Iran: return to Empire?

marzo 11

Ali Younesi, asesor del presidente Rouhani para minorías étnicas y religosas, ha negado que abogara por el retorno a los itempos del viejo Imperio persa cuando sugirió la conveniencia de alguna forma de unión «histórica y cultural» entre diversos países del Asia Central, tales como Tayikistán, Afganistán, Irán e Irak. Sin embargo, cuando el río […]

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With Russia in Middle East, China Claims Central Asia

octubre 05

Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks with his Kazakh counterpart Nursultan Nazarbayev after being awarded an honorary Doctorate from Nazarbayev University in Astana. ©AFP With Russia in Middle East, China Claims Central Asia By  Zachary Keck, The Diplomat, October 2, 2013 Russia’s Middle East policy is all the rage these days. An article in the Washington Post on Tuesday notes […]

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Turkey’s Influence Divides Yemenis

septiembre 19

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu and Yemeni Prime Minister Mohammed Basindowa cut the red ribbon to inaugurate the Turkish International School in Sana’a. Turkey’s Influence Divides Yemenis Farea al-Muslimi, Al-Monitor, September 13, 2013 From the Sabaha region, which overlooks Sanaa from the west and constitutes a vital outlet to the port of Al-Hudaydah on the […]

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Vali Nasr: Obama and the Middle East

  Read about this book in: The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. In Spanish: «EEUU: exfuncionario revela enfrentamientos en gobierno por guerra en Afganistán» In conversation with Vali Nasr Mamdouh Al-Muhaini, Asharq Al-Awsat, July 3, 2013 Scholar and former diplomat says Obama is wrong to neglect the Middle East, and his foreign policy […]

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Flash Point in the Eastern Mediterranean

The guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey (CG 61) transits the Suez Canal.- Navy Live Flash Point in the Eastern Mediterranean Will conflict in the Middle East trigger the next great power war? James Stavridis, Foreign Policy, July 19, 2013 This is not a new crisis. The Greek poet Constantine Cavafy lived and wrote in Egypt a […]

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Qatari Military Officers Supplied Chemical Weapons to Syria Insurgents

Jabhat al-Nusrah fighter assassinates Alawite Shi’ites. Qatari Military Officers Supplied Chemical Weapons to Syria Insurgents. Turkey was Informed Christof Lehmann, nsnbc.me, Jun 22, 2013 Chemicals, which were used in a chemical weapons attack against Syrian civilians in the Khan al-Asal district of Aleppo in March 2013, have been delivered to the insurgents by two Qatari […]

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China Is Reaping Biggest Benefits of Iraq Oil Boom

An oil refinery in Basra, southeast of Baghdad, in which China has a stake. China has poured money and workers into Iraq. NABIL AL-JOURANI / Associated PressExxon Mobil China Is Reaping Biggest Benefits of Iraq Oil Boom By TIM ARANGO and CLIFFORD KRAUSS June 2, 2013 BAGHDAD — Since the American-led invasion of 2003, Iraq has become one of […]

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European Foreign Fighters in Syria

Ex-U.S. soldier Eric Harroun, of Phoenix, Arizona, who was arrested upon returning to the U.S. from Syria and who now faces charges of fighting alongside a group labeled as a terrorist organization by the U.S. government. / YOUTUBE. Read more: «At least 500 Europeans fighting with Syria rebels, study finds, stoking radicalization fears» European Foreign […]

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La desecación del Tigris y el Eúfrates

Cuenca del Tigris y el Eúfrates. Fuente: FAO Ojo con este notición que ha pasado desapercibido S. McCoy, Valor Añadido/Cotizalia, 13 de marzo, 2013 Saben ustedes que uno de los mayores focos de conflicto a nivel internacional es lo que se ha dado a conocer como Oriente Medio, que no sólo engloba a Israel, Siria, Jordania o […]

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What’s behind the conflict on the Korean Peninsula?

South Korean soldiers stand guard in fog at the truce village of Panmunjom in the demilitarized zone dividing North and South Korea (AFP Photo / Jung Yeon-Je) What’s behind the conflict on the Korean Peninsula? Alexei Fenenko, Valdai, April 19, 2013 This spring has been marked by an unprecedented escalation of tensions on the Korean […]

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Iraqi Kurds urge US neutrality in oil dispute

«Oil and Gas – Riches and Risks of Iraq’s Kurdish Autonomy», by Aygul Taghiyeva, August 7, 2012 Iraqi Kurds urge US neutrality in oil dispute Desmond Butler, The Associated Press,  April 12, 2013 WASHINGTON (AP) — Iraq’s northern Kurdish region is pressing the Obama administration to remain neutral in a sensitive dispute with the Iraqi central […]

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West embargoes arms to Syrian rebels over their resale to al Qaeda

An Arms Pipeline to the Syrian Rebels More than 160 military cargo flights for Syria’s rebels, mostly from Qatar and Saudi Arabia, have landed in Turkey and Jordan since January 2012. By Sergio Peçanha – The New York Times West embargoes arms to Syrian rebels over their resale to al Qaeda DEBKAfile Special Report, March 30, […]

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Korean nightmare: worst-case scenario

Korean nightmare: Experts ponder potential conflict By Andrew Salmon, for CNN March 27, 2013 Editor’s note: Andrew Salmon is a South Korea-based freelance journalist and author who has written two books on the Korean war. Below, he envisages a hypothetical, worst-case scenario of potential conflict on the Korean peninsula. CNN is not suggesting that war is imminent […]

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This Is What Air War Over North Korea Would Look Like

U.S. Air Force B-2 stealth bomber, center, flies over the Osan U.S. Air Base in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul, South Korea, March 28, 2013 This Is What Air War Over North Korea Would Look Like Why the U.S. sends stealth aircraft to Korean war games, and why it freaks out North Korea. Joe Pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, […]

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China and the BRICS: Unavoidable Hegemony?

China and the BRICS: Unavoidable Hegemony? By Zachary Keck, The Diplomat / China Power, March 29, 2013 As China’s relative economic growth has continued apace, its dominance within BRICS has become increasingly entrenched. Almost regardless of its intentions, China’s size and national power make it the unavoidable hegemon of BRICS. Yet the other member states distrust of […]

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Iran Viewpoint

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Photo: AFP Iran Viewpoint: Strategic Assessment Of Leader Of Iran’s Latest Remarks  By Mahdi Mohammadi, Iran Review — March 27, 2013 Two years ago, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was addressing the audience at a university in the United States. During that address, he noted that in his opinion, in the absence of […]

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The drone mania

When the Whole World Has Drones The precedents the U.S. has set for robotic warfare may have fearsome consequences as other countries catch up This article appeared in print as Standard Deviation Kristin Roberts, National Journal, 22 March, 2013 [An interview with the author] A slim aircraft glided through Israeli airspace, maintaining low altitude and taking a […]

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Heavy Metal Islam

This is not the Middle East that you know. Not the images we see on the national news and cable shows. Picture an eighteen-year-old Moroccan who loves Black Sabbath and Cannibal Corpse. A twenty-two-year-old rapper from the Gaza Strip. A young Lebanese singer who quotes Bob Marley’s «Redemption Song.» In Heavy Metal Islam (2008) Mark LeVine explores the […]

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MANPADs Proliferation in Syria

Syrian rebels teach us how to use SA-7 MANPADs Addressing the Challenge of MANPADS Proliferation Remarks Andrew J. Shapiro Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Political-Military Affairs Stimson Center Washington, DC February 2, 2012 Excerpts: «Today, I want to talk to you about our efforts to address the threat posed by shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missile systems, also known as […]

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