Latest Articles about Foreign Policy

China’s Inroads into North Africa: An Assessment of Sino-Algerian Relations
The geopolitics of African countries such as Algeria, a country in North Africa that has traditionally enjoyed strong relations with the People's Republic of China (PRC) and whose strategic importance and regional profile have increased markedly of late, is key to grasping the dynamics that... MORE

Canada Resumes Summit Diplomacy with China
Canadian Prime Minister Stephan Harper concluded a much-anticipated visit to China in December 2009. The visit was significant because China was not on Harper’s foreign policy priority list when he came to office in early 2006, and he had in fact put off his China... MORE

Kazakhstan Poised to Promote Medvedev’s European Security Proposals
On January 1 Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Kanat Saudabayev said that the country will advance security as the chair of the OSCE in the “area from Vancouver to Vladivostok.” Kazakhstan’s government has suggested holding an informal OSCE meeting of foreign ministers in Astana in mid 2010,... MORE

Ingush-Ossetian Relations Show Signs of Improvement
On December 17, Ingushetia’s President Yunus-bek Yevkurov and the head of North Ossetia, Taimuraz Mamsurov, signed an agreement on developing good-neighborly relations between the two republics. The agreement stipulates a plan of joint actions for the republican governments and government controlled civil organizations in 2010.... MORE

China’s Rising Profile in International Arms Sales
The year 2009 will likely be remembered as the beginning of a more assertive phase in Chinese foreign policy, as seen in Beijing's stance on reform of the international financial system, its massive investments in foreign countries, and in particular its investment in and acquisition... MORE

China in the Caribbean: The New Big Brother
When Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) Wu Banggou arrived in the Bahamas in early September 2009 on the second leg of his Americas tour, it quickly became clear that he was not on vacation. As China’s top legislator and... MORE

Ukraine-EU Summit a Failure?
The Ukraine-European Union (EU) summit held in Kyiv on December 4 failed to move the country closer to the West. An association agreement, viewed in Ukraine as a serious step toward EU membership, was not signed because a free trade zone accord which is part... MORE
Tashkent Prioritizes its Strategic Role in Afghanistan’s Future
Uzbekistan’s state railroad company Ozbekiston Temir Yollari has won the Afghan government’s tender to build rail infrastructure linking the northern Afghan border town of Hairatan with Mazar-e Sharif, supported by a credit line extended by the Asian Development Bank. In late November, the Uzbek government... MORE

Mediating Powers Make New Push for Karabakh Peace
The United States, Russia and France have again stepped up their efforts to broker a solution to the Karabakh conflict. Top diplomats from the three mediating powers urged Armenia and Azerbaijan to hammer out a framework peace accord “as soon as possible” after intensive Armenian-Azerbaijani... MORE

Turkey, Azerbaijan Re-Synchronize Conflict Resolution and Border Opening
Under the protocols signed in Zurich, Switzerland on October 10, Turkey should establish full diplomatic relations with Armenia and re-open the land border between them. The United States, main driver of this initiative, insists that the protocols should be ratified and implemented “without preconditions and... MORE