Latest Articles about Foreign Policy

Hot Issue – Could Benghazi Embassy Deaths Be a Harbinger of Al-Qaeda’s “Fourth Generation Warfare”?
This year, the anniversary of the al-Qaeda 9/11 attacks on the United States was marred by a series of demonstrations against American diplomatic missions, beginning in Egypt and quickly spreading to Libya, ultimately covering a band of Muslim communities from the United Kingdom to Australia.... MORE

Sino-Malaysian Relations: Close But Not Too Close
Earlier this month, China and Malaysia held the first ever defense and security consultation between their two defense ministries in Kuala Lumpur. The landmark event was just the latest in a series of advances which suggest that, on the surface, Sino-Malaysian relations are at an... MORE

China and Japan Turn the Screw over Island Dispute
Once again Tokyo and Beijing played with fire over the disputed Diaoyu or Senkaku islets in the East China Sea, operating under the assumption that the consequent outbursts of nationalism can be contained indefinitely and will not degenerate to the extent that they would threaten... MORE

North Caucasians Look to Tbilisi to Provide a Counterweight to Moscow
With the approach of parliamentary elections in Georgia on October 1, the intensity of political struggle in the country is increasing. The Georgian elections are a historical opportunity for the country to make a political transition via democratic elections. Until now, leaders have come to... MORE

Kremlin Undercuts Obama’s ‘Reset’ Policy by Expelling USAID from Russia
This week it was officially disclosed in Moscow and Washington that during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Vladivostok earlier this month Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told his United States counterpart, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, that the foreign aid agency USAID must curtail... MORE

Finnish Leaders Emphasize Bilateral Cooperation and Good Relations with Russia
On August 20–23, Finland’s foreign policy establishment convened in Helsinki for the Annual Meeting of Heads of Mission. In addition to speeches by President Sauli Niinisto and Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja, visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was given the opportunity to give a short... MORE

Filat’s Reset: Moldovan Prime Minister Reaches out to Putin and Medvedev
Moldovan Prime Minister Vlad Filat’s September 10–12 back-to-back visits with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev (see accompanying article) amount to a reset of bilateral relations initiated by Filat. This marks the first time since 2003 (Kozak Memorandum’s collapse) that Putin deigns... MORE

Moldova’s Filat Discusses Energy Sector Agreement with Russia’s Putin and Medvedev
On September 10–12, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev received Moldovan Prime Minister Vlad Filat with his governmental delegation in Moscow and Sochi, respectively. The Transnistria conflict did not figure on the official agenda and seemed almost unmentioned in these discussions. Instead,... MORE

After APEC Summit in Vladivostok, Moscow Declares War on EU
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum summit last week in Vladivostok has been declared to have been a resounding success in Moscow. The Kremlin has been criticized by the Russian press for spending well over $20 billion on hosting the APEC forum to show off... MORE

Kazakhstan Struggles to Contain Salafist-Inspired Terrorism
Kazakhstan has experienced a rise in militant activity carried out by Salafist groups on its territory and periphery since late 2011. The Salafists’ rejection of secularism and other types of Islam and their call for a return to the ways of the Salaf, or pious... MORE