Why Doesn't the United States Export More Oil?
America’s energy boom is spurring a clash between the realms of politics and economics. Meaningful exports of oil have been banned for almost a century. But with output surging and crude fetching a 20 percent discount at home, producers want to ship it overseas. BP, Royal Dutch Shell and four others have applied for limited licenses to do just that. Unblocking trade could benefit everyone. READ MORE
Central Asia: Freedom of Foreign Policy Choice
Russia can’t be neutral towards the trend of “by-pass strategy” of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, their foreign policy interests and Eurasian plans READ MORE
The Nightmare Scenario: A U.S.-China War
Our great and powerful editor has requested—nay, demanded!—a series of posts exploring how a U.S.-China war might unfold. That sounds like a request for prophecy. But making predictions is a dicey business, as the equally great and powerful sage Yogi Berra reportedly observed—especially when they’re about the future. The Naval Diplomat is no clairvoyant. Undeterred, we nonetheless commence a five-post cycle exploring some of the big ideas likely to shape each phase of a Far Eastern maelstrom. READ MORE
Romney foreign policy: How different from Obama's?
Under President Obama, the US has 'led from behind,' Mitt Romney said Monday. He vowed that as president he would use US power to shape world events, instead of simply reacting to them. READ MORE
“New Silk Road”: Connecting Center and South of Asia with One Thread
Withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2014 and related with it regrouping of military forces of the USA made the initiative of promotion of plans on new interstate configurations within the area from Central to South Asia topical in Washington. Since the middle of 2011, when the terms of troop’s withdrawal from Afghanistan were finally confirmed, the Department of State has started objective lobbying of the project “New Silk Road”. The given project claims to be conceptual in the issue of the future of the region through the prism of strategic interests of the USA. READ MORE
Pentagon has resources to implement Asia strategy: Carter
Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter on Wednesday offered a broad defense of the U.S. military’s shift in focus to the Asia-Pacific region, insisting the Pentagon had the resources to implement the new strategy despite concerns about tight budgets. READ MORE
Why NATO matters for you
Speech by NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen at the City College of New York. READ MORE
Morningstar mission in the Caucasus
In early September, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev accepted the credentials of the new US ambassador Richard Morningstar. Thus, the period of instability in the work of the US embassy in Baku was finished. After the mission of Ann Dercy came to an end in July 2009, the position of the American ambassador was free for more than a year. Later the president of the US Barack Obama appointed to the position an experienced diplomat, the former co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group Mathew Brayza by-passing the Senate. However, due to an active resistance of the Armenian lobby in the Senate Brayza’s career ended sooner than it should: he managed to work only for a year, after which his functions were not prolonged. READ MORE
’Gap between Europe and US must not get wider’
The General Secretary of the German Social Democrats, Andrea Nahles, was at the Democratic National Convention. She’s rooting for Obama and warns that a President Romney could drive Europe and the US apart. READ MORE
Rice: EU should be more open to Ukraine and Turkey
Fencing off the EU from neighboring countries such as Ukraine and Turkey would lead to a loss for Europe, 66th U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
