Joshua Kucera
Thursday, November 6, 2014 - 07:09
The firing of Georgia's defense minister and ongoing shakeup of the Georgian government is the biggest political crisis the country has faced since the coalition led by former President Mikheil Saakashvili left office two years ago. But does it threaten the country's ties with the West?
Friday, October 10, 2014 - 06:26
Russia will build a new military training facility in southern Tajikistan to help the two countries carry out drills together, a Russian military official has said.
Thursday, October 9, 2014 - 07:33
The head of Russia's post-Soviet military bloc has made his first-ever visit to the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, checking on the readiness of Armenian troops there. The show of support was made just before Armenia was scheduled to sign an agreement to become a member of Russia's other big Eurasian integration project, the Eurasian Union.
Wednesday, October 8, 2014 - 06:31
After last month's summit in Dushanbe, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization appears poised to finally expand its membership after years of discussion and speculation. SCO members signed protocols for admitting new members, and various officials from member countries have signaled that India and Pakistan will be invited to join at next year's summit in Ufa, Russia.
Monday, October 6, 2014 - 07:26
A year after Tajikistan ratified an agreement allowing Russia to keep its military base there until 2042, some in the country are questioning whether Russia is going to hold up its end of the bargain.
Friday, October 3, 2014 - 06:26
The biggest headline to come out of the weekend's Caspian Sea summit in Astrakhan, Russia, was that the five countries along the sea agreed to prevent any outside military presence from the sea. This has been a longstanding goal of the sea's two biggest powers, Russia and Iran, the result of worries that the U.S. and/or NATO would somehow gain a military foothold on the sea via security cooperation programs with Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, or Turkmenistan.
Thursday, October 2, 2014 - 07:28
Despite some signs of progress, the littoral states still remain apart on key issues. Presidents of the five countries surrounding the Caspian Sea held a summit last week in Astrakhan, on the Russian shore of the sea. And while the Russian hosts declared that the summit moved the Caspian countries closer than ever to a final resolution of the stickiest issue – formalizing the sea’s international boundaries – strong differences of opinion linger not far under the surface.
Thursday, October 2, 2014 - 06:39
Turkey has denied claims from a German expert that the country is secretly developing a nuclear weapons program. The claim, made by Hans Ruhle in the German newspaper Die Welt, is based on circumstantial evidence. But Ruhle, a former senior German defense ministry and NATO official, writes in the piece that Western intelligence circles are "largely in agreement about it."
Tuesday, September 30, 2014 - 07:04
A Georgian armored vehicle is a finalist in a tender for the Saudi Arabian military, potentially marking a big step forward for Georgia's young arms industry.
Monday, September 29, 2014 - 06:06
The presidents of the five countries on the Caspian Sea are meeting in Astrakhan, Russia, on Sunday and will agree to "prevent" the military presence of non-littoral countries on the sea, a Russian official has said.