APS Diplomat Strategic Balance in the Middle East

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The Challenges Of Terrorism - Iraq, Part 48 - A Turkish-US Role In The North.
Turkey, Iraq's central government, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the US are establishing a joint operation centre in the Kurdish capital of Erbil. In this centre, the four parties will . . .

Turkey's Initiative.
Seeking a major role in the GME, Turkey has forged a new model of co-operation with Iraq and the region's other countries. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Aug. 11 told reporters - on his . . .

The Syria-Iran Factor.
PM Nuri al-Maleki on Aug. 18 went to Damascus where he met with President Assad and PM Muhammad Naji al-Utari. He also met with the leaders of predominantly Sunni Arab tribes, including the head of . . .

Big Insurgent Attacks.
In the worst of the daily attacks since US forces on June 30 withdrew from the cities, six co-ordinated bombings in Baghdad on Aug. 19 killed over 100 people and wounded 563 others. It was yet anoth . . .

The Challenges Of Terrorism - Iraq, Part 47 - The Lebanon, Kurds & Iran Factors.
Developments in Lebanon, Kurdistan in the north, and Iran are having different effects on the challenges of terrorism in Iraq and the challenges being faced by the country's central government in Ba . . .

Differences & Similarities Between Iraq & Lebanon.
The GME is the region where the world's strongest powers have staked a great deal of their bargaining positions in geo-strategic terms. Lebanon and Iraq will be at the heart of the bargaining games . . .

The Kurdish & Nabucco Gas Factors.
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) enjoys the support of the US, particularly that of Vice-President Joseph Biden's faction which includes the powerful Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and ot . . .

The Nabucco Pact.
The July 13 the Nabucco consortium agreement was signed in Ankara by PM Erdo?an and his counterparts from Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania. EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, PM Male . . .

Iran & Syria Back Baghdad On Kirkuk.
Earlier in July, Iran and Syria got Shi'ite and Sunni Arabs in Kirkuk to unify their efforts to create a political front, aimed at countering KRG ambitions in the oil-rich area ahead of forthcoming . . .

The Challenges Of Terrorism - Iraq, Part 46 - The Focus On Iran's WuF.
With Iraq's Shi'ite PM Nuri al-Maleki embarked on meaningful political reforms aimed at shifting the process from "consensus democracy", which is close to toralitarian rule, to real democracy where . . .

War Between A Shark & A Crocodile And Its Global Watchers.
"The Shark" and "The Crocodile" are the names of two powerful men in Iran now engaged in a latent war which will decide the fate of WuF. The real names of these two men will be revealed later on in . . .

The Challenges Of Terrorism - Iraq, Part 45 - Reforms & Corruption.
Iraq's Shi'ite PM Nuri al-Maleki is embarked on meaningful political reforms aimed at shifting the process from "consensus democracy", which is close to toralitarian rule, to real democracy where th . . .

IRAQ - Dealing With Corruption, Violence & Reforms.
For the time being, Maleki is preoccupied with a series of corruption scandals which may have serious implications for his political base ahead of crucial parliamentary elections to be held in Janua . . .

Iraqi Forces Are Too Weak.
The Christian Science Monitor on May 22 quoted US Brig Gen Steven Salazar as saying of a rescreening of Iraq's 253,000 soldiers: "They're finding about 24% are not qualified... A very small number o . . .

Maleki's Powers To Change.
In the post-Saddam political leadership, the PM is the highest executive authority, and Maleki is aided by two deputy PMs: one Sunni, Salam al-Zowba'i, in charge of security; and one Kurdish, Barham . . .

Maleki's Overtures To Ba'thists & Douri's Message.(Nuri al-Maliki, 'Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri)
On the same day as Obama arrived in Iraq, Maleki's Shi'ite National Dialogue Minister Akram al-Hakim landed in Cairo to meet with former Ba'thists and ex-officers from the Iraqi army in exile. He ha . . .

The Challenges Of Terrorism - Iraq, Part 43 - The Kurdish Question.
A new issue is adding to the numerous problems of Iraq: whether or not the next head of the Iraqi Republic will be a Kurd, as President Jalal Talabani does not want to have a second term when the cu . . .

