Latest Articles about Middle East
WILL RUSSIA BE ABLE TO SUSTAIN ITS OIL PRODUCTION AT CURRENT LEVELS?
In his inaugural remarks, the new Russian President Dmitry Medvedev stated that the country had sufficient resources to pursue its dynamic economic development. This optimistic statement came, however, against a background of continued debates about whether Russia could sustain its current production levels of crude... MORE
OLD WEAPONS ON RED SQUARE
On May 5 a dress rehearsal for the military parade to be held on Red Square on May 9 paralyzed traffic for many hours in central Moscow, as tanks and missile launchers moved through the city. This was a full dress rehearsal with up to... MORE
EXPERTS PONDER THE FUTURE OF THE NEW RULING DIARCHY
With Dmitry Medvedev having been sworn in as Russia’s new president and outgoing President Vladimir Putin poised to take up the role of prime minister and leader of the ruling United Russia party, Russian observers continue to ponder the prospects for the new Medvedev-Putin diarchy.... MORE
Turkish Airstrikes Drive Home Foreign Policy in Northern Iraq
Turkey appears to be using a two-pronged approach in its continuing efforts to drive the militant Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) from its refuges in northern Iraq. Following raids and incursions by Turkish land forces, Turkey’s air force is now driving home points being made in... MORE
HOW MUCH WILL EUROPE MATTER FOR MEDVEDEV?
The anguish in the Kremlin corridors as the hyper-presidential system of power is being reformatted into an experimental two-headed form is hard to overestimate. Just a few days before the inauguration of a new and still very un-presidential leader and the demotion of the still... MORE
NEWSPAPER REPORTS ALL KEY POWERS WILL SHIFT TO THE WHITE HOUSE
Gazeta reported on May 5 that it had learned the structure and personnel make-up of the cabinet that Vladimir Putin will head as prime minister starting on May 8, the day after Dmitry Medvedev is inaugurated as president. According to the paper, outgoing Prime Minister... MORE
RUSSIA REINFORCES FORCES IN ABKHAZIA AS A POSSIBILITY OF ARMED CONFLICT LOOMS
On April 29 the Russian Foreign Ministry accused Georgia of concentrating forces and weapons in the upper part of the Kodori Gorge in Abkhazia. An official foreign ministry communiqué stated, "More than 1,500 Georgian army and police personnel are already in the Kodori Gorge." According... MORE
Confronting the Sadrists: The Issue of State and Militia in Iraq
On April 26, Iraqi Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr stood down from his threat to wage an all-out war against the Iraqi government and the coalition. A week before, the anti-American cleric had issued a statement threatening to declare an open war if the security crackdown... MORE
Susurluk and the Legacy of Turkey’s Dirty War
On April 23 the Turkish Council of State ordered former Interior Minister Mehmet Agar to stand trial for allegedly “forming a criminal organization” in the dirty war against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) during the 1990s, a period most Turks refer to as the “Susurluk”... MORE
Turkey and Pakistan Cooperate on Counter-Terrorism Efforts
Facing well-entrenched insurgencies and numerous acts of terrorism, Turkey and Pakistan have initiated cooperative efforts to increase their security in the face of these threats. Following a two-day, high-level official visit to Pakistan by Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan, the two nations announced “strategic” cooperation... MORE