Category: Blogs

US 17th Air Force in Germany to be deactivated

By John T. Bennett, the Hill

From John T. Bennett, the Hill:  [Air Force Secretary Michael Donley] provided more details about which facilities and organizations the service will shutter and consolidate as part of Pentagon’s cost-cutting drive, moves guaranteed to garner attention on Capitol Hill.

Russia’s Lavrov rules out global war over Arctic resources

By RIA Novosti

From RIA Novosti:  Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday dismissed as "provocation" suggestions that world powers could fight a war over valuable Arctic natural resources. Russia, the United States, Canada, Denmark and Norway are seeking to assert jurisdiction over parts of the Arctic, which is believed to contain over 25% of the world’s oil […]

Afghanistan: Sparking a New Debate on an Old War

By James Joyner

The center-left New America Foundation has enlisted an unlikely ally, conservative tax foe Grover Norquist, to help build a coalition against the war in Afghanistan. At first blush, this would seem unnecessary.  A CNN poll released January 3 found a whopping 66 percent of Americans opposed the war, with only 35 percent supporting it.  And opposition is […]

Turkey Increasing Defense Spending

By UPI

Russia wants “its own security sector” in European Missile Defense

By RIA Novosti

Déjà Vu, Again

By Shuja Nawaz

We have seen this movie before, under civilian and military governments‚ and it does not have a happy ending. Pakistan again stands at a precipice. While there is much to be said for the indomitable spirit of the Pakistani people‚ our leadership appears blindfolded and unworthy‚ focused only on the short-term.   In 2010‚ we […]

Continuing Instability in South Asia is in the Cards

By Gurmeet Kanwal

Though 2010 was relatively peaceful in South Asia – with the exception of the conflict in Afghanistan, the unstable regional security environment, India’s unresolved territorial and boundary disputes with China and Pakistan and continuing internal security challenges are a cause for concern.  After West Asia, this region is perhaps the most trouble prone in the […]

Pakistan Futures

By Raja Menon

Pakistan’s prospects have dimmed quite alarmingly over the past year. My book, The Long View from Delhi, written early last year, built a transparent structure for arriving at the possible scenarios for countries that will decide India’s Grand Strategy of Foreign Policy in 2025. Pakistan had hugely uncertain futures, swinging from a Pakistan Shining (9% […]

Pakistan: Living on the Edge

By Maleeha Lodhi

Worsening political turmoil and an unraveling economy cloud prospects for Pakistan’s stability in the year ahead. When the ruling coalition led by President Asif Zardari lost the support of two key allies the country plunged into a fresh political crisis. The defections left the government well short of a parliamentary majority and struggling to avert […]