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…
2012-10-15 By Richard Weitz After Laura Holgate presented the U.S. view, perspectives on the process and the future were provided by other national representatives. A South Korean Perspective Chang-Hoon Shin, Director of the Nuclear Policy & Technology Center at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in South Korea, described how South…
2012-10-14 by Richard Weitz With climate change comes conflict. The collapse of the Soviet Union left in its wake a serious fault line in Eur-Asia revolving around water and its scarcity. This security issue arose during my week-long visit to Uzbekistan last month and deserves a serious look. [caption id="attachment_46110"…
2012-10-13 recently, the Pentagon released its guidance with regard to building Western Hemisphere defense in the period ahead.The document highlights the strategic need to evolve partnerships in more effective directions and across the board in delivering security in challenging times. The document highlights the need for evolving the collaborative approach,…