Latest Articles about Military/Security
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
Kim Jong-Il’s Secret Visit to Beijing
North Korean President Kim Jong-Il’s recently completed visit to Beijing, which came on the heels of South Korean President Lee Myun-bak’s trip to attend the 2010 Shanghai Expo, has testified to China’s unprecedented clout over strategic developments in the Korean Peninsula. Yet despite Dear Leader... MORE
Russia Celebrates Past Victories: Parading an Image of “Strength”
Once again, celebrating the victory over Nazi Germany, veterans, serving Russian soldiers, equipment and weapons were displayed on Red Square for the May 9 Victory Day Parade. The 65th anniversary of that victory always promised to be staged on a larger scale than previous parades,... MORE
Medvedev Presides Over the Victory Day Celebrations and Condemns Stalin
Sixty five years normally would not be considered a significant anniversary, but Victory Day is special for all Russians, so every official fanfare was blown last weekend and military parades were held from Sakhalin to Sevastopol. The holiday has always had a sad undertone because... MORE
Pakistan’s Ongoing Azm-e-Nau-3 Military Exercises Define Strategic Priorities
For the last few years, the Pakistan Army has been slowly but surely drifting away from fighting the war on terror and placing more stress on building its capabilities to fight its archrival, nuclear-armed India. The process was accelerated when General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani took... MORE
Yarmuk Jammat Regroups after Death of Astemirov in Sign of new Militant Strategy
Nalchik, the capital city of Kabardino-Balkaria in Russia’s North Caucasus, has been hit be a series of bombings. Explosives were detonated on May 1, during May Day festivities at the local hippodrome as the spectators, including members of the republican government, were about to view... MORE
Nalchik Bomb Attack Endangers the Stability of Kabardino-Balkaria
On May 1, an explosion shook Nalchik, the capital of Kabardino-Balkaria. A home-made explosive device estimated at equaling 3-5 kilograms of TNT went off at the time as current and former republican top officials were entering a tribune set aside for them at the Nalchik... MORE
Russian Military Personnel Crisis: Medvedev and the General Staff Join the Fray
It has been officially acknowledged that the Russian military faces a serious personnel crisis: the federal program to hire more contract soldiers has failed and their number will be reduced from 150,000 to 90,000, while massive draft-dodging and demographic problems are reducing the number of... MORE
US Embassy in Moscow Indicates Acceptance of Mistral Deal
On April 28 in Moscow, US Ambassador, John Beyrle, justified the proposed sale of four French Mistral warships to Russia. Interviewed by the Moskovsky Komsomolets daily newspaper, Beyrle stated: “The only question [about the Mistral sale] is the overall stability in the region. And I... MORE
Police Attacked in Dagestan and Kabardino-Balkaria
A fourth person died today (April 30) as the result of a suicide bombing near a traffic police checkpoint in Dagestan’s Kazbeksky district on April 29. Two policemen were killed along with the suicide bomber in the blast, which also wounded 17 people and destroyed... MORE