Carnegie Moscow Center
The balance in Sino-Russian economic relations has shifted heavily in favor of the Chinese, and Moscow’s long-term strategy toward China will likely seek to make their relationship more equal.
Given the current domestic political situations in Israel and Turkey, improving relations between the two nations will likely require external intervention.
The United States needs regional assistance, particular from Pakistan, to resolve the problems and challenges facing Afghanistan.
The realization that both the United States and the Soviet Union shared an interest in preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons led to a 1968 agreement that existing nuclear weapons states would work toward nuclear zero if other states agreed not to develop nuclear weapons.
Without a continued NATO presence in Afghanistan to facilitate a regional approach to resolving the problems facing the country, the creation of a stable security situation in Afghanistan is impossible.
The Arab Spring has more in common with events in Sub-Saharan Africa in the 1990s than Central and Eastern Europe in 1989. The impact of events in the Middle East for states outside the region will depend on the legitimacy and adaptability of their regimes.
The Arab Spring is likely to have little to no impact on the political situation in the countries of Central Asia and may even serve the governments there as a cautionary warning to their citizens against social upheaval and turmoil.
Russia plays an extremely important role as mediator in the current Libyan conflict. If Moscow can succeed in this role, there would be a clear positive benefit to Libya and its neighbors.
Calls for mass demonstrations after Friday prayers on May 27 indicate the frustration some Egyptians feel toward a political process were elites remain in power.
As the international community pursues a range of activities to help end the violence in Libya, analysts and politicians should avoid creating a false dichotomy between imposing a no-fly zone on the country and doing nothing to prevent the deaths of Libyan civilians.