Section: Non-Middle East media focused on Middle East
Sanctions against Russia Must Remain, Ukraine’s Poroshenko Says
Sanctions against Russia Must Remain, Ukraine’s Poroshenko Says Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko pressed the West, on Monday, to preserve sanctions against Russia over its support to militants in the east of the country. At a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin, Poroshenko said that “sanctions against...
Opinion: Syria – a Study in International Cynicism
If all goes well, the latest diplomatic manoeuvre on Syria will take place sometime this month. However, what one can expect from the forthcoming session which is unanimously endorsed by the United Nations Security Council, is far from certain. The first thing to know about the proposed diplomatic exercise is that it is only tangentially related...
Angela Merkel to Receive Four Freedoms Awards
German Chancellor Angela Merkel (AP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been named as this year’s recipient of a prestigious international award, with organizers lauding her “great moral leadership” in Germany and pivotal role in tackling the crises buffeting Europe. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been named as this year’s...
Opinion: Impressions from a Gulf Visit
The famous quote “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics” attributed to Benjamin Disraeli and Mark Twain among others may not sound true now as it used to in the past; statistics, as a science, has advanced a lot since then. Thus, it may be beneficial to take seriously some predictions made based on surveys conducted by...
French immigration to Israel at all-time high
Language Undefined Immigration to Israel in 2015 expected to hit a 15-year high amid an influx of Jews from France, Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, from North America …read more Source: Middle East...
Opinion: Syria – a Poisoned Gift for Putin and Erdogan
As might have been expected, the crisis in relations between Moscow and Ankara has dominated regional politics since the Turks downed a Russian warplane close to the Syrian border. Russian President Vladimir Putin clearly believes that the Turks shot his plane as part of a plot by NATO to warn Moscow against throwing is weight around. For his...
Opinion: The Risks of Having Giant Friends
Right now no one could know where the Russian intervention in Syria might end. Entering a war is often easy and getting out always difficult. However, if history provides any indication, the kind of intervention we now witness in Syria has seldom achieved its stated objectives. If the mood music from Moscow is to be trusted, the Russian objective...
Opinion: The Ayatollah dreamed it, Obama delivers it
The late Ayatollah Khomeini dreamed it; President Barack Obama is trying to deliver it: the end of Pax Americana. The topic was at the center of a daylong seminar in Tehran last week attended by ambassadors from Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, Nicaragua and Venezuela, plus a number of Islamic Iranian officials and scholars. The five Latin American...
Opinion: The US–Russian Quagmire in the Middle East
During last Thursday’s US Senate hearing tackling military and political affairs, those present unanimously agreed that by interfering in Syria, Russia has become a growing danger to the United States in terms of influence and interests. They also agreed that Russia is posing a threat to the security of the Middle East. One of the experts...
Russia backs Syrian forces in major assault on insurgents
In this photo made from the footage taken from Russian Defense Ministry official web site on Wednesday, October 7, 2015, a Russian navy ship launches a cruise missile in the Caspian Sea. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)Beirut, Reuters—Syrian troops and militia backed by Russian warplanes mounted what appeared to be their first...
