Latest Articles about Foreign Policy
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How Much Does Baku Control Ethnic Azerbaijanis Inside Russia?
Moscow’s plans to push through a law establishing criminal penalties for those who deny that the 1915 events in the Ottoman Empire were a “genocide” have sparked unusual dissent among members of the Azerbaijani diaspora in the Russian Federation. This, in turn, has raised speculation... MORE
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Russia Bargains and Bluffs for Breakthrough in Ukraine
For months, the various negotiations formats on conflict management in Ukraine appeared deadlocked. But suddenly, in mid-January 2016, signs of a breakthrough in the making have multiplied—bringing both hopes and concerns to all the parties involved. The most meaningful of these signs was United States... MORE
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Iran’s Overtures to Tajik Opposition Expose Deep-Seated Grievances
In December 2015, Iran invited Tajikistan’s opposition leader, Muhiddin Kabiri, to attend a conference on Islam. The invitation extended to Kabiri, who is accused of allegedly masterminding an unsuccessful armed mutiny back home, unsettled the authorities in Dushanbe, which led to Tajikistan’s government summoning the... MORE
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Putin Calls on Germany to Mend Fences by Recognizing Russian ‘National’ Interests
It has become a cliché to write off President Vladimir Putin’s anti-Western pitches as only intended for internal consumption—uttered to rally the population around the Kremlin and dampen possible social discontent in times of economic and financial strain. However, in a recent interview for the... MORE
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Russia’s Muslims Increasingly Critical of Moscow’s Actions in the Middle East
Russia’s Muslims are slowly realizing that they have a voice in the country’s foreign policy in the Middle East. President Vladimir Putin unexpectedly launched a military campaign in Syria in the fall of 2015, apparently giving little consideration to Russia’s Muslim population. Indeed, Moscow threw... MORE
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The Russo-Japanese Relationship in China’s Shadow
The New Year brought new challenges and opportunities to Russian policy in East Asia. On January 3, 2016, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe signaled Japan’s continuing interest in a summit with Russia to normalize bilateral relations (TASS, January 4), even though both sides had given... MORE
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The 13th Five-Year Plan: A New Chapter in China’s Maritime Transformation
During the past three decades, China has experienced a tremendous transformation in its strategic outlook. It has evolved from a terracentric state with its military, political, economic, and cultural roots firmly planted on the Eurasian continent to one of the world’s premier maritime states. The... MORE
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Defense of Taiwan Post-2016 Elections: Legacy and New Challenges of Military Transformation
Taiwan’s presidential election is slowly but surely approaching its end, entering the last week before voters cast their ballots on January 16, 2016. Taiwanese elections are rarely uneventful, and this time they promise quite a shake-up of the domestic political environment. The leading opposition party,... MORE
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After the Election: The Future of Cross-Strait Relations
Barring an upset of momentous proportions, Taiwan’s opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is expected to defeat the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) or Nationalist Party, during presidential elections scheduled for January 16. The latest polls by the popular Taiwanese TV station TVBS show the DPP candidate and... MORE
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Taiwan’s Elections; Chinese Military Reform
Taiwan’s Elections Editor’s Note: Ahead of Taiwan’s presidential and legislative elections on January 16, we have devoted a number of this issues’ articles to the question of what cross-Strait relations will look like and how Taiwan’s ability to defend itself—a key strategic issue for the... MORE