Latest Articles about Middle East
U.S. GREEN LIGHTS RUSSIAN WTO MEMBERSHIP, SEEKS AGREEMENT ON IRAN
Last July, just before the G-8 summit in St. Petersburg, Russian Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin told reporters that Washington and Moscow had reached a deal on Russian membership in the World Trade Organization and that a final bilateral agreement would be signed during the summit... MORE
PUTIN-LUKASHENKA MEETING SHATTERS
As anticipated (see EDM, November 8), Belarus President Alexander Lukashenka’s meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow on November 10 ended in disagreement on the full range of issues discussed. In a highly unusual move, the Kremlin kept the publicity down to near-zero... MORE
COULD CORRUPTION BE GOOD FOR RUSSIA?
The new Corruption Perception Index, published by Transparency International last week, put Russia in 121st place together with nine other states, including the Philippines and Rwanda. This ranking is one group above Azerbaijan but one group below Kazakhstan and three groups below Ukraine and Georgia... MORE
RUSSIA’S LONG-TERM EXPORT STRATEGY FOR ASIA REMAINS CHINA-ORIENTED
Russian gas leaders have reiterated pledges to prioritize China in their long-term oil export programs for Asia, as Moscow seemingly plans to direct the bulk of its Asian-bound crude to the lucrative Chinese market. And even before its own pipeline to the Pacific and China... MORE
KREMLIN CONTINUES ATTEMPTS TO DIVIDE EUROPE
Trying to create a rift within the European Union, Russia wants the international community to condemn some of the bloc’s new members that allegedly discriminate against certain categories of their own population. According to analysts, big-time geopolitics, including the extremely sensitive issue of energy security,... MORE
Jihadi Forums Tune into History Channel for Counter-Terrorism Intelligence
Recent chatter on jihadi websites has focused on monitoring the counter-terrorism strategies of the United States and its allies in the global war on terrorism. Jihadi websites and forums are studying and translating the texts of Western analysts who assess current counter-terrorism efforts. The jihadis... MORE
THE RUSSIAN MARCH THAT WASN’T: MOSCOW AVOIDS A HOLIDAY POGROM
Political life in Russia, normally tightly controlled, last week focused on an event that was not ordered or sponsored by the authorities. The “Russian march,” a series of rallies planned for Saturday, November 4, by several nationalist organizations, motley extremist groupings, and a few State... MORE
SCRAMBLE FOR EURASIAN ENERGY RESOURCES INTENSIFIES
As their perspectives on energy security continue to diverge, the Kremlin and Western powers appear to be engaged in a fierce competition over Eurasia’s enormous hydrocarbon resources. At the heart of the great energy game lies Moscow’s intent to preserve its monopoly over fuel transit... MORE
GAZPROM TIGHTENS CONTROL OVER FAR EASTERN GAS RICHES
Gazprom has moved to expand its clout in Russia's Far East and Eastern Siberia. At a meeting with Exxon Neftegaz on October 24, Gazprom officials reportedly insisted on buying all gas from the Sakhalin-1 project instead of using it for joint exports to China. Gazprom... MORE
Al-Qaeda’s Caucasian Foot Soldiers
In the West, Islamic terrorism is a threat traditionally associated with Middle Eastern men whose faces are easily perceived as "alien" and who present a suitable profile around which to organize law enforcement monitoring. Recent events have again shown that this profile is outdated. The... MORE