Latest Articles about Foreign Policy
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Assessing the Threat to Turkey from Syrian-Based Kurdish Militants
Kurdish militias recently took control of several towns in northern Syria, raising fears in Turkey that in addition to their camps in the mountainous border areas in Iraq, the Partiya Karkerên Kurdistan (PKK) could also now operate against Turkey from Syria. It is however, unlikely,... MORE
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Olympic Successes Raise Kazakhstan’s Prestige
“Sky of golden sun, Field of golden seed, Legend of courage – Take a look at my country! From ancient times, our heroic glory emerged.” These first words of Kazakhstan’s national anthem should have put the world on notice that the Kazakhstani Olympic team was... MORE
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Kazakhstan as Italian Second Pillar in the Post-Soviet Space?
In March 2012, the new Italian technocratic Prime Minister Mario Monti went to Kazakhstan as part of his first diplomatic trip to Asia since assuming the prime ministerial office in November 2011. This Asian tour, nicknamed a “road show” in Italy as its major aim... MORE
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Swedish Ambassador’s Departure from Belarus
On August 3, Belarusian television stations explained why the Belarusian authorities have refused to extend the accreditation of Swedish Ambassador Stefan Eriksson. On the program Panarama, Syarhey Husachenka stated first that it was a routine matter, and the Swedish ambassador had already spent a long... MORE
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Putin Suggests Transnistria Self-Determination, Rogozin Displays Transnistria Flag
On July 31, Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested that Transnistria is entitled to self-determination, implying secession from Moldova. Answering questions at the Kremlin-sponsored Camp Seliger Forum, Putin stated: “Many problematic spots have remained after the Soviet Union’s fall, and Transnistria is one of them. Only... MORE
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Elections Issue: Militants in Libyan Politics: A Militant Leadership Monitor Special Report
By: Dario Cristiani, Michael W. S. Ryan, Camille Tawil, Jacob Zenn In this Special Report on the Libya Elections we examine the entrance of militant leaders into the political scene as the country recovers from several decades of Gaddafi's rule. This 2012 Quarterly Special Report features five articles and... MORE
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China Pushes on the South China Sea, ASEAN Unity Collapses
For more than two decades Beijing has pursued a consistent policy in the South China Sea composed of two main elements: gradually strengthening the country’s territorial and jurisdictional claims while at the same time endeavoring to assure Southeast Asian countries of its peaceful intentions. Recent... MORE
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Coping with the East-West Imbalance in Belarus’s Foreign Relations
On July 18, Russia’s Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev paid an official visit to Minsk. Medvedev’s visit was somewhat clouded by the July 4 penetration of Belarus’s airspace by a light Swedish plane that took off in Lithuania and dropped 1,000 toy teddy bears carrying human... MORE
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Congress Reviews Central Asia (Part One): Security Issues
Last week, the US Congress held one of its most comprehensive hearings in years regarding US policy toward Central Asia. The members and invited expert speakers discussed the diverse goals the United States is pursuing in the region and the obstacles to their realization (House... MORE
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Russia Plays Spoiler in the Most Recent 5+2 Talks
The veil of uncertainty obscuring the results of the latest official “5+2” talks on Transnistrian settlement, which took place on July 12-13 in Vienna, is getting thinner as new details about the meeting are being revealed. Apparently, the optimism with which Moldovan diplomats had entered... MORE