«‘In 2012, the unequal relationship between India and Pakistan is spinning sharply out of control. Terrorists attack the Indian parliament and kill two ministers and 12 MPs. There is no doubt that Pakistan had a hand in this, and in a month India goes to war. Pakistan threatens to use nuclear weapons if India does not stop the invasion. Indian troops close in on Lahore, and Pakistan launches Ghauri missiles with nuclear warheads aimed at Delhi... A long-range radar for missile defense detects the Ghauri missiles 30 seconds after their launch. Five minutes later... the missile defense system launches interceptor missiles. Four Pakistani Ghauri missiles explode in the sky and fall harmlessly to the ground in pieces... The city of Delhi is saved. India carries out a nuclear counterattack that, in the words of one military officer, ‘will put an end to Pakistan once and for all.’ Science fiction? Not entirely.» READ MORE

Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan Presidents signed a joint statement on strengthening contacts and coordinating joint efforts in international and regional organizations. READ MORE

Polish national strategy pivots around a single, existential issue: how to preserve its national identity and independence. Located on the oft-invaded North European Plain, Poland’s existence is heavily susceptible to the moves of major Eurasian powers. Therefore, Polish history has been erratic, with Poland moving from independence — even regional dominance — to simply disappearing from the map, surviving only in language and memory before emerging once again. READ MORE

On 1 September, Poland handed over command of NATO’s air policing mission in the Baltics to the Czech Republic. READ MORE

Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski has a five-point plan for economic reforms to help Poland better endure the European crisis as Poland must still fight to improve its own competitiveness within the EU while relying on deeper integration to aid the EU as a whole. READ MORE

Leaders from 20 nations around the Pacific Basin are gathering for their annual meeting on economic cooperation, held this year in Russia, a nation not often seen as a Pacific power. READ MORE

Hungary’s recent extradition of a convicted axe murderer to Azerbaijan has caused a scandal. At home, the killer was pardoned and celebrated. It’s rumored that Hungary and Azerbaijan brokered a deal for the extradition. READ MORE

The Prime Minister Andrus Ansip noted that Kazakhstan is the closest partner of Estonia in Central Asia. READ MORE

The Vilnius meeting of foreign ministers of the Nordic and Baltic states (NB8) focused on perspectives of closer partnership and achievements of shared activities this year, the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry said. READ MORE