World Press on Iran, Turkey and the Caucasus (July 29, 2011)

"Qassem Suleimani: the Iranian general 'secretly running' Iraq," was the headline of an article published by The Guardian. According to the author, the elusive Iranian has such great influence that Baghdadis believe he is controlling the country. "He is the most powerful man in Iraq without question," the author cites security minister Mowaffak al-Rubaie, "Nothing gets done without him." Nowadays the Iranian General is also trying to take over in Syria, the author believes.

The Washington Post published an article devoted to Behesht-e Zahra, Tehran's cemetery, which is the largest in Iran and one of the largest in the world. In the four decades that Behesht-e Zahra has been receiving the dead, it has become the final resting place for about 1.6 million people. But with the graves filling up quickly and little space left for expansion, the cemetery is running out of room, the author says. The article deals with the history of the Iranian revolution and religious issues.

The Los Angeles Times published an article entitled "Hikers' families await justice from Iran." The article is about the case of Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer, who were imprisoned in Iran after being charged with illegal entry and espionage. On Sunday, the second anniversary of their arrest, Shane and Josh are due to appear in court in Tehran for what the Iranian judiciary has called a "final hearing" to answer the charges, the author says.

The Moscow Times published an article "War Clouds Gathering Again in the Caucasus" by Boris Kagarlitsky. Three years after the Russian-Georgian armed conflict, the situation is again dangerous, the author believes. Now, there is increasing talk of war — a war that would presumably be started by Azerbaijan in a bid to regain the province of Karabakh and the surrounding districts, which were seized by Armenian forces during the war from 1992 to 1994. According to the author, the main factor preventing a war is that none of the great powers want to see a resumption of hostilities. The West does not want to see a disruption of oil supplies, and for Russia a war would trigger a wave of refugees and possibly increased Western intervention
in their Caucasus backyard. However, the Russian-Georgian war of 2008 was a reminder that the major powers cannot always control their smaller allies and client states.

Hurriyet published an article headlined "Enter Russia" devoted to the visit to Turkey of Russia's permanent representative to NATO, Dmitry Rogozin. The Russian official is paying the visit in order to discuss the contruction of the European missile-defense system, which involves Turkey. The missile shield had been proposed as an American project, at first under George W. Bush, mainly against a possible Russian threat. The missiles and radars were originally slated for installment in Poland and the Czech Republic. According to the author, the whole thing is very reminiscent of the Cold War, as well as the current visa crisis between the US and Russia.