Latest Articles about Foreign Policy
Medvedev Meets with Local NGO Leaders in Bid to Stabilize North Caucasus
On May 19, President Dmitry Medvedev had a unique meeting with North Caucasian NGO’s and Russian civil society activists who work on issues involving the region. The closed-door meeting lasted for nearly three hours. The main outcome for the civil society members appeared to be... MORE
Sergei Ivanov Seeks Deals in Washington
The Russian authorities are seeking a major détente with the West. A draft of a revised foreign policy doctrine was leaked and extracts published by Russky Newsweek in Moscow this month. The document was prepared by the foreign ministry and envisages closer political cooperation with... MORE
Soviet Chekists, Slavic Fist, and the Medvedev-Yanukovych Declaration on Transnistria
Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev, and his Ukrainian counterpart, Viktor Yanukovych, issued a joint declaration on the Transnistria conflict during Medvedev’s May 17 visit in Kyiv (www.kremlin.ru, May 17).The event fortuitously coincided with the Transnistria KGB’s anniversary celebrations in Tiraspol. Proposed by the Russians and accepted... MORE
Russia Pursues Post-Soviet Integration
In yet another bid to strengthen cooperation with the “near abroad,” Moscow has hosted informal summit meetings of the major post-Soviet groupings. However, the gatherings also served to highlight continued disagreements between some member states.On May 8, informal summits of the Collective Security Treaty Organization... MORE
Kremlin Contemplates a Seismic Shift in Russian Foreign Policy
Two conceptual strategy documents, one outlined in briefings by the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, and another “leaked” to Newsweek in Moscow appear to indicate that a seismic shift in the country’s foreign policy is under consideration. If this is implemented more fully, it will... MORE
Bishkek’s Dependence on Russia and Kazakhstan Deepens
During the Collective Security Treaty Organization’s (CSTO) informal summit on May 7 in Moscow, member states – Russia, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Belarus, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan – expressed concern over the ongoing instability in Kyrgyzstan. In the joint statement CSTO members agreed that the regime change in... MORE
Medvedev’s Ineffectual Foreign Policy Lacks Putin’s Firm Hand
Glitz and fanfare in foreign policy have been President, Dmitry Medvedev’s, main preoccupation since the Victory Day parade on May 9. After the back-to-back official visits to Syria and Turkey, he telephoned US President, Barack Obama, and in Moscow greeted the Brazilian President, Luiz Inacio... MORE
Putin and Chavez Reach Major Deals in Caracas : Part Two
Russia’s central partner in Latin America remains Venezuela and Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin’s, visit there underscores the scope of that partnership. Putin’s trip encompassed several large deals with Venezuela that reveal the true scope of this partnership, even if bilateral trade fell to $297 million... MORE
China’s “Charm Offensive” Loses Momentum in Southeast Asia [Part II]
The change in Southeast Asian attitudes toward China’s growing economic profile in the region and its military build-up in the South China Sea is significant (See "China's "Charm Offensive" Losing Momentum in Southeast Asia [Part I]," China Brief, April 29). In mainland Southeast Asia, governments... MORE
Shifting Sands in the Gulf: The Iran Calculus in China-Saudi Arabia Relations
The fourth joint meeting on economy and trade convened by China and Saudi Arabia in January 2010 in the Saudi capital of Riyadh came and went without much fanfare. Yet the meeting between China, the world’s second largest and fastest growing oil consumer, and Saudi... MORE