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America’s Persian and Arabian Wars « LobeLog By: Chas Freeman Sometime between 460 and 450 B.C.E., Herodotus wrote The Persian Wars, his account of the Greeks’ two wars with the Persians, which spanned thirteen years. Even in a time when trends and events unfolded more slowly than they...

We Are Witnessing the Decline of Saudi Arabia as a Major Power With falling oil prices and new players, Saudi Arabia's power is ebbing. Five years ago, when the Arab Spring seemed at its most hopeful point, a Saudi diplomat told me, scornfully, that it would come to nothing. I had met him...

German industrial group Siemens (SIEGn.DE) signed an energy agreement with Iranian power and infrastructure group Mapna, it said on Wednesday, extending its early re-entry into the country after the lifting of sanctions. Siemens was the first major German company to agree a deal with Iran this...

Saudi Arabia's Future: Will Al Saud's Partnership with Wahhabism Hold? By James M. Dorsey Saudi Arabia may be heading into a perfect storm of economic problems, social challenges and foreign policy crises. Tumbling commodity and energy prices are forcing the Saudi government to reform...

Remarkable Boston Dynamics robot puts up with bullying - BBC News Boston Dynamics - the robotics firm owned by Google - has created a humanoid that is able to withstand all manner of bullying and still achieve its task. Researchers push, kick and tease the remarkable new Atlas robot, which...

The media are misleading the public on Syria - The Boston Globe New recruits trained to fight alongside opposition in Aleppo, Syria. By Stephen Kinzer COVERAGE OF the Syrian war will be remembered as one of the most shameful episodes in the history of the American press. Reporting about...

Washington Should Prepare for Saudi Arabia's Collapse - The Atlantic It can’t last. The U.S. better get ready. For half a century, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been the linchpin of U.S. Mideast policy. A guaranteed supply of oil has bought a guaranteed supply of security. Ignoring...

No bears in Iran: Tehran stocks are up 25% Iran's stocks are surging, even as the world sinks into a bear market. The main Tehran stock market has jumped 22% since the nuclear sanctions lifted in January, and is up 25.6% so far this year. Some U.S. and European Union embargoes on Tehran...

Confirmed: Iran and Russia to Co-Produce Su-30 Fighter Jet | The Diplomat During a recent television interview, Iran’s Defense Minister, General Hossein Dehqhan, announced that Iran will sign a contract with Russia for the co-production of an undisclosed number of Russian-made Sukhoi Su-30...

Saudi Arabia and Turkey rolling back on rhetoric to send troops into Syria | Middle East | News | The Independent Officials say they will wait to see if a planned ceasefire transpires and for a sign-off from the US-led coalition. Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir delivers a statement...

China's Silk Road revival steams ahead as cargo train arrives in Iran | Business | The Guardian Goods travel 6,462 miles in 14 days as part of efforts to resurrect ancient trade route connecting east with Europe The cargo train travelled from eastern China through Kazakhstan and...

Republicans 'asked Iran to delay prisoner swap' until after US election - France 24 Members of the US Republican Party asked officials in Tehran to delay a January prisoner swap until after the 2016 presidential election, an Iranian admiral told FRANCE 24 on Thursday. In his first interview...

Saudi Arabia cuts funding for students abroad Thousands of Saudis may be forced to abandon their dream of studying overseas because of the oil price crash. With its budget under enormous pressure, Saudi Arabia is having to cut back the generous scholarship program that supported 200,000...

Russia, Iran sign documents for opening $2.2 bln credit line According to the ambassador, Russia has a priority at the Iranian market in terms of investment Iranian Ambassador to Russia Mehdi Sanai MOSCOW, February 10. /TASS/. Russia and Iran have signed documents for opening a $2.2 credit...

Persian Gulf states invest billions in missile defences to protect against Iran Iran counters by developing the Soumar cruise missile with a 1,200-mile range, says the International Institute for Strategic Studies Patriot PAC-3 missiles are designed to shoot down incoming weaponsPhoto: Getty...

Iran to Purchase Sukhoi-30 Fighter Jets From Russia - ABC News Iran's Defense Minister says his country will sign a contract with Russia for the purchase of Sukhoi-30 fighter jets. In comments published Wednesday, Gen. Hossein Dehghan did not specify how many fighter planes Iran will buy, or...

Economy under threat: Saudi Arabia to use forex reserves to defend currency peg - The Express Tribune Unlike in past periods of stress, when Riyadh maintained its currency peg despite low oil prices, it is this time running far higher fiscal deficits in an energy market that has less room to...

Is it time for the United States to dump Saudi Arabia? - The Express Tribune After the recent execution of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr by Saudi Arabia, the Middle East once again risks devolving into sectarian chaos. A mob torched the Saudi Embassy in Tehran, prompting Saudi Arabia and a...

Iran is the 'single greatest growth spot in the world' Christian H. Cooper Stock market employees work at Tehran's Stock Exchange, Iran. Tehran was up 25% in January. Have you invested yet? Take a moment to consider just how dark the future is for economic growth worldwide. The slaughter...

Welcome to AUSTERITY Saudi Arabia: Crashing oil prices sends economy into meltdown SAUDI Arabia faces financial ruin if it fails to undergo severe austerity measures in the coming years, as the oil price crash continues to rage, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Saudia...