Abdullah Abdullah, long considered the frontrunner for the future president of Afghanistan, has suspended his involvement with the Independent Election Commission (IEC), recalling his party monitors from commission offices, on account of what he has described as “industrial-scale fraud,” saying that “the counting process should stop immediately and if that continues, it will have no…

New President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko said he would introduce a new ceasefire framework that would allow separatist groups and government forces to engage in peaceful negotiation and settlement. Despite the institution of these new rules of engagement, Poroshenko reported to the Ukrainian National Security Council that there was no need to involve the country…

Talks have stalled at the summit between energy officials from Ukraine and Russia hosted by the European Commission in Brussels yesterday. A breakthrough had occurred at 3 am on Tuesday, which was the deadline that Kiev had been set by officials of Gazprom and Moscow. Russia has threatened Ukraine if it defaults on its debt…

Afghan presidential frontrunner Abdullah Abdullah escaped assassination on Friday morning when two charges detonated outside of a hotel. Six people are confirmed dead, and the blasts destroyed several cars in Abdullah’s convoy. Twenty-two bystanders were also injured. The blasts took place in the Kote Sangi area of western Kabul, next to the Ariana Hotel. Police…

Last month, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia were approved to propose the so-called “roadmap” for integration into the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan by a summit meeting in Astana (which recently announced its change in title and function to the Eurasian Economic Union or EEU at the beginning of next year). The roadmap has now hit…

Despite the successful election of Petro Poroshenko, clashes in the Donetsk Oblast have increased. Separatist troops attacked the Donetsk airport and were repelled by government forces. Vladyslav Seleznyov, the spokesman for the Ukrainian army’s current operations in the east, said that “pro-Russian separatists are attacking Ukrainian forces’ checkpoints all the time in Slovyansk,” a noted…

Yesterday in Astana, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his counterparts from Belarus and Kazakhstan met to initiate the formation of the Eurasian Economic Union as a successor trade and legal framework to the Customs Union. The new regulations imposed by the EEU give citizens of member states equal employment and education opportunities across all three…

On Tuesday, President Obama announced plans to keep 9,800 troops in Afghanistan after 2014 until withdrawal in 2016. He made these remarks in preparation for a major speech to be delivered today on the recalibration of American foreign policy and countering criticism. Ultimate withdrawal from Afghanistan, he argued, will give the US more flexibility to…

Exit polls in Ukraine indicate that Petro Poroshenko has won the presidential election over other rival candidates like Yulia Tymoshenko and Serhiy Tihipko. The victory was expected by most observers in the previous week, as he enjoyed a wide lead over his rivals. Despite the nearly unambiguous victory, the regional governments of eastern Ukraine reported that only 9…

The Ukrainian chocolate magnate Petro Poroshenko is poised to win the presidential elections in Ukraine that are taking place on the 25th of May. Opinion polls place him first in the election, far ahead of any potential competitors. The current election will be the most important the country has had since it gained independence during…