Month: February 2016
Summary The European Union is fragmenting, and Russia is becoming more active in its former Soviet sphere of influence. In such upheaval, it is no surprise that a string of countries running from the Baltic Sea down the Carpathians to ...
At the tail end of 2015, Beijing introduced the ambitious first wave of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s comprehensive plan for military reform. The changes — which include a more powerful strategic weaponry command, a new ground force headquarters and an organization ...
Summary As with many energy-exporting countries in the former Soviet Union, low global oil prices have hurt Azerbaijan, causing its economy to slow and its currency to tumble. And as oil prices continue to fall, protests are beginning to intensify. ...
Forecast Persistent tension between Moscow and Kiev will encourage Russia to keep looking for pipeline routes to Europe that bypass Ukraine. TurkStream will probably remain shuttered until icy Russia-Turkey relations thaw. Given numerous political hurdles, South Stream’s prospects are similarly ...
We think we know what a terrorist looks like. Photos of angry-eyed young men toting machine guns top every news hour and confirm the same stereotype that even we in the security business often rely on to spot would-be attackers. ...
Summary A pair of attacks threatens to damage ties that India and Pakistan only recently repaired. On Jan. 2, armed militants donning Indian military uniforms stormed an air force base in the Indian city of Pathankot, near the country’s border ...
Summary The two rival bureaux of Libya’s National Oil Corp., based in Tripoli and Bayda respectively, are squaring off in a dispute that threatens to derail the country’s new unity government before it even takes power. Libya’s government has been split ...
Forecast France in 2016 will be characterized by President Francois Hollande’s attempts to cope with a country that is shifting politically to the right while leading a leftist administration. In pursuit of the right-wing vote, Hollande will take a hard ...
Summary China is modernizing its military one step at a time, and the focus of the new year appears to be organizational reform and restructuring. An announcement from the Chinese military on Jan. 11 heralded the new configuration of its ...
Analysis Moscow’s assertive stance since a Turkish fighter downed a Russian Su-24 in late November has started to affect Washington and Ankara’s air operations over Syria. Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a Dec. 17 interview that he sees no prospect ...