Carnegie Moscow Center
The Kazakh nuclear experience is a reminder of the power of diplomacy and the economic incentives at the disposal of the international community.
A comprehensive P5+1 Iran deal that included a Russo-Iranian agreement on nuclear cooperation could give Moscow a powerful incentive to work with the West and open a sustainable path for Iran toward commercial nuclear power development.
Syria may not be a major oil or gas producer, but the country's strategic location may allow it to determine the shape of the region's energy future by offering Mediterranean access to landlocked countries.
Supporters of the evolution of nuclear safeguards should resolve Russia’s concerns over the IAEA’s safeguards system so it can be adapted to new challenges.
It is unlikely that Obama will act to worsen U.S.-Russia relations during his second presidential term.
Barack Obama’s second term has the chance to become the vindication of his Nobel Peace Prize, but he will need to craft a very careful course on Iran, be wise on China, and become strategic on Russia.
Since 2011, the driving forces in the Middle East have been the Arab people, the Gulf monarchies, Iran, and Turkey, not the United States. As global power realities shift, so must U.S. foreign policy.
Historically the U.S. Democrats have been perceived as weak in foreign policy and national security, but President Barack Obama has a strong record in these spheres.
If United States and Russia fail to collaborate on urgent global issues, it could enhance the two countries’ mutual alienation, allow regional crises to run unabated, and even lead to a reconfiguration of the world’s strategic landscape.
Though the participants in the negotiations about Iran's nuclear program foresee several rounds of discussions, all are acutely aware that time to reach agreement peacefully may be running out.