2012-10-19 By Robbin Laird I am attending the christening event for the new America class ship which will be held October 20, 2012. And have had the opportunity to discuss the ship with several key players in developing and defining the new ship. Discussions have been held with the prospective…
10/20/12 by Richard Weitz Although less well known than Kazakhstan, the government of Uzbekistan also has strong nuclear nonproliferation credentials. The country’s leaders have accepted the legally binding arms control obligations of the former USSR, acceded to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as a non-nuclear weapons state, worked with the U.S.…
2012-10-19 by Richard Weitz The current nuclear crises involving Iran and North Korea make it unlikely that either of these two countries, or Egypt and Israel, will soon join the CTBT. Current U.S. priorities are rightly on preventing further North Korean nuclear tests as well as keeping Iran from developing…
2012-10-19 by Richard Weitz Energy security represents a major force driving Beijing’s increased interest and involvement in Uzbekistan. A combination of a booming economy and declining domestic energy production has resulted in China’s importing an increasingly large percentage of its oil and natural gas. In particular, the PRC’s natural gas…
2012-10-18 by Richard Weitz The lingering impact of the Georgian war remains. NATO’s failure to intervene to prevent Russia’s occupation of Georgian territory in 2008 reminded all that the geography of the South Caucasus limits the possibilities for Western military support. This has shaped Azerbaijani defense policy and approach…
2012-10-17 by Michael Wynne, the 21st Secretary of the Air Force In a speech at the Virginia Military Institute, Governor Mitt Romney began a great conversation about the United States role in the world going forward. How this conversation is framed will influence many emerging international realities. In fact in…
2012-10-16 by Richard Weitz Recently the Noble Peace Prize was awarded to the European Union. Norway's Nobel Committee handed its 2012 Peace Prize to the European Union (EU), even as the bloc faces its most serious crisis since it emerged from the ruins of two world wars, an award that…
2012-10-16 by Richard Weitz At the same time I was visiting Uzbekistan from September 8-14, I was also not surprised to learn Chinese Vice Premier Hui Liangyu was also in Tashkent with a large delegation of Chinese government and business leaders. Uzbekistan has increasingly striven to deepen ties with the…