2012-10-28 by Richard Weitz Israel and Azerbaijan have found each other to be attractive partners. Israel’s deepening ties with Azerbaijan have helped compensate for its deteriorating relations with Turkey over the Freedom Flotilla crisis. Meanwhile, Israel has provided Azerbaijan with important assistance in many areas. Azerbaijan has a history free of…
2012-10-28 by Richard Weitz Today’s parliamentary elections matter more than many people realize. Ukraine is the largest contiguous country on the European continent not extending into Asia. It shares borders with the Russian Federation, Belarus, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Moldova, but the most important geopolitical consideration at present is…
2012-10-27 By Richard Weitz In the immediate aftermath of the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the leaders of the former Soviet republics in Central Asia, including Uzbekistan, supported various measures to preserve economic, security, and other ties with the other former Soviet republics. Uzbekistan was a founding signer…
2012-10-26 By Richard Weitz Proponents of repealing the arms embargo have offered a variety of arguments for removing it. First, they note that the embargo complicates the EU’s relations with China and partially negates EU efforts to develop a strategic partnership with Beijing regarding key international issues. For example, in…
2012-10-24 By Harald Malmgren The mid-October Euro Summit illuminated widening divisions between the leadership in France and Germany. It is the German leadership which is most opposed to a single bank supervisor and a comprehensive “banking union” for the EU. In German politics, a EU banking union is little more than…
2012-10-23 by Robbin Laird The United States became a Pacific power by means of gaining Spanish territory after the Spanish-American war, and events in Hawaii that eventually led to Hawaii becoming a U.S. territory. The late 19th century saw the emergence of the U.S. as a Pacific power, so the pivot…
2012-10-20 by Robbin Laird The USS America was christened today in the Ingalls shipyard. This is the fourth ship to bear the name USS America. History of USS America It was done with a gathering of veterans, ship workers, and industrialists, members of the crew and various high ranking military…
2012-10-23 by Richard Weitz One way Uzbekistan is responding to the new Central Asian environment is by moving closer to Kazakhstan. The two countries are the two most influential of the “stans,” having the largest land mass and population in Central Asia. Uzbekistan is also Kazakhstan’s major trading partner within Central…
