Obama, Medvedev Edge Closer On Missile Defence
The presidents of Russia and the USA appear to have achieved progress over missile defence, an issue with a direct impact on transatlantic relations, the international press reported. READ MORE
OSCE RIP in Georgia
On June 30 the OSCE officially terminated its Mission in Georgia, which had for 17 years monitored the situation in and around South Ossetia. Russia forced the OSCE to close the Mission by vetoing the prolongation of its mandate in the OSCE's Permanent Council. Also on June 30 the U.N. Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG), which had for 15 years monitored the situation in and around Abkhazia, began evacuating its personnel, following Russia's veto against that Mission's mandate in the U.N. Security Council. READ MORE
Yury Krupnov: “Moscow Can Prejudice Muslim World Against It by Allowing Transit of the US Military Cargos to Afghanistan Through the Territory of Russia”
This issue is very complicated and as known is one of the key moments of Russian-American relations. Americans are already firmly presented in Central Asia and turned Afghanistan into its military strategic base, in this context the issue of military cargos transit is the way to success of total American operation. READ MORE
German lobbyists work for gas pipelines
Perhaps it is no coincidence that the memories of last winter's gas shortage in the European Union, have prompted competing gas pipelines to the EU to hire two former German politicians to smooth the way. READ MORE
European Vector of Higher Priority
Russia should care of itself to become attractive for CIS countries. In the end of last week western Mass Media informed that the European Union suspends the “Eastern Partnership” program till December. This message referred to the comments of Fredrik Reinfeldt the Prime Minister of Sweden, the country currenlty chairing the EU. The Prime Minister explained this move with “new arising challenges”, meanwhile six former Soviet states lay their greatest integration hopes on this program. READ MORE
Speculation Intensifies over the Future of Manas
The U.S. military has now started preparing to leave the Manas base in Bishkek as part of its anticipated eviction, according to Colonel Christopher Bence, the newly-appointed commander of the airbase. The United States military will vacate Manas by August 18, as the Kyrgyz regime first officially demanded in February. READ MORE
The Eurasian Pipeline Calculus
Calculus has two main variants—derivative and integral. The Eurasian energy pipeline geopolitics between Turkey Washington and Moscow today has elements of both. It is highly derivative in that the major actors across Central Asia from China, Russia to Turkey are very much engaged in a derived power game which has less to do with any specific state and more to do with maintaining Superpower hegemony for Washington. Integral as the de facto motion of various pipeline projects now underway or in discussion across Eurasia hold the potential to integrate the economic space of Eurasia in a way that poses a fundamental challenge to Washington’s projection of Full Spectrum Dominance over the greatest land mass on earth. READ MORE
OSCE summit on the Greek island of Corfu avoids the "blame game"
Foreign ministers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe opened talks on the Greek island of Corfu on Sunday aimed at forging a new security framework for Europe. READ MORE
Obama, Merkel Speak With 'One Voice' On Iran
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and U.S. President Barack Obama have condemned the Iranian government for cracking down on citizens who have questioned the results of the June 12 presidential election, which President Mahmud Ahmadinejad is said to have won. READ MORE
Russian Military Chief Accuses Georgia of Preparing Aggression
The top Russian military commander, the Chief of the General Staff and First Deputy Defense Minister Army-General Nikolai Makarov during the Paris air show this week said: "Georgia is saber-rattling and preparing weapons to resolve its territorial problems by any means." Makarov accused NATO of supporting Georgian aggressive intentions and E.U. observers of ignoring Georgian rearmament and war preparations. Makarov stated that the Russian army and the FSB Border Guards in Abkhazia and South Ossetia are preparing together with local forces and forming new military infrastructure. He confirmed that the defense ministry will permanently station "somewhat less combat troops in Abkhazia and South Ossetia" than the previously announced 3,700 soldiers in each region. READ MORE
