Greater Power Involvement in Afghanistan
India and Russia are both anxious to invest in Afghanistan’s infrastructure and economy.
Russia
Russian Submarine Stalking Trident
Is this Cold War nostalgia or should London worry?
Vying for Influence in Central Asia
The United States appear to be scheduling a greater involvement in Central Asia. They should think twice before immersing themselves in this unfortunate quagmire however, boxed in between the conflicting interests of two former Cold War rivals. EurasiaNet reports that the Pentagon is preparing to embark on a small building boom in Central Asia. The […]
Kyrgyz Government Invites Russian Peacekeepers
Kyrgyzstan’s interim government led by Roza Otunbayeva has asked for Russian military support to suppress violence in the south of the country on Saturday. Dozens were reportedly killed in the city of Osh last week amid confrontations between native Kyrgyz and Uzbek youths. Mass riots in Osh escalated into violence on Thursday night, resulting in […]
EU Should Reassess Energy Policy Toward Russia
Given the meager results of Europe’s policy of confrontation with Russia, it should focus on developing its internal market.
Russian Foreign Arms Purchases Are Good for Regional Stability
A great deal of ink has been spilled recently about how terrible it is that a number of European NATO members are considering selling arms and military equipment to Russia. Many commentators vehemently argue against such arms sales. The reasons for the opposition are rarely stated openly, but when they are they tend to focus […]
Russian Arms Sales to China Drying Up
Richard Weitz of the conservative Hudson Institute reports that increasingly China is relying on home industries to provide high tech weaponry rather than buying arms from Russia. Since 2001, Russia has sold over $16 billion worth of arms to China, accounting for nearly 40 percent of all major Russian arms sales. In recent years, however, […]
Violence in Kyrgyzstan
President Kurmanbek Bakiyev flees the capital.
Perestroika 2.0
In spite of President Dmitri Medvedev’s great designs for Russia, his country is still in trouble, plagued by archaic power structures, aging military hardware and leadership and being the last of the BRICs to move out of recession. Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev has some advice to offer. Writing for The New York Times, he […]
Russian Bombers Penetrate British Airspace
Two weeks ago, two British Tornado F3 fighter aircraft were scrambled from the Royal Air Force base Leuchars, the United Kingdom’s most northerly air defense station, to pursue two Russian Tupolev 160 bombers which were approximately one hundred nautical miles to the west of Stornaway on the northwest coast of Scotland. More than twenty of […]
Arctic Tensions Rising
Tensions between Russia and its Arctic neighbor states flared up against last week when President Dmitri Medvedev told his Security Council on Wednesday that the country must be prepared to defend its claim on the region’s natural resources. With global warming rapidly changing the Arctic landscape, the region might well emerge as a future battleground […]
The Missing Chinese Threat?
What has largely been missing from recent discussions of Russia’s military doctrine is the role that China will play in its security.
Russian Obstructionism?
With Russia refusing to commit to sanctions on Iran while protracting the negotiations on nuclear arms reduction, the average American politico might begin to wonder whether their former Cold War rival is obstructing American foreign policy for the sheer fun of it. Owen Matthews believes it’s exactly that. Writing for Newsweek, he claims that as […]
It Will Still Be an Asian Century
The region still far outperforms Europe and the United States in terms of economic growth.
Rethinking NATO’s Future
It wasn’t too long ago that NATO’s post-Cold War purpose seemed perfectly clear. During the Clinton Administration, the United Stated led allies in humanitarian efforts around the world but in Europe’s backyard especially. Up to this very day, Western forces are actively engaged in peacekeeping in former Yugoslavia and, of course, in Afghanistan. The Afghanistan […]