Category: Middle East, North Africa

NEWSWATCH New York Times: “Discord Between Turkey and Russia Is Fueled by Leaders’ Similarities”

JRL NewsBlog, Middle East, North Africa, Military, Turkey

The New York Times considers Turkish-Russian relations in the aftermath of Turkey’s shoot-down of a Russian military aircraft, in the light of the two nation’s leaders, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Both men are often described as combative, uncompromising, nationalistic and authoritarian. Mr. Putin changed jobs to keep running his country, switching between the post of prime minister and […]

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NEWSWATCH Wall Street Journal: “Russians Seeking Winter Retreat Are Stopped Cold. Moscow’s travel bans to Egypt, Turkey amid diplomatic crises force tens of thousands to adjust or cancel vacations”

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, JRL NewsBlog, Middle East, North Africa, Turkey

The Wall Street Journal covers disruptions to Russian travel plans, amidst travel bans imposed by the Kremlin following Turkey’s shoot-down of a Russian military jet and a suspected terrorist downing of a Russian airliner in Egypt. Turkey and Egypt were popular destinations, offering hotels and services far better than Russian equivalents at a reasonable price. Six million Russians visited Turkey […]

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NEWSWATCH Moscow Times/Kevin Ryan: “Turkish Shootdown Shows Importance of NATO-Russia Dialogue”

JRL NewsBlog, Middle East, North Africa, NATO, Turkey
NATO Meeting file photo

In the aftermath of Turkey’s shoot-down of a Russian military aircraft, Retired Brigadier General Kevin Ryan addresses the need for greater dialogue between NATO and Russia. It is important to recognize how serious the situation has become between Russia and NATO over the last two years. In response to Russia’s annexation of Crimea and its activities in Ukraine, almost all operational communications between the militaries of NATO and Russia have been suspended. […]

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West Needs to End Its Illusions about Putin’s Power, Shevtsova Says

Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Middle East, North Africa, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Syria
Vladimir Putin file photo with VOA logo; screen shot from video still

(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, November 30, 2015) Many in the West still view Vladimir Putin as a powerful miracle worker who never loses at home or abroad, a perspective increasingly at odds with the facts and one that only partially conceals their own unwillingness to respond forcefully to his hooligan-like actions, according to Liliya Shevtsova. In […]

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Moscow and Ankara facing test of political nerve

Middle East, North Africa, NATO, Turkey
Turkey map

Bilateral relations between Turkey and Russia have been seriously damaged by the shooting down of a Russian bomber near the Syrian border by the Turkish air force. However, despite a history of uneasy partnership, both sides will realize that it is not in their interests to allow tensions to spiral over the incident. (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – […]

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NEWSWATCH Wall Street Journal: “Russia Takes Aim at Turkish Economy Amid Fighter-Jet Spat. Turkish officials reject Vladimir Putin’s call for an apology.”

Agriculture, Aviation, Drones, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, JRL NewsBlog, Middle East, North Africa, Military, Syria, Turkey
Diverse Paper Currency, Coins, Line Graph

The Wall Street Journal covers Russia’s response to Turkey’s shoot-down of a Russian military jet. Russia has reacted with fury to the incident and vowed to retaliate by clamping down on trade and business ties. … Turkish President … Erdogan dismissed Mr. Putin’s demands that Ankara apologize or offer compensation …. Turkey has provided evidence that it gave repeated warnings […]

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NEWSWATCH Washington Post: “How Turkey confounded Putin’s favorite narratives”

Aviation, Drones, JRL NewsBlog, Middle East, North Africa, Military, NATO, Syria
Vladimir Putin file photo with VOA logo; screen shot from video still

The Washington Post covers Russian rhetoric in the aftermath of Turkey’s shoot-down of a Russian military jet. On Monday, two Turkish F-16s shot down a Russian plane which Turkey said had crossed into its airspace. Various interpretations could in theory be placed upon this event. Depending on one’s point of view, it could be described as an act of self-defense […]

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NEWSWATCH The National Interest/Nikolas K. Gvosdev: “Russian Jet Down in Turkey: Misstep or Game-Changer?”

