New treasury chief John Snow could save the U.S. and the West immense grief in post-Saddam Hussein Iraq and the Middle East by pushing pro-growth economic policies in that blighted area.

FORBES: Fact and Comment

Financial linkages are less important in CIS countries and in the Middle East and north Africa, but a deeper euro-area recession will batter export industries there, too.

ECONOMIST: The world economy

Orientalist paintings, as they are called, refer to 19th century images of the Orient, an area roughly corresponding to the present-day Middle East, North Africa and Turkey.

FORBES: Orient Express

Today, General Lloyd Austin became the first African-American to lead the U.S. Central Command, which has a wide-ranging area of responsibility for 20 countries in the Middle East and southwest Asia.

WHITEHOUSE: Lloyd Austin to Lead U.S. Central Command

The ship carried a Navy mobile security team that is authorized to respond to perceived threats, as do all military-contracted ships in the 5th Fleet's area of command in the waters surrounding the turbulent Middle East and East Africa, the Navy said.

CNN: U.S. cargo ship fires warning shots in Persian Gulf, Navy says