer (2,672-mile) border, the longest land frontier in the... MORE
RUSSIAN CORRUPTION: AN EVIL TO ERADICATE OR A NECESSARY “LUBRICANT”?
Russia’s political class is continuing to debate the issue of corruption, with some observers again expressing doubts that President Dmitry Medvedev’s anti-corruption drive will succeed where past efforts failed (see EDM, June 11 and 25). A veteran crime fighter has even suggested that corruption has... MORE
Political Consensus Missing in Establishment of U.S. Military Bases in Iraqi Kurdistan
Recent reports suggest that the United States may establish long-term military bases in Iraqi Kurdistan. According to the Gulf News, “U.S. forces could be stationed permanently in Kurdistan as part of a long-term security agreement, top Kurdish political sources revealed... The Iraqi government and head... MORE
ECONOMIC FUNDAMENTALS ARE WORRISOME FOR THE MEDVEDEV-PUTIN “TANDEMOCRACY”
The experimental power-sharing construct in Russia with authoritative Vladimir Putin as prime minister and very active Dmitri Medvedev as president has been working remarkably smooth so far, as the two leaders have been extra careful to avoid any incoherence in their performance. The presidential administration... MORE
PUTIN’S ATTACK ON MECHEL – ANOTHER SILOVIKI POWER PLAY?
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin last week accused the Russian coal and steel producer Mechel of price-fixing and made a veiled threat against the company’s owner, Igor Zyuzin. Critics say Putin’s comments, which caused the value of Mechel’s shares to plummet 33 percent, show that despite... MORE
PKK Kidnappings an Isolated Initiative or a New European Strategy?
The seizure in eastern Turkey on July 8 of three German mountaineers by a unit of the People’s Defense Force (HPG), the armed wing of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), was the first time in more than a decade that the organization had kidnapped Western... MORE
RUSSIAN OFFICIALS AND CHAVEZ TALK OF MILITARY BASES IN THE CARIBBEAN
Moscow officials hinted through the media on July 21 that Russian Tu-160 and Tu-95 strategic bombers, armed with nuclear-tipped long-range X-55 cruise missiles, may be deployed on Cuba, as an asymmetric response to the planned US deployments of missile defense systems in Europe. The bombers... MORE
Was Alleged al-Qaeda Attack a Failed Attempt to Occupy the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul?
The July 9 attack on the U.S. consulate in Istanbul refocused international attention on al-Qaeda’s Turkish branch. Three attackers and three police officers died in the ensuing gun battle. Unlike al-Qaeda’s trademark bomb attacks, this assault took the form of a gun battle. If it... MORE
Moroccan Crackdown on Salafiya Jihadiya Recruitment of Fighters for Iraq
For the third time this year, Morocco has announced the dismantling of a terrorist group. The latest operation occurred only a few months after the complex Belliraj affair in February and the arrest of a cell in May suspected of plotting attacks in Morocco and... MORE