Aviation, Drones, JRL NewsBlog, Middle East, North Africa, Military, Syria, Turkey
Middle East Map

Writing for The National Interest, Nikolas K. Gvosdev comments upon possible repercussions from Turkey’s shoot-down of a Russia military jet. In the immediate aftermath, whatever progress Presidents Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan achieved on the sidelines of the Antalya G-20 summit is now completely lost. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s trip to Turkey, which was designed to get the Turkish-Russian […]

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Russia-Turkey crisis: What do ordinary citizens think?

Aviation, Drones, Middle East, North Africa, Military, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Syria, Turkey
Turkey map

The shooting down of a Russian jet by Turkey’s air force has left many Russians indignant and confused, while in Turkey the crisis in relations between Moscow and Ankara has also become the hottest talking point. RBTH looks at social trends and speaks to ordinary citizens to gauge opinion in the two countries. (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – […]

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Downing of Russian Sukhoi Bomber Was Predictable

Aviation, Drones, Middle East, North Africa, Military, NATO, Syria, Turkey
File Photo of Russian SU-24 Military Jet Harassing U.S. Navy Vessel in Black Sea, Adapted from U.S. Military Video

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Matthew Bodner – November 26, 2015) The downing of a Russian Su-24 bomber on the Syrian border by a Turkish F-16 fighter jet on Tuesday marks the first serious clash between Russian forces and an external coalition involved in Syria’s civil war – but it was a predictable event. Turkey has been supporting rebel forces […]

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Russian Tour Agencies Cancel Turkey Trips Amid Fury Over Downed Warplane

Aviation, Drones, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Middle East, North Africa, Military, NATO, Syria
Turkey and Environs Satellite Image

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – November 26, 2015) Turkey is a hugely popular vacation spot for Russians, almost 3.3 million of whom holidayed there in 2014, according to official figures. Russian tour agencies have canceled flights to Turkey and suspended sales of new tours a day after the downing of a Russian fighter-bomber by the Turkish military, Russian media reported […]

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NEWSWATCH Washington Post: “Russian provocations led to the downing of its fighter jet by Turkey”

Aviation, Drones, JRL NewsBlog, Middle East, North Africa, Military, NATO, Syria, Turkey
Turkey map

The Washington Post comments on Turkey’s downing of a Russian military jet, laying the blame squarely upon the Kremlin. Following Turkey’s shoot-down of a Russian military jet Tuesday, Western leaders rightly addressed themselves to heading off an escalation between Moscow and a NATO member. In the process, they were not as clear as they could have been about where responsibility […]

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Downing of Russian Plane has Serious Consequences for Putin at Home, in Central Asia, and in Ukraine

Aviation, Drones, Europe, EU, Middle East, North Africa, Military, NATO, Oil, Gas, Energy, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Syria, Turkey
Vladimir Putin file photo with VOA logo; screen shot from video still

(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, November 25, 2015) The shooting down of a Russian military plane by Turkish forces after Kremlin ignored repeated warnings from Ankara not to violate Turkey’s airspace not only increases the risks of a clash between Russia and the West but has serious consequences for Putin at home, in Central Asia and the […]

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Andrei Liakhov: “Turkey”

Aviation, Drones, Middle East, North Africa, NATO, Syria, Turkey
Middle East Map

Subject: Turkey Date: Tue, 24 Nov 2015 From: Andrei Liakhov <gaffriloff@yahoo.co.uk> Erdogan has chosen to support ISIS and is using his security service and party apparatus to facilitate his business with ISIS. ISIS was originally financed by Al Qadi, a known AL Qaeda financier who financed attacks on twin towers. Until 2010 Al Qadi was on every sanctions list possible […]

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NEWSWATCH Reuters: “Surviving Crew Member of Russian Jet Says No Warning From Turkey”

Aviation, Drones, Human Rights, JRL NewsBlog, Middle East, North Africa, Military, NATO, Syria
Turkey map

