The sensational release of US diplomatic cables has touched upon the situation in the North Caucasus. The WikiLeaks website published what appeared to be a US Embassy employee’s account of his visit to an influential Dagestani politician’s wedding in August 2006. The report is undersigned... MORE

On December 30, Dmitry Medvedev delivered a national address, his third as Russia’s president (https://kremlin.ru/news/9637). It was also his third major communication session with the population in just one week. Judging by their different content and means of delivery, it looks like a classical marketing... MORE

On November 25, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev offered unequivocal political support for the ongoing defense reform initiated in October 2008. Medvedev’s comments, often contradictory, were made during his visit to observe battalion level exercises at the Gorokhovetskiy training range in Nizhniy Novgorod Region, and later... MORE

Since the capture of Abimael Guzmán, the principal leader of the Shining Path (El Sendero Luminoso-SL), 18 years ago, many in Peru believed the Maoist insurgency that had plagued Peru’s countryside since 1980 had ended permanently. The Shining Path was thought to be a spent... MORE

A hybrid criminal/separatist movement operating in the swampy peninsula of Bakassi is now targeting oil industry infrastructure in the Gulf of Guinea in its effort to shake off Cameroonian control of the region, which was administered by Nigeria until last year. Like neighboring Nigeria, Cameroon... MORE

Violence continued in Dagestan over the last several days, following the militant attacks in the republican capital of Makhachkala on November 11, in which eleven people – seven policemen and four militants – were killed.Unidentified attackers fired grenade launchers early today (November 19) at a... MORE

In late August the Ministry of Science and Technology and State Oceanic Administration (SOA) of China announced that on July 13 the Jiaolong manned deep-water submersible, which is named for a mythical sea dragon, had successfully completed a test dive to a depth of 3,759... MORE

Much of the discussion regarding China’s maritime ambitions in the Indian Ocean has revolved around the so-called “String of Pearls” strategy that Beijing is alleged to be pursuing.  As part of this strategic construct it is claimed that Beijing is building a comprehensive network of... MORE

As of November 15, the world’s fastest supercomputer officially belongs to China, according to the most recent listing of the world’s Top 500 computers [1]. China has pushed the United States out of the top spot as well as putting a third machine into the... MORE