Following the violence in southern Kyrgyzstan last month, Russia’s position vis-à-vis its southern neighbor seems indecisive, varying from supportive to obstructive. Shortly after the June 27 constitutional referendum Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev, told journalists that Kyrgyzstan’s experiments with a new constitution are dangerous and might... MORE

US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton’s, first visit to Ukraine on July 2, left the government satisfied, the opposition puzzled and many questions unanswered. On the one hand, no major statements were made or documents signed. On the other hand, thanks to Clinton’s visit, Ukraine... MORE

Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, has outlined a revised and updated policy of regime change towards Georgia. Interviewed on July 8 by the Mir television channel, Lavrov raised the possibility of fomenting tensions among the Armenian and Azeri ethnic minorities inside Georgia. Lavrov urged Georgia... MORE

When Chinese officials consider their international economic interests, Afghanistan and Central Asia (sometimes referred to as “Greater Central Asia”) naturally come to mind. These countries possess an abundant supply of untapped natural resources, and they offer potential export markets as well as investment opportunities for... MORE

China appears to be zealously guarding its maritime footprint in the Bay of Bengal through politico-economic and strategic initiatives. Two high level visits in June by Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping to Bangladesh and Premier Wen Jiabao to Burma (Myanmar) signal the urgency with which... MORE

The ten alleged Russian spies arrested in the US by the FBI that had used falsified identities to infiltrate the country embarrassed Moscow and became an irritant in the process of the “reset.” There are growing indications that the Kremlin and the US President, Barack... MORE

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s introductory visit to Azerbaijan undoubtedly helped the Obama administration to form a clearer understanding of Azerbaijan’s priorities and policies. With the administration approaching its mid-term point, and the US ambassadorship in Baku still vacant, such clarifications were overdue. President, Ilham... MORE

US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, visited Azerbaijan on July 4 as part of a tour of the South Caucasus. Her schedule apparently allocated a mere half-day for official business in each of the three capitals, contributing to perceptions of this regional tour as perfunctory.... MORE

Turkish-Israeli relations continue to worsen, despite attempts to heal the divisions caused by the flotilla crisis. Ankara has asked Tel Aviv to issue an official apology for the killing of its citizens, pay compensation to the victims’ families, accept an independent international probe into the... MORE

On July 1, the Ukrainian parliament voted for a new law on “The Fundamentals of Domestic and Foreign Policy” that dropped the goal of seeking NATO membership. At 8:00 pm on July 1, only 50 deputies from the Stability and Reforms coalition were present and... MORE