US President Barack Obama welcomes NATO to Chicago, his hometown. Here he describes how important the Alliance has been for our common security, our freedom and our prosperity for the past 63 years. READ MORE

In autumn of 2008 Lithuanian Government approved the Strategic Guidelines of Lithuania’s EU Policy for 2008–2013. Since not too much time is left before Lithuania takes over the rotating EU presidency in the first half of 2013, the question arises: is Lithuania ready for presidency of the European Council? Does the country have enough human and financial resources for such a political challenge? READ MORE

The US is a vast country, with a growing population and a myriad of cultures. Getting your message across is not always easy. NATO is no exception. So we asked five Americans how they would try to convince their compatriots of the value of NATO. READ MORE

On April 17-18th in Vienna another fall of talks on Transnistria ended successfully. Kishinev and Tiraspol have finally managed to agree on the principles and procedures of negotiation process. READ MORE

Kyrgyzstan may become a new member of the Customs Union in the near future. Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev promised to help in removing existing barriers to join this organization. Kazakhstan is one of Kyrgyzstan's major political and economic partners. READ MORE

Islamism is rising in Azerbaijan but remains a manageable threat which is unlikely to topple the country's government or seriously affect the nearby 2014 Sochi Olympics, argues Stratfor. READ MORE

An advisor to Poland’s president has said that the victory of Francois Hollande in the French presidential elections is a good choice “for France, Poland and Europe”. READ MORE

That Europe has not lost its luster and power of attraction despite the eurozone crisis was made evident in an unlikely part of the continent: the Western Balkans. Beyond the excitement of this weekend’s French and Greek elections, Serbia also held presidential, parliamentary, and local elections. The message from the voters, after the mist of electoral rhetoric had been dispelled, was two-fold and clear: there is a sense of deep concern and dissatisfaction with the political class but also of belief in the need to pursue the paths of democratic reform and European integration. READ MORE

Britain controlled about one-fourth of the Earth's land surface and one-fifth of the world's population in 1939. Fifty years later, its holdings outside the British Isles had become trivial, and it even faced an insurgency in Northern Ireland. READ MORE

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is to speed up the establishment of a special account and development bank so as to enhance members' ability to cope with new threats and challenges, reported Xinhua. READ MORE