Latest Articles about Middle East
The Hidden Hand of Iran in the Resurgence of Ansar al-Islam
Ansar al-Islam, an Islamic militant group based in the Kurdish mountains that briefly housed Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, was at the height of its power in 2002-2003. They controlled the areas of Bayarah and Tawilah along the Iranian border and operated with impunity. Yet, during the... MORE
PLAYING CATCH-UP WITH RUSSIA ON CASPIAN ENERGY TRANSIT
U.S. government officials are fanning out to the Caspian region after the signing of Russia’s monopolistic agreements on energy transit with three Central Asian countries and Austria in May (see EDM, May 14, 16, 17, 29, 31). Those agreements, mostly of intent, would kill the... MORE
KREMLIN, ABKHAZ, SOUTH OSSETIAN LEADERS DELIBERATELY AMBIVALENT ABOUT KOSOVO
Moscow is redoubling its rhetorical support for Serbia over Kosovo, ostensibly on the basis of the territorial-integrity principle, while backing its Abkhaz and South Ossetian protégés on the basis of the self-determination principle (as Moscow construes it). Russian President Vladimir Putin leads the charge on... MORE
RUSSIA STILL SEES WEST AS PRIMARY ENEMY
During an extended interview with Western and Russian journalists before this week’s G-8 summit in Germany, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that if U.S. missile defense elements are deployed in Europe, "We will be forced to take adequate steps in response." Putin elaborated: "New targets... MORE
RUSSIAN OIL PIPELINE SHUTOFF TO LITHUANIA: WIDER RAMIFICATIONS
Moscow’s closure of the oil pipeline to Lithuania in July 2006 “looked, sounded, and felt” (see EDM, August 3, 18, 2006) like political and economic retaliation against the privatization of Lithuania’s Mazeikiai refinery by Poland’s PKN Orlen, which had prevented a Russian takeover The Russian... MORE
Al-Qaeda’s American Recruit Releases Something Entirely New
As the 19th anniversary of al-Qaeda's founding nears later in 2007, Western analysts have accumulated an enormous body of primary-source material upon which to base judgments, assessments and predictions. While it is a truism to say that al-Qaeda is a "learning organization"—in the sense that... MORE
CASPIAN ENERGY PROJECTS: “TIME TO ADVANCE FROM TALKING TO ACTING”
Russia’s monopolistic agreements on energy transit, signed in rapid succession with three Central Asian countries and Austria (see EDM, May 14, 16, 17, 29, 31) sent yet another wake-up call in Washington, sending U.S. officials urgently to assess the situation in the Caspian region. The... MORE
ANTI-AMERICANISM IN PUTIN’S EUROPEAN MANEUVERING
Russian President Vladimir Putin has pursued a rather unconventional strategy preparing for the G-8 summit to be held in Heiligendamm, Germany, later this week. He held a series of meetings with the leaders of smaller European states that prefer to stay clear of the quarrels... MORE
NEW RUSSIAN MISSILES MAY REVEAL INTENT OF EAST-WEST PARTNERSHIP
This week Russian President Vladimir Putin once again expressed the Kremlin's utter rejection of U.S. plans to base missile defense units in Europe. Speaking at a joint press conference with visiting Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates, Putin announced, "We are against turning Europe into a... MORE
U.S., EU ENERGY POLICIES IN EURASIA COLLAPSE
Insofar as they existed since 2001 (on the part of the United States) or since 2006 (on the part of a come-lately EU), Western energy policies in Eurasia collapsed in May 2007. During this month, Russia seems to have conclusively defeated all Western-backed projects to... MORE