Reuters covers Turkey’s shoot-down of a Russian military plane. Turkey shot down the Russian plane near the Syrian border on Tuesday, saying it had violated its air space, in one of the most serious publicly acknowledged clashes between a NATO member country and Russia for half a century. Turkey and Russia are disputing details of the incident. Ankara has said […]

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Hagel: Russia, U.S. Must Fight Islamic State Together

Middle East, North Africa, Syria
Middle East Map

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Anna Dolgov – November 23, 2015) Former U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel called for including Russia in a consolidated global battle against Islamic State, and suggested putting aside the inevitable disputes between Washington and Moscow for the sake of the fight against terrorism. Hagel dismissed the disagreements between the West and Russia about Syria’s President […]

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Why is Russia now bombing ISIS with long-range missiles?

Aviation, Drones, Middle East, North Africa, Military, Syria
Middle East Map

Russia has launched airstrikes against ISIS targets in Syria using strategic long-distance bombers for the first time. Russian experts see the use of long-range missiles as a testing ground for new types of weapons, as well as a good way of intensifying the airstrikes in Syria, since other accessible resources have now been exhausted. (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru […]

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Russians Fear Clashes With Islamic State More Than With NATO – Poll

Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Middle East, North Africa, Military, NATO, Syria, Terrorism, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
Map of Commonwealth of Independent States, European Portion

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – November 23, 2015) Nearly one in five Russians believe their country could become the site of “major clashes” with NATO forces within the next decade, a recent poll indicates. According to the poll, 19 percent of respondents said battles against NATO were possible on Russian territory. An even higher number, 28 percent, think that battles […]

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NEWSWATCH Reuters: “Russian parliament gives blessing to security overhaul after plane bombing”

Aviation, Drones, Disasters, JRL NewsBlog, Middle East, North Africa, Terrorism
Russian State Duma Building file photo

Reuters covers the Russian government’s reaction to the Russian air crash in Egypt. Russia’s parliament backed a sweeping overhaul of national security, including possibly expanding the powers of the country’s intelligence services, after the Kremlin concluded a bomb downed a Russian passenger plane over Egypt last month. There also is talk of using the death penalty for terrorism. Sergei Mironov, […]

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Possible Russia-West Rapprochement Over Syria Stokes Fears In Europe’s East

Europe, EU, Middle East, North Africa, Military, NATO, Terrorism, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
Middle East Map

(RFE/RL – Pete Baumgartner – November 19, 2015) France’s surprise embrace of Russia in the aftermath of the deadly terrorist attacks in Paris has raised concerns across the former Soviet bloc that Moscow wants to leverage the fight against Islamic extremists in Syria to secure Western concessions over Ukraine. Just days after the massacres in the French capital killed 129 […]

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TRANSCRIPT: Victoria Nuland Remarks at the Berlin Security Conference

Middle East, North Africa, NATO, Syria, Terrorism, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
File Photo of Victoria Nuland Testifying

(US Department of State – November 17, 2015) Victoria Nuland Assistant Secretary, Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Berlin, Germany (As Prepared) Thank you, Reimer for that introduction. Thank you to: Mr. Uwe Proll; BSC Congress President, Ambassador Jiri Sedivy; Behorden Spiegel; and of course, Ambassador Emerson and the U.S. Embassy staff in Berlin for hosting us today. Ambassador Philippe […]

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Parsing Putin: Russia Sends Signals To The West In Statement On Jet Attack

Aviation, Drones, Disasters, France, Middle East, North Africa, NATO, Syria
Vladimir Putin file photo with VOA logo; screen shot from video still

(RFE/RL – rferl.org – Steve Gutterman – November 18, 2015) A few hours after French President Francois Hollande called for Moscow and the West to fight Islamic State (IS) militants together in the wake of deadly attacks in Paris, Russia abruptly announced it was now certain a terrorist bomb blew a passenger jet to pieces over Egypt on October 31. […]

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Russia Increases Pressure on Islamic State in Syria

