It's official: Mahdi Army disbanded;

Al-Qaeda under pressure in Israel...;

...and the Gaza Strip;

The Bin Laden network versus Iran;

Central Asia sticks by Nabucco

Jordan seeks China's help for nascent nuke program...;

...and opens a long-closed door to Hamas;

Extremists unite in Lebanon;

Syria's quest for long-range missiles denied;

Through Venezuela, Iran enters America's backyard

HUT makes inroads in Gaza;

A welcome visit for Iraq;

Georgia-Russia conflict: an Azeri perspective;

Georgia-Russia conflict: a Turkish perspective

Retooling the constitution in Turkmenistan;

A comeback for Iraqi oil;

Another Syrian murder mystery;

Sadr in retreat

A third intifada?;

Iran's ideological backlash;

A poison spreads in Central Asia;

Nukes for Azerbaijan?