Robert Tait

Also by Robert Tait

• October 12, 2011

  Iran Assassination Plot Raises Questions

  Do allegations that Iranian officials plotted to murder Saudi Arabia's ambassador on U.S. soil fits the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps mold?

• September 17, 2011

  Gandhi's Legacy: Civil Disobedience Takes Off In Iran

  Forecasts of a revolution to unseat Iran's Islamic regime have long been in abundance but have thus far been proved wrong by events. Now some see a new threat to the power of Tehran's ruling theocrats -- the proliferation of small-scale civil disobedience campaigns.

• September 05, 2011

  Fears Of Ethnic Tensions Rise In Iran Amid Azeri Clashes, Kurd Offensive

  Renewed clashes between protesters and security forces have been reported in Azeri-speaking areas of Iran, amid demonstrations over the drying up of the country's largest lake. The reports coincide with the announcement of a fresh Iranian military offensive against a Kurdish separatist group.

• August 31, 2011

  Turkey's Akyol, An Apostle Of The Third Way

  He has been hailed by many in the West as the voice of a new moderate Islam. Now Mustafa Akyol, a Turkish writer and religious thinker, seeks to reconcile the traditional tenets of the Islamic faith with liberal democracy.

• August 24, 2011

  Turkey's Military Strikes Could Herald Closure For Kurdish Opening

  Turkey claims it has killed up to 100 members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party in recent raids into northern Iraq, part of what promises to be a wider offensive. But two years after the government launched its "Kurdish opening" in a blaze of fanfare, why are such actions necessary now?

• August 22, 2011

  After Qaddafi, Libya Faces State Of Uncertainty

  Libya is in a state of euphoria amid the collapse of Colonel Muammar Qaddafi's regime following months of bloody fighting with a NATO-backed opposition. But with its primary goal achieved, how united is that opposition and what are the prospects for an orderly transition to a representative government?

• August 18, 2011

  Iran, Azerbaijan, And Turkey: Zero Problems? Zero Chance

  In the past week, Iran has been involved in a war of words with Azerbaijan and a mix-up with Turkey, after it was falsely reported that it had captured a leading Kurdish militant. Are the two incidents connected and what could explain Tehran's recent behavior toward its two neighbors?

• August 10, 2011

  Syria Clouds Turkey's Sunny Parade With Iran

  They were once seen as bitter foes, but friendship with Syria and Iran has become a staple of Turkey's foreign policy in recent years. Now, however, that approach -- a vital plank of Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu's "zero problems with neighbors" philosophy -- is under threat, courtesy of Syria's brutal crackdown on antigovernment demonstrators that has killed an estimated 2,000 people in recent months.

• August 03, 2011

  Mubarak Trial A Shock To The Egyptian System

  Less than a year ago, the idea of Hosni Mubarak going on trial would have been a surreal fantasy to Egyptians. But the unthinkable has become the reality, with the once all-powerful president in the dock six months after the revolution that toppled him.

• August 02, 2011

  Turkey Says Farewell To The Generals

  The resignations of the four top commanders of Turkey's once-mighty armed forces has prompted many to ask whether it spells the end of the military's traditional role in Turkish politics.

• July 12, 2011

  Murdoch Papers' Intrusion May Shock Brown, But It Doesn't Surprise Me

  The hacking scandal that has closed Rupert Murdoch's "News of the World" has spread to other newspapers in his empire amid revelations that "The Sun" and the "Sunday Times" systematically targeted former Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Yet the revelation that Murdoch's papers took a keen interest in him and his family are less of a surprise to correspondent Robert Tait.

• July 01, 2011

  Egyptians Gather To Protest Pace Of Political Change

  Hundreds of protesters have gathered in Cairo's Tahrir Square in the biggest protests seen since the mass demonstrations that toppled former President Hosni Mubarak in February.

• June 29, 2011

  Saudi Oil Threat To Iran Rings Hollow

  A senior member of Saudi Arabia's royal family has warned that Riyadh could squeeze Iran's oil revenues by flooding the international market with its own produce, thus lowering the price and damaging Tehran's economy. The threat comes amid escalating tensions between the two countries over the Islamic republic's nuclear program and other regional issues. But is the Saudi threat realistic?

• June 26, 2011

  Shadow Of 'Kurdish Spring' Threatens To Spoil Erdogan's Victory Parade

  Less than two weeks after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling party was reelected in a landslide, Turkey faces the prospect of being plunged into political crisis after the country's main Kurdish party vowed to boycott the new parliament.

• June 16, 2011

  Iran, Long Seen As An Economic Basket Case, Wins Praise From IMF

  Iran hardly seems a likely candidate to earn the praises of the International Monetary Fund. But now the organization has issued a surprisingly upbeat assessment of the Islamic regime's economic policies, including its efforts to reduce inflation and a radical program to end subsidies. Not all economists recognize the picture the IMF paints.

• June 11, 2011

  In Age Of Arab Revolution, Iran's Election Anniversary Set To Go Off With A Whimper

  Iran's opposition Green Movement has called for demonstrations on June 12 to mark the second anniversary of the country's disputed presidential election of 2009. But in contrast to the revolutionary ferment enveloping the Arab world, the event is not expected to herald a new phase of Iranian protest.

• June 07, 2011

  Egypt Staves Off 'Revolution Of The Hungry'

  Simmering discontents continue to roil Egypt four months after the toppling of former President Hosni Mubarak. But amid dire predictions of economic collapse, Egyptians may have cause to thank some surprising outside donors as the interim government embarks on an expansionary program aimed at easing their financial pains.

• June 03, 2011

  Turkish Poll Could Result In All-Powerful 'President' Erdogan

  Turkey goes to the polls this month in an election that all polls indicate will secure the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) a third successive term. But the scale of that victory is likely to decide whether Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has the freedom to reshape the country's political landscape as he wishes -- and emerge as an even more powerful political figure.

• May 27, 2011

  Ahmadinejad And Larijani Tussle In An Oil Slick

  For years he has treated it with imperious disdain. But now, with his political capital hemorrhaging, President Mahmud Ahmadinejad is being subjected to a relentless assault by Iran's parliament with the apparent approval of the country's most powerful cleric, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader.

• May 20, 2011

  In Region, Obama's Cairo II Moment Appears To Fall Flat

  President Barack Obama's keynote speech on the events that have come to be known as the "Arab Spring" was billed in advance as a defining moment in United States policy on the Middle East. Yet early assessments suggest a less than overwhelming reaction on the ground.

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