Ever since November’s Joint Plan of Action (JPOA) deal in Geneva to ease economic sanctions on Iran, the country has begun to export its petroleum reserves far above levels permitted even by the eased sanctions. This month marks the fifth month to see that limit exceeded. Under the current deal, Iran’s current exports are supposed…
On Monday, the United States and Britain announced it would be excluding Russia from the G8 and boycotting the planned summit in Sochi in protest of the invasion of Crimea. The cancellation of the planned June summit was declared by UK Prime Minister David Cameron and US President Barack Obama while they met at the…
In January, Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif reached out to one of the most well-organized Pakistani Taliban groups, the Tehrik-i-Taliban (or TTP) to begin peace dialogues. Calling for a ceasefire between the near-daily clashes with government forces in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan (FATA), the talks were quickly derailed after TTP spokesman…
In the past week, Russian borders have been redrawn. The Duma and the Crimean Parliament have approved annexation, and fears of war have escalated as the US and EU have slapped sanctions on members of Putin’s inner circle. Arseniy Yatsenyuk, the current Prime Minister of Ukraine, declared yesterday that “the conflict is shifting from a…
The Crimean referendum election on Russian annexation took place yesterday. With more than 50% of the vote accounted for, exit polls demonstrate that an overwhelming majority (close to 95%) of Crimeans supports the secession from Ukraine, as reported by the head of referendum committee Mikhail Malishev However, instead of defusing tensions, the referendum has merely…
The Taliban has increased the frequency of its attacks ahead of the national elections on April 5. With election workers being kidnapped, would-be suicide bombers being shot in the streets, and journalists being killed – the future is not looking particularly bright for Afghanistan. The election will mark the first time in the country’s history…
Recent events in Ukraine have made the aging crop of Central Asian dictators and presidents uneasy for a number of reasons. Ukraine’s anti-government protests flared up suddenly and toppled a notable strongman among strongmen, Viktor Yanukovych. And the Russian government’s invasion of Crimea may have set a dangerous precedent for future interventions in its former…
To compound already-bursting tensions between Ukraine and Russia, the Russian oil and gas company Gazprom has raised prices to the country by 37% by cancelling a discount and even threatening to cut supplies entirely. This, according to a statement delivered by Ukrainian Energy Minister Yuri Prodan, means that Ukraine will be forced to pay $368.50…
Negotiations on the CASA-1000 Power Supply Program have continued today in Istanbul. The proposed transmission project will transmit 1300 MW of surplus electricity from existing hydroelectric power sources in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan through Afghanistan to power-starved end markets in Pakistan and India. Details over the Power Purchase agreement are still being hotly debated, especially as…
Knife-wielding assailants stormed the Kunming railway station in southeastern China on Saturday, resulting in almost 200 casualties. According to Chinese state media, there were more than ten assailants who were dressed in black and were both men and women. The attack is said to be the most sophisticated yet that has ever occurred outside of…
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