Kurds Warns On Oil Contracts, But See Exports Soon.
The KRG's Minister of Natural Resources, Dr Ashti Hawrami, on March 16 warned international oil companies (IOCs) against signing deals with Baghdad on fields in territory the Kurds claim. He said th . . .

Obama Visiting Turkey.(Barack Obama)
President Obama has chosen to make his first state visit abroad to be to Turkey, a Sunni democracy which he sees as a good model for the Muslim world. He is due to arrive in Ankara on April 6. It is . . .

Maleki Forging Alliance With Secular Leaders.
PM Maleki has allied himself with Saleh al-Mutlaq, an outspoken secular Sunni leader in several provinces and broached a coalition with former PM Iyad 'Allawi - a secular Shi'ite opposed to Iranian . . .

The Challenges Of Terrorism - Iraq, Part 42 - Syria Is Not Changing Behaviour.
Syria's Ambassador to Washington 'Imad Mustafa on Feb. 25 had talks at the State Department with acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman, a former ambassador to . . .

Kuwaiti FM Visits.(foreign minister Shaikh Muhammad al-Sabah)(Brief article)
Visiting Baghdad, Kuwaiti Foreign Minister and Deputy PM Shaikh Muhammad al-Sabah on Feb. 26 had talks with PM Nuri al-Maleki and other leaders. This was the highest-level Kuwaiti visit since Saddam . . .

The Hariri Case.(Rafiq Hariri)
Another link to the long chain of events from the 1974 Golan deal is the case of former Lebanese PM Rafiq Hariri, who was assassinated on Feb. 14, 2005, and both the Obama administration and Sarkozy . . .

Obama's Withdrawal Plan.(Barack Obama's Iraqi troop withdrawal strategy)
Addressing Marines at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, President Obama on Feb. 27 said the US had now "begun the work of ending this war" in Iraq, as he announced the withdrawal of most American comb . . .

The Challenges Of Terrorism - Iraq, Part 41 - US Is Also Using The Taqiyah.
At-taqiyah, which in the Muslim world means to deceive or lie and many other things, is being used extensively in Iraq, Iran and elsewhere. Even the US is using its own version of it among the rival . . .

Iraq's Provincial Elections & Moves Into Secularism.
The first test, however, will be Iraq's provincial polls due on Jan. 31. The outcome of this election will help set the course for the future of Iraq. Iraq's Shi'ite PM Nuri al-Maliki is building up . . .

Neo-Salafi Bomber Kills Many Maliki Allies.
Over 25 tribal Arab leaders meeting at the house of senior Sunni tribal Shaikh Muhammad 'Abdullah Saleh al-Qaraghuli to discuss national reconciliation efforts and backing PM Maliki's ICs on Jan. 2 . . .

The Basra Factor.
Ten months after Maliki sent troops to restore calm to the blighted city of Basra in the south, the Jan. 31 election will test whether he can convert his military successes into a lasting political . . .

The Challenges Of Terrorism - Iraq, Part 40 - Al-Qaeda Is On The Run.
A combination of concentrated, US-aided attacks and joint American-Iraqi efforts to rebuild Iraq from the bottom up is causing the Qaeda-led Neo-Salafi insurgent groups to be on the run. They are be . . .

Syria Against But Iran Silent On SOFA.
Iraq's Council of Representatives (parliament) on Nov. 27 approved the SOFA but Syria immediately declared itself strongly opposed to the accord, while Iran gave indications Tehran was having a diff . . .

US Sees Neo-Salafi Groups In Decline & Liberal Iran.
A new 121-page report - "Global Trends 2025, A Transformed World" - from the US National Intelligence Council (NIC) concludes that the Neo-Salafi movement will be in definite decline as it has no co . . .

The SOFA Debate.
With a substantial majority, parliament on Nov. 27 finally approved the SOFA, after accepting Sunni Arab demands to make it dependent on a referendum but rejecting other conditions. The once-dominan . . .

Qaeda Hits Shi'ite Mosque, Killing 12 & Sunni Shaikh Backs The SOFA.
A Qaeda suicide bomber wearing an explosives-packed vest on Nov. 28 killed 12 people and wounded 17 others in the main Shi'ite mosque in the town of Musayeb, near the city of Hilla 60 km south of Ba . . .

