1. The port of Hong Kong, China, March 2011

    China, India Vie for Myanmar’s Energy Resources

    The rivalry between Asia’s two major powers in Burma is a competition for access to oil and gas.

    The competitive relationship between China and India has become a defining feature of the strategic environment across emerging Asia. While both nations are currently not in direct conflict, there are several areas that hold strategic interest which could potentially act as the stage for a clash…
  1. Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani greets Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis of Latvia in Doha, Qatar, March 13, 2012

    Saudi Arabia Takes Over Reins in Syrian Uprising From Qatar

    The bigger Arab Gulf kingdom worries about its neighbor’s indiscriminate support of radical Islamists.

    Saudi Arabia has taken up coordination of Arab support for the Syrian uprising at the expense of its fellow Gulf Cooperation Council member state Qatar, Reuters reported on Friday. While governments in neither…
  1. Presidents Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran meet on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Council summit in Beijing, China, June 7, 2012

    Despite Loan, Economic Changes Test Pakistani-Saudi Alliance

    The Saudis want to maintain stability in Pakistan but also expand commercial relations with India.

    Saudi Arabia is willing to loan as much as $5 billion to Pakistan's new government, led by the conservative prime minister Nawaz Sharif who was elected…
  1. Vice Marshal Choe Ryong-hae, vice chairman of North Korea's Central Military Commission, arrives in Beijing, China, May 22, 2013

    China Seen Persuading North Korea to Resume Nuclear Talks

    A senior North Korean military official says his country is willing to resume dialogue after a meeting in Beijing.

    Chinese media quoted one of North Korea's top military officials on Thursday as saying that the country was "willing to accept the suggestion of the Chinese side and launch dialogue with all relevant parties," possibly an indication…
  1. General Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, speaks with Republican senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina in Washington DC, February 7, 2013

    Congress Seeks More Iran Sanctions, Frustrates Diplomatic Efforts

    Unlike the president, American lawmakers believe that they should put more pressure on Iran.

    With multilateral negotiations over Iran's nuclear program once again at a standstill, the United States Congress has launched a renewed push to target Iranian financial institutions…
  1. Secretary of State John Kerry, flanked by Alaska senator Lisa Murkowski, attends a ministerial meeting of the Arctic Council in Kiruna, Sweden, May 15, 2013

    At Arctic Meeting, European Union Left Out in the Cold

    Arctic Council states are reluctant to grant the supranational body observer status.

    The news from Kiruna, Sweden last week was certainly a game changer for the future of the Arctic region. As the chairmanship of the Arctic Council forum was passed to…