Middle East, North Africa, Military, Syria
Syria Map

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Anna Dolgov – November 18, 2015) Strategic bombers belonging to the Russian air force have conducted bombings and rocket strikes on Islamic State positions, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said at a meeting with President Vladimir Putin, the Defense Ministry reported on its website Tuesday. “The number of flights has been doubled, which allows [us] […]

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Putin Goes From G-20 Pariah to Player at Obama Turkey Talk

Middle East, North Africa, Military, Syria, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
Middle East Map

(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Ilya Arkhipov – November 15, 2015) The sidelines of summits are full of talks between leaders, their ministers and aides, but the huddle between Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin at the Group of 20 in Turkey Sunday was heavy with significance. The meeting on Syria lasting more than 30 minutes was the first since the Russian […]

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Russia to Cooperate With West and Syrian Opposition Groups – Putin

Middle East, North Africa, Military, NATO, Newslinks, Russia & the West, Syria, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
Syria Map

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – November 17, 2015) Following the G20 summit in Turkey, there has been a decline in tension between Russia and the West in the face of new international threats and challenges, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during the final G20 press conference, Interfax agency reported Monday. “Life goes forward, things are changing, there are new challenges, […]

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Russia’s Promising Peace Plan for Syria

Middle East, North Africa, Syria
Syria Map

(Bloomberg Editorial – bloomberg.com – November 13, 2015) The U.S. and its allies have reason to be skeptical of Russia’s new plan for peace in Syria. The proposal has arrived, after all, just as Russian airstrikes have begun to help President Bashar al-Assad to his first military successes since they began. Nevertheless, the plan contains some ideas that could help […]

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After the Crash: What Are Russia’s Options in Syria?

Aviation, Drones, Disasters, Middle East, North Africa, Military, Syria
Syria Map

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Matthew Bodner – November 12, 2015) If the ongoing investigation into the downing of a Russian civilian airliner over Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula on Oct. 31 concludes that a bomb destroyed the plane, the Kremlin will have to react – but its options are constrained by logistical and political realities on the ground. So far, it […]

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Russia Sees Syria War Endgame Stretch to 2017 as Talks Renew

Middle East, North Africa, Military, Syria
Syria Map

(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Jonathan Tirone, Henry Meyer – November 12, 2015) Russia will propose a political transition in Syria lasting as long as 18 months at the next round of talks starting Saturday in Vienna, where diplomats will resume the search for a settlement to the country’s civil war. Russia, which has entered the conflict on the side of […]

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Poll: 43% of Russians explain A321 crash with terror attack

Aviation, Drones, Disasters, Middle East, North Africa, Terrorism
Map of Egypt and Environs`

(Interfax – November 12, 2015) The Kogalymavia flight crash in Egypt on October 31 has triggered a broad public response. Ninety-seven percent of respondents polled by the Russian Public Opinion Study Center (VTsIOM) are aware of it. Knowledgeable respondents differed in their opinions on the causes of the crash: 43 percent are prone to believe in the terror attack theory, […]

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Activist Says Russia Using ‘Hybrid Warfare’ In Syria

Middle East, North Africa, Military, Spies, Spy Allegations, Syria
Syria Map

(RFE/RL – rferl.org – Tony Wesolowsky, Mark Krutov – November 11, 2015) The head of a team of Russian cybersleuths who have uncovered what they argue is a much more robust Russian military role in Syria than officially claimed, says the Kremlin seems to be following the “hybrid warfare” playbook perfected in eastern Ukraine. Activists from the Moscow-based Conflict Intelligence […]

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When In Doubt, Blame The West

Aviation, Drones, Disasters, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Middle East, North Africa, Military, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Terrorism
Middle East Map

(RFE/RL – rferl.org – Brian Whitmore – November 9, 2015) So Russia went there after all. The crash of Metrojet Flight 9268 in Egypt on October 31, which killed all 224 people on board, was more than the worst aviation disaster in the country’s history. Once it became clear that the cause of the crash was probably terrorism, it also […]

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Russia’s Way of Managing Responsibility or Why the Kremlin Will Have To Escalate in Syria

