Charles Recknagel is standards editor for RFE/RL.
The fighting in Beirut is likely to heighten warnings from Washington that the conflicts in Lebanon and Iraq are part of a broader struggle between the West and Iran for influence in the region.
When Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki ordered the Iraqi Army to clean out what he called criminal elements in Al-Basrah a week ago, he offered no compromise.
A Muslim girl holds a copy of a book on the Prophet Muhammad in New York City (AFP) PRAGUE, October 31, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- Media headlines often speak of tensions between the Western and Islamic worlds in terms of religion.
Iraqi Kurds, threatened with a military incursion by Turkey, find themselves in a pivotal -- and ironic -- position as Ankara and Washington search for ways to end attacks by Turkish Kurdish militants holed up in semi-autonomous northern Iraq.
July 23, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- Afghanistan has announced three days of official mourning over the death of the country's former king, Mohammad Zahir Shah.
April 2, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- London says the 15 British sailors and marines captured on March 23 were unlawfully seized in Iraqi waters, while Tehran says they trespassed into Iranian territory.
March 2, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- As the UN Security Council again begins to wrestle with how to answer Iran's refusal to stop uranium enrichment, Washington continues to reserve the right to take unilateral action. U.S. officials say no options are off the table.
February 15, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- The United Nations refugee agency has welcomed U.S. plans to take in at least 7,000 Iraqi refugees. Washington will also provide some $18 million to help with the larger problem of displaced people from Iraq.
The spread of nuclear weapons continues to be a major concern for the international community, and events in 2006 did little to assuage fears.
PRAGUE, November 22, 2006 -- Iraqi President Jalal Talabani will go to Tehran on November 25 for a three-to-four day state visit.
As Syria and Iraq establish diplomatic ties and Iraq's president travels to Iran for a summit, the United States is considering a regional approach to Iraq's instability.
PRAGUE, August 31, 2006 (RFE/RL) -- Today is the deadline for the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to report in New York on Iran's degree of compliance with demands it stop uranium enrichment. The IAEA is expected to submit a negative report since Iran has given no sign of heeding the UN's calls.
Muslims around the world are objecting to the Bush administration's use of the term.
Israel is stepping up air attacks on Hizballah in a declared campaign to root it out of southern Lebanon. It is also hitting Lebanon’s economic infrastructure in a bid to force the Lebanese government to help reign in the militia. That strategy is similar to Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza. For now, this two-front Israeli war against Islamic militant movements is very different from Israeli-Arab conflicts of the past, which were between states. But could the conflict broaden into a war between Israel and Syria, or even Iran -- two countries Israel accuses of bankrolling Hizballah and supporting Hamas?
The five permanent members of the UN Security Council, plus Germany, have agreed to present Iran with a package of incentives to give up uranium enrichment, and to suspend action in the UN should Iran consider the offer.
Montenegro's election commission says a complete preliminary tally of ballots from the May 21 referendum shows voters opting by a narrow majority for independence. Official results are expected in three days.
Montenegro's Election Commission has said preliminary results from the May 21 referendum show 55.4 percent of voters casting "yes" ballots for independence.
PRAGUE, May 19, 2006 (RFE/RL) -- Expectations are high in Baghdad that a new Iraqi government is about to be unveiled.
Montenegro is preparing to hold a referendum on May 21 on whether to remain in its union with Serbia or declare independence.
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani has appealed to Iraq's feuding factions to unite and stop the sectarian killings that have swept the country in recent months.
Load more
