Carnegie Moscow Center
A troubling perception gap exists between Chinese citizens, who feel their country is discriminated against in the international arena, and Western observers, who harbor suspicions of Beijing’s intentions.
While Kyrgyzstan's newly elected parliament has convened its first session, there is still no ruling coalition and the situation in the country remains unpredictable.
Given the current status of nuclear security and nonproliferation in South Asia, nuclear powers like China, Russia, and the United States should look for a path of engagement for India and Pakistan to be brought into the global nonproliferation regime.
President Medvedev used his visit to the contested Kuril Islands to pursue his domestic political objectives, at the cost of undermining Russia’s strategic goal to turn Japan into a key partner in the East.
Afghan opium cultivation, and subsequent drug production and trafficking, continue to be a source of instability in Afghanistan and the surrounding region, with significant international implications.
President Ahmadinejad’s meeting with the leader of Hezbollah is further evidence of Iran’s efforts to gain a foothold in the Middle East as one of the key regional players.
Last June's ethnic violence in Kyrgyzstan, along with the performance of the country's new parliamentary system of government, will have wide-ranging implications for Central Asia and for regional security.
Parliamentary elections held in Kyrgyzstan on October 10 were the first under the country’s new constitution, which institutes a parliamentary system with a relatively weak president. They have shown the level of awareness in Kyrgyz society, demonstrating that people take an interest in their future.
Mutual understanding and cooperation between the United States, China, and other countries is essential for overcoming the challenges facing the nonproliferation regime.
The Egyptian parliamentary elections in 2010 and the presidential succession question offer a valuable opportunity to understand the regime’s preferences on striking a balance between stability and the urgent need for reform.