Recent Posts

To Help Central Asia, Engage with Muslim Civil Society

Kazakhstan’s violence emphasizes the relevance of often overlooked communities. Kazakhstan’s violent upheaval this month underscores that governments and international organizations need to more effectively help Central Asia’s 76 million people build responsive, effective governance across their five nations. Mass protests or communal violence also have struck Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan …

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What to Make of Kazakhstan’s Seemingly Sudden Unrest

As Moscow deploys troops at the behest of its Central Asian neighbor, where do Kazakhstan’s explosive protests go from here? What started last week as a protest against fuel price increases has quickly turned into a nationwide movement that is taking aim at Kazakhstan’s elite political and economic leaders — …

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Afghanistan-Pakistan Border Dispute Heats Up

Taliban’s repudiation of Pakistan’s position on the Durand Line challenges a pillar of Pakistan’s security policy. In at least two incidents in late December and early January, Afghan Taliban soldiers intervened to block an ongoing Pakistani project to erect fencing along the shared border between Afghanistan and Pakistan — the …

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Bill Taylor on the Ukraine Crisis

What started as Russian saber-rattling along the Ukrainian border last April has now evolved into a fully-fledged international crisis, created entirely by Moscow: An attempt to force concessions from the United States and NATO by threatening to invade Ukraine. When Russia first began amassing troops along the Ukrainian border, some …

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America, Russia and NATO look for New Frontiers of Influence

Why the Lessons of History are Ignored America, Russia and NATO’s Geneva diplomatic talks ended in failure without any formal course of action to avoid military confrontation on Ukraine’s border. Other vital issues include how to treat each other in a futuristic imaginary encounter of common interests. The global community …

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Paris attacks accused Mohamed Abrini shrugs off damning evidence

Wednesday’s testimony from Mohamed Abrini, who is charged with complicity in the Paris attacks, focused on the suspect’s 2015 journey from Belgium to the Islamic State heartland in Syria, and his return via London, Birmingham, Manchester and Paris. According to Mohamed Abrini, it’s all very simple. He went to Syria …

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Washington’s Missing China Strategy

To Counter Beijing, the Biden Administration Needs to Decide What It Wants The Biden administration has repeatedly identified China as the United States’ foremost foreign policy challenge. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has referred to China as the Pentagon’s top priority. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has described China as …

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Egypt weighs role as mediator in Sudan crisis

Egypt announced its support for the UN initiative to resolve the political crisis in Sudan and called for the quick formation of a government. Egypt called on the parties to the political conflict in Sudan to take part in choosing a new, consensual transitional prime minister in preparation for the …

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