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Nothing is ever as it seems in northern Iraq. Washington may have succeeded in bringing Jalal Talabani and Masoud Barzani together but does this represent more of a blow to Saddam or to Turkey? Is this latest US-mediated Kurdish agreement likely to contribute to America’s attempts to revitalise the Iraqi opposition? The answers to these questions are not at all clear – there are simply too many tangled strands and rival interests at stake in northern Iraq.

The bombings of the US embassies in East Africa and the subsequent US attacks on Afghanistan and Sudan again brought to prominence in the Western media the figure of Osama Bin Laden. Although much ink has been spilt writing about him, many details of his background and associations, former and present, remain unclear.

The hopelessly divided Iraqi opposition in exile stands united in its rejection of America’s latest plan to revitalise as many as 73 moribund parties. Saddam’s opponents have been engulfed by despondency and gloom since the Iraqi army invaded the safe haven in 1996 and dealt a death blow to the Iraqi National Congress (INC). They have been incensed by the State Department’s recent proposals which appear not to take seriously their efforts to subvert the Iraqi regime from within.

Even as Mohammed Khatami's Iran recreates itself as a moderate member of the international community, Tehran is in the disturbing paradox of being itself threatened by religious zealots on its borders. The Taleban's victorious sweep through northern Afghanistan is a dramatic setback to Iran's foreign policy. Moreover, it poses immediate security threats to the Islamic Republic.

As Iran continues its diplomatic fence ending exercises in the region, there may at last be some movement towards a settlement of the dispute between Iran and the United Arab Emirates over the islands of Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa. Previously Iran has always maintained that the sovereignty of the island was not an issue which it would even consider negotiable and Tehran has rebuffed all UAE overtures for discussions on the matter.

The announcement that Syria will reopen a pipeline carrying Iraqi oil to the Mediterranean represents the logical culmination of the rapprochement between Damascus and Baghdad that has been underway for the past few months. Not coincidentally, the news emerged on the eve of the visit by President Hafiz al Asad to Paris in which the Syrian and French leaders are keen to mark out a distinctive European policy in the Middle East.

The violence that has wracked Yemen in recent weeks is symptomatic of more than the inevitable popular protest at IMF-inspired economic reforms. The widespread violence highlights the immaturity of Yemen’s political institutions. Although President Saleh’ s General People’s Congress has tightened its grip on the country, there remains a serious disconnect between state and society. This disconnect means that tribal leaders and the populace turn to force to express their grievances.

Iranian hard liners have been warning for some time that the USA is using Sport as an indirect way of improving relations with Iran. These conservatives point to President Nixon’s “ping-pong” diplomacy that opened the door to Communist China and warn that the “Great Satan” is seeking to woo and weaken the revolution through the same means. Their conspiracy theory could appear to have been conveniently vindicated by the Iran-US World Cup soccer match in Lyons. Not only did the US suitably lose by 2 goals to I but Mujahideen-e Khalq supporters dominated media coverage with we...

The first Kurdish-Arab seminar, held in Cairo at the end of May, was a worthy initiative to begin building understanding between the two groups. The seminar however reinforced the truism that progress cannot be made until the Kurds first learn to work together. The travails of the PKK provide clear evidence of the selfinflicted wounds suffered by the Kurds as a result of internal disagreements.

Iran and the Europeans proclaimed it a victory. American hardliners spoke of a humiliation. President Clinton trod carefully and sought to appease all audiences. Such was the confused reaction to the US-EU deal last month that waived US sanctions on Total under the Iran-Libya Sanctions Act (ILSA).

Why has Iran begun to once again allow Iraq to smuggle oil through its territorial waters? The answer is opaque but can probably be found in the interplay of Iraqi-Iranian relations and of US-Iranian relations.

The release on bail of arrested Tehran mayo Gholamhossein Karbaschi provides a fine example of how President Mohammed Khatami going about advancing his reformist agenda Although he exploited the popular protest opposing Karbaschi’s arrest, he was careful to take the line of legal and moral rectitude. By clothing himself in the garb of the law and order, Khatam is gradually eroding the room formanoeuvre of his conservative opponents.

Kuwait’s Crown Prince and Primc Minister, Sheikh Sa’ad al Abdullah al Sabah, who last month tendered the resignation of his cabinet, has formed a new government with pretty much the mixture as before. In the process Sheikh Sa’adhas demonstrated once again that, whatever may

Officials at Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation must be some of the most determined and optimistic in the country. Creating a nuclear energy industry is hard enough for any country, let alone a developing nation suffering from political and economic instability. Moreover, at every step of the way their efforts are targeted by the world’s sole The Indirect Approach superpower. Even their remaining nuclear allies

King Hussein of Jordan has been feeling pressure. Although he is used to having tread a fine line between his various internal constituencies and his dangerous neighbours,recent months have been exceptionally stressful. His calculated outburst on Orbit satellite TV at the end of February, when he called on the USA to open a dialogue with Iraq, is a reflection of the ..........