Recent Posts

Sudan, South Sudan resume trade activity

Following a 10-year hiatus, since the secession of South Sudan on July 9, 2011, the governments in Juba and Khartoum agreed to resume trade activity and cooperate on transport and security beginning in early October. As part of efforts to bolster peace between Sudan and South Sudan, the two governments …

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Lebanese energy plan includes Syria

A meeting of Jordanian, Egyptian, Lebanese and Syrian ministers seems to have cracked Syria’s isolation. Four Arab countries have agreed on a road map to supply Egyptian natural gas to Lebanon through Jordan and Syria during a ministerial meeting in Amman on Sept. 8. They also approved a plan to …

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Is Turkey’s export-driven growth sustainable?

Turkey’s industry remains heavily reliant on imported materials, meaning the country’s current account deficit problem persists despite a record increase in exports. A big uptick in exports was a major driver of the Turkish economy’s 21.7% growth rate in the second quarter, but how much Turkey could sustain the trend …

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Why has Turkey turned to Libya’s Gadhafi family?

Realizing that its current allies are not sufficient to secure Turkey’s interests in Libya, Ankara is now seeking to include Gadhafi family members into its calculus. Having loosened its close ties with the Muslim Brotherhood in a bid to normalize its relations with the major actors of the Arab world, …

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The Taliban’s Comeback Is a Conundrum for Iran

No one in the Iranian government was sad to see U.S. and NATO troops leave Afghanistan. In fact, Tehran would prefer to have the Taliban next-door than often-hostile Western powers. But Shiite-majority Iran has also been a target of attacks in the past from the Sunni Islamist Taliban, and it …

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China’s Gas Shortage Boosts Central Asia’s Role – Analysis

China’s growing demand for natural gas has been driving closer engagement with Turkmenistan, renewing questions about Russia’s role in Central Asia, once regarded as Moscow’s backyard. Soaring gas prices appear to be the main motivator behind China’s agreement to restart an unfinished and technically challenging project to drill three new …

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