Word: emir
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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Iraq’s crushing defeat in the Gulf War forced Hussein to change his tactics, but only increased his unbounded recklessness in international affairs. In 1993, Hussein’s agents were foiled in an attempt to assassinate both the Emir of Kuwait and then-President George H. W. Bush. In ordering this crime, Hussein risked an overwhelming military response from the U.S. for little reason other than to gratify his thirst for vengeance. This assassination attempt constitutes a casus belli for the U.S. as long as Hussein remains the ruler of Iraq, and demonstrates that...
...CHECHNYA A Guerrilla's Last Stand They slipped into Chechnya last week, a group of Russian commandos from the secretive Alpha antiterrorist unit, the same ?lite troops that stormed the Moscow theater last month. Their number is not known, but their mission is: to kill Shamil Basayev, the guerrilla "emir" who approved and probably thought up the Chechen hostage-taking operation. Basayev's recent statements seem to be challenging Moscow to come and get him, and some Chechens believe he would welcome a last stand where he would take as many Russians as possible with him. After the theater siege...
...Saudi Arabia, but the regime there is hesitant to let the U.S. use it in a new confrontation, for fear that anti-American sentiment would rebound against them. Qatari officials, on the other hand, are eager "to handcuff themselves to the U.S.," as a Western diplomat puts it. The emir is gambling that, in return, Washington will provide protection for the country against a resurgent Saddam, a shaky Saudi Arabia or an irate Iran. "We in Qatar think we need the United States," Foreign Minister Sheik Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr al Thani says. "And we think they need...
...emir, who seized power from his father in a 1995 bloodless coup, sticking his neck out is nothing new. Six years ago, he shocked the region by establishing the Jazeera Satellite Channel, which delights in criticizing other Middle Eastern leaders and giving airtime to the likes of Osama bin Laden as well as Israeli officials. Balancing acts are Hamad's trademark. Al-Jazeera's sensational talk shows and its Arab-nationalist perspectives are a counterweight to Qatar's pro-American tilt...
...make Qatar the gulf's most democratic country, the emir is drafting a new constitution that creates a parliament based on universal suffrage, even if he will appoint a third of the seats. The emir wins praise for scaling back military purchases; he believes they encourage corruption and that Qatar is too small to defend itself against a major attack anyway. Hamad has begun to reform the education system, with the ambitious aim of upgrading it to U.S. standards...