Nation-building in Ukraine is a formidable task, its divided nation also a hurdle to a democratic development. Still, Ukraine seems to have a better chance of evolving as a democracy than Russia.

The new Georgian government’s proposed legislation would dramatically decentralize power exercised by the center. Should this bill pass in a meaningful form, Georgian democracy and economic development might seriously benefit.

Russia may face a danger of becoming a “super Finland,” neutralized and marginalized between the NATO and China. To avoid this, Russia can strengthen its ties with the East-Asian countries.

The time is now for Poland to support a peaceful dialogue between the Ukrainian opposition and President Yanukovych. It is also time for Warsaw to make the EU more aware that stability and peaceful transition in Ukraine is of crucial importance for the whole European security.

As the focus is all on Putin's effort to reshape his neighborhood this week, a Kazakh and a Belarusian silence is an awkward reminder that the Eurasian Union was supposed to be a collaborative project and that the more Putin grabs the headlines, the less that is the case.

Regarding finances, the Russian government has used three methods to keep the Ukrainians from signing the Association Agreement with the EU: bullying, bribery, and defending Russian national interests.

The current Ukrainian awakening is a test for Europe and its ability to reenergize itself and acquire a mission to help find Ukraine a peaceful way out of the confrontation.

The intensification of the Sino-Japanese standoff in the East China Sea calls for better communication between the Chinese People’s Liberation Army and the Pentagon.

The recent reports in the U.S. media suggest that Russia has violated the INF Treaty seem to echo, at a new stage, previous claims made almost six months ago. At that time, questions arose in connection with the Rubezh missile flight tests and assumptions were made that the Rubezh missiles are actually intermediate-range missiles.

The agreement on Syria between Russia and the United States turned out to be insufficient. A broader compromise is required to resolve the crisis, particularly between the warring sides in Syria.

Georgia has been ready for any and every subsequent step that paves the way toward anchorage with the project of European Integration.

In the run-up to the Vilnius summit, the EU could have played its hand better and could have gone the extra mile with Moscow to demonstrate to Russia and the world its good intentions.

The Vilnius summit may be successful only if Europe analyzes the Ukrainian lesson and the EU’s own strategic faults, and if it decides to reinvent its current Eastern Partnership model.

The Ukrainian government’s suspension of the EU association process has come as a bombshell to many. However, it is Russia, ironically, who needs to be wary of this decision.

India would be able to make an important contribution to the resolution of the Syrian crisis.

The situation in Asia-Pacific will not allow an easy establishment of a solid international security arrangement.

Now Tbilisi should concentrate on the main issue that preoccupies most Georgians: how to get the economy back on track.

As Russia and Japan are carefully embarking on a fresh attempt to fully normalize their relations, closer and more regular contacts in the foreign and security field, including military exercises, may be useful as confidence-building.

Now that Saakashvili is finally history, the chances that Russia will soon take an active interest in Georgia are going up. This would concern the settlement of the main issue in Georgian-Russian relations—the status of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

The nomination of Mullah Fazlullah as the new head of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) does not seem to dramatically change prospects for an agreement between the TTP and Islamabad. Yet if signed, this agreement will not be able to stop violence in the tribal area of Pakistan and neighbor regions.