Aviation, Drones, Disasters, Middle East, North Africa, Military, Population Disaster, Demographics, Syria
File Photo of Kremlin Tower, St. Basil's, Red Square at Night

(Kennan Institute – wilsoncenter.org/program/kennan-institute – Maxim Trudolyubov- November 9, 2015) Maxim Trudolyubov is a Senior Fellow at the Kennan Institute and the Editor-at-Large of Vedomosti, an independent Russian daily. The cause of the most terrible plane crash in Russian history has not yet been named. Officially, there is still a possibility that the crash of the Russian passenger plane that […]

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Interfax: Cooperation with USA, Saudis against ISIS possible – top Russian diplomat

Middle East, North Africa, Military, Saudi Arabia, Terrorism
Russian Foreign Ministry Building Tower file photo

(Interfax – Moscow, November 9, 2015) Russia, Saudi Arabia and the USA can cooperate to fight ISIS and other terrorists in the Middle East if there is mutual interest in this, says special envoy of the Russian president for the Middle East and Africa, Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Bogdanov. “As regards the trilateral format of cooperation […]

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Interfax: Russia set to work constructively at Vienna meeting; calls for regime change in Syria will not lead to success – Lavrov

Middle East, North Africa, Military, Syria
File Photo of Bashar al-Assad and Sergei Lavrov

BOCHAROV RUCHEI (Sochi). Nov 10 (Interfax) – Adherence to abstract ideas about the need to change the regime in Syria will have no success at the Vienna meeting; Russia is nevertheless expecting it to be constructive, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said. “If, instead of concrete work on these two issues (forming a list of terrorist organizations and a […]

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Russia Fears Islamic Terror Blowback Over Syria After Sinai

Aviation, Drones, Disasters, Middle East, North Africa, Military, Syria, Terrorism
Middle East Map

(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Ilya Arkhipov – November 9, 2015) As evidence grows that a bomb may have downed a Russian passenger jet over Egypt, the Kremlin is focused on countering the threat of terrorism at home from sympathizers of Islamic State. Officials insist they were prepared for the risk of terrorist reprisals after President Vladimir Putin ordered air strikes […]

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Putin’s Dilemma: How To Respond If A Bomb Caused Sinai Air Crash

Aviation, Drones, Disasters, Middle East, North Africa, Terrorism
Map of Egypt and Environs`

(RFE/RL – rferl.org – Steve Gutterman – November 5, 2015) Mounting evidence that an onboard bomb brought down the Russian jet that crashed on Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, killing 224 people, poses a tough new dilemma for President Vladimir Putin: how to respond. If the theory of a terrorist attack is borne out, it will look like exactly what Islamic State […]

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A-321 crash – Comment on HMG decision

Aviation, Drones, Disasters, Middle East, North Africa, Terrorism
Middle East Map

Subject: A-321 crash – Comment on HMG decision. Date: Thu, 5 Nov 2015 From: Andrei Liakhov <gaffriloff@yahoo.co.uk> A-321 crash – Comment on HMG decision. My money is on a technical defect. It is either a computer glitch which the crew tried to correct and swang the aircraft into critical G or the tail was weakened in a previous incident and […]

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Will extremists unite to fight against Russia and the West?

Middle East, North Africa, Military, Terrorism
Middle East Map

The al-Qaeda leader has urged Islamist groups to overcome internal divisions and join forces to oppose the West, Russia, Syria and Iran. However, it raises the question of whether extremists can forget their differences and act as a united front. (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – ALEXEY TIMOFEYCHEV, RBTH – November 3, 2015) The call to unite Islamist forces […]

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The crash of the Russian airliner in Egypt: Theories abound

Aviation, Drones, Disasters, Middle East, North Africa, Terrorism
Map of Egypt and Environs`

The investigating authorities have not yet released an official explanation of what caused Oct. 31 plane crash in Egypt, which killed all 224 people onboard. However, experts have come up with three different possible explanations of what happened. They share one common thread: the plane broke into pieces while still in the air at a high altitude due to an […]

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