Russia’s stake in North Korea
Donald Kirk – The Korea Times We hear so much about China and Japan competing on and for the Korean peninsula, now and historically, that we overlook one other great Northeast Asian power. That would be Russia, which has a 17-kilometer border with North Korea as the Tumen River flows into the sea. In the […]
Importance of next Korean president
Tong Kim – The Korea Times As no major change on North Korean policy is likely during the remainder of the Park government or under a Hillary Clinton administration, it is critical for South Korea to elect the right person as next president in December 2017 to remove fear of war and enhance the well […]
Afghanistan’s Future in the World Politics: The Prestige War
Afghanistan was one of the places where Russia and the United Kingdom clashed during the 19th century. This geopolitical rivalry went down in history as “The Great Game.” The United Kingdom aimed to keep away Russian influence from its Indian colony by capturing Afghanistan. The Great Game resulted with Afghanistan staying as a buffer state. […]
Over 5,000 Russian troops to take part in Arctic drills
Over 5,000 troops will take part in the military exercises of the Russian Northern Fleet’s coastal defense and ground forces that have kicked off in the Polar Region, the fleet’s press office reported on October 18, TASS reports. “Over 5,000 servicemen and more than 500 pieces of the armor and vehicular hardware will be involved […]
Duterte awaits ‘soft landing’ on first state visit to Beijing
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who arrives in Beijing on Tuesday for his first state visit to China, said he agrees with Beijing’s call for peaceful settlement of the South China Sea issue. Duterte expects a “soft landing” in the dispute over the issue. He will visit China for four days. “I’ll be there to talk […]
CSTO Leaders Agree to Set Up Crisis Response Center
The leaders of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) member-states have decided to set up a joint crisis response center to exchange information on common threats, including terrorism, and make decisions in real time, RFERL/RL reports. Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian, who is hosting a meeting of the CSTO summit on October 14 in Yerevan, made […]
Russia completes delivery of S-300 to Iran
Russia has completed the delivery of S-300 air defence missile systems to Iran, Russia’s state arms export agency said, Vestnik Kavkaza reports. Russia’s agreement to provide Iran with S-300 has sparked concern in Israel. Moscow cancelled the contract to deliver S-300s to Iran in 2010 under pressure from the West. Russian President Vladimir Putin lifted […]
Putin cancels Paris visit
Russian President Vladimir Putin has canceled his upcoming trip to Paris. The move comes after French President Francois Hollande accused the Kremlin of committing war crimes in Syria, Vestnik Kavkaza reports. Speaking in an interview with French television channel TF1, Hollande said that he was unsure whether meeting Putin would be “useful” and that he […]
The Unresolved Regional Problem of Asia: Kashmir
Kashmir is the northernmost geographical region of South Asia. Until the mid-19th century, the term “Kashmir” denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range. The Kashmir conflict is a territorial conflict primarily between India and Pakistan, having started just after the partition of India in 1947. In August 1947, […]
Iran calls on West to protect Yemen from Saudi Arabia
The Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani, said the Yemeni army and popular forces would counter Riyadh’s air strikes that targeted a crowded funeral ceremony in the Yemeni capital Sana’a in the battlefields, Vestnik Kavkaza reports. Shamkhani underscored that the US government is the main partner of Saudi Arabia’s ruler Salman bin […]