Why the Shanghai Cooperation Organization is Important
When the SCO emerged at the turn of the century, Western observers worried that its key founders, Russia and China, plotted an anti-NATO bloc. It turns out, however, that the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s primary objective is to keep the status-quo in Eurasia. READ MORE
Rethinking NATO Partnerships for the 21st Century
Security threats today are globalised and non-traditional. It’s time for NATO’s partnerships to follow suit, says Ron Asmus. READ MORE
West Balkans: On the Way to Euro-Atlantic Integration
In course of almost two decades NATO has assured security in West Balkans. During this period interaction of the region with NATO has been drifted from peacemaking and crisis regulation to Euro-Atlantic integration. READ MORE
NATO – Ukraine: Membership not in Shape but Essence
After the entrance of American missile cruiser “Monterey” into the Black Sea waters last week Russian authorities as if again has acknowledged the problem of “NATO by our borders”. It has been known for a long time that Viktor Yanukovych closely collaborates with NATO, and that there are plenty of Atlantists by him. But people have ignored it till recently. Now when the issue of gas is critical the parties think over how to press on the “partner”. It seems that Russia is already willing to take out one of the trump cards... READ MORE
Lithuanian-U.S. cooperation priorities discussed between Grybauskaite and Clinton
President Dalia Grybauskaite met with Unites States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, currently visiting Vilnius at her invitation, to discuss energy and regional security issues, Lithuanian-U.S. cooperation priorities, and prospects of democratic development in the neighboring countries. READ MORE
Ilves, Grybauskaite talk security
The presidents of Estonia and Lithuania met this weekend to discuss cyber and energy security. READ MORE
SCO Fails to Turn Into an “Eastern NATO”
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) comprising China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan was officially created on June 15, 2001. At the time the Taliban ruled Afghanistan, while the secular dictators of the impoverished, weak and corrupt former Soviet Central Asian “Stan” states were panicking. A radical Islamist insurgency, supported by the Talibs and (or) Osama bin Laden then resident in Kabul, could engulf one or several “Stan” states, eventually destabilizing the entire region. The SCO was formed to promote security and economic cooperation to fight the terrorist threat and poverty in the “Stan” states and make them less susceptible to Islamist Salafi agitation. READ MORE
The Missile Defense Hyperbole Game
In principle, both Russia and the United States have endorsed cooperation on missile defense. Absent cooperation, the two countries are unlikely to make further progress on reducing their still bloated nuclear arsenals. READ MORE
NATO Promotes Dialogue and Cooperation in Central Asia
On June 10th the Kyrgyz Parliament ratified a Treaty in accordance with which the NATO Central Asia Office shall move to Kyrgyzstan. READ MORE
Visegrad: A New European Military Force
With the Palestinians demonstrating and the International Monetary Fund in turmoil, it would seem odd to focus this week on something called the Visegrad Group. But this is not a frivolous choice. What the Visegrad Group decided to do last week will, I think, resonate for years, long after the alleged attempted rape by Dominique Strauss-Kahn is forgotten and long before the Israeli-Palestinian issue is resolved. The obscurity of the decision to most people outside the region should not be allowed to obscure its importance. READ MORE