The Challenges Of Terrorism - Iraq, Part 39 - Iran, Syria & Turkey.
The US military and diplomats in Iraq this week were functioning as if they will be staying in this country and keep dealing with the challenges of terrorism in the coming years. In the same time, t . . .

Barzani Meets Bush As Baghdad Wants SOFA Changes.(Mas'oud Barzani, George W. Bush and the status of forces agreement)
Kurdistan President Mas'oud Barzani on Oct. 29 met with President George W. Bush at the White House. Both Barzani and his ally, Iraq's Kurdish President Jalal Talabani, are strong supporters of a lo . . .

Waset Handed To Iraqis.(Brief article)
The US military on Oct. 29 handed responsibilities for the predominantly Shi'ite south-eastern province of Waset over to the Iraqi authorities. This was done at a ceremony held in Waset which was th . . .

US Report Lists 310 Private Security Contractors.
A report by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, an independent US federal agency, reveals that at least 310 private security companies from around the world have received contract . . .

Iraqi Military Ordered To Keep Out Of Politics.
Iraq's Sunni Defence Minister 'Abdul-Qader Muhammad Jasem on Oct. 30 told a news conference all his ministry's employees to the lowliest soldiers will have to sign a pledge they will not run for pol . . .

The Challenges Of Terrorism - Iraq, Part 38 - Lessons For The GME.(Greater Middle East)
The US, and through it the NATO powers and their allies, have learned a great deal from the American occupation of Iraq since late March 2003. One key lesson for the US out of its presence in Iraq, . . .

Baghdad Takes Control Of Acs.(Awakening Council)
In a high-stakes test for the US strategy to pacify the country, the Iraqi authorities on Oct. 1 began assuming control of the ACs in the Baghdad region, involving about 54,000 members. US officials . . .

The Risks.
The most important lesson is whether or not the US will manage to democratise Iraq - by far the most critical test for American credibility in the GME. The New York Times on Oct. 2 said: "The dust s . . .

IRAQ - The Challenges Of Terrorism - Part 37 - Partition Dangers Return.
The dangers of Iraq's partition - hence a worsening of the challenges of terrorism in this part of the world - have returned as a result of three new developments: (1) the choice of Senator Joseph B . . .

Obama's Energy Policy.
The Obama campaign has issued a six-point national energy plan focused on conservation and boosting domestic production of both conventional and alternative sources of fuel. The Obama camp wants to . . .

Focus On Afghanistan & Pakistan.
Both Obama and Biden believe the dangers to US interests in Afghanistan and Pakistan are more serious than the ones in Iraq, while McCain believes Iraq remains central to American's efforts to stabi . . .

Neo-Salafis Fight Back.
A Qaeda suicide bomber on Aug. 26 blew himself up in a crowd of Iraqi police recruits in the town of Jalawla in Diyala, killing 28 people and wounding 45. It was the biggest attack for weeks in Iraq . . .

Maliki & Talabani Say US Pull-Out Deadline Agreed.(Nouri al-Maliki and Jalal Talabani)
Maliki on Aug. 25 insisted that the Bush administration had agreed to withdraw all US troops from Iraq by end-2011, while the White House denied there was such an agreement. President Talabani, in t . . .

Who's Biden.
Stephen Zunes, a professor of politics and chair of Middle Eastern studies at the University of San Francisco, is critical of Obama's running mate, recalling that Biden was "one of the leading congr . . .

IRAQ - The Challenges Of Terrorism - Iraq, Part 36 - The Lebanon Factor.
There is a dangerous inter-dependence of developments in Lebanon and Iraq. Against those in Iraq who warn that threats of partition emanating from conflicts between Sunni and Shi'ite Arabs and betwe . . .

IRAQ - The Lebanese Situation.
In Lebanon, the hottest point of conflict is the fate of the country being ruled as a single state in control over such crucial decisions as war or peace or a country in which Hizbullah as a state m . . .

The Iranian Challenge To Baghdad.
Britain withdrew from the Persian Gulf in 1971, leaving behind a security vacuum which only the regime of Shah Mohammad-Reza Pahlavi could fill. With America's support, Iran under the shah became th . . .