Carnegie Moscow Center
Central Asia is in a period of transition. Many tenets of Soviet infrastructure and culture have expired and rather than renew these precedents, the countries are emphasizing individual development.
Russia is re-emerging as a power in the Middle East. Yet Moscow’s objectives today are vastly different.
Russia is clearly concerned with the rise of Islamist extremists in the Middle East and is looking for ways to prevent destabilization in the region. At the same time, it is seeking to improve ties with various Arab countries.
It will be difficult for Washington and Moscow to drag the Syrian regime and opposition to the negotiating table. But for now, the U.S.-Russian effort is the only chance for peace.
The formation of a Russian Special Operations Command is meant to counteract any threats that an increasingly volatile Syria and an unstable Afghanistan will pose to the Russian state.
Manmohan Singh could stand to learn from Shinzo Abe's energetic outreach to foreign governments.
Islam may not have been the primary motivation behind the Tsarnaev brothers’ bombing in Boston; what they wanted was to make headlines.
It seems that Russia is not ready to face new and diverse threats and challenges in international security. Instead, it gives priority to preparations for war with the United States and NATO.
For the foreseeable future, the Commonwealth of Independent States should remain Russia’s significant foreign policy priority. Its policies toward individual CIS countries will be shaped by Russian leaders’ practical interests and needs, and also by the changing environment.
Russia has no intentions of getting involved again in Afghanistan. Yet Central Asian republics now fear instability on their borders as NATO’s 100,000-strong presence ends.