Political analyst Sergei Markov and Carnegie Senior Associate Michael McFaul debated Russian democracy and the causes of poor U.S.-Russian relations.
U.S.-Russian relations are "rather precarious" and could spiral downwards. The Russians are struck by what looks to be a sort of breathtaking exercise of double standards on the part of the Bush administration.
The strident tone of Osama bin Laden's latest videotape masks an ideological crisis for Al-Qaeda. Arab politics have transcended the legacy of Al-Qaeda. Today gradualism, participation, and democratic reform, rather than radical violence and jihad, set the agenda.
The security situation in Azerbaijan is strained because of the country’s antagonistic neighbors: Turkmenistan, Iran, and Armenia. Russian policy in the South Caucasus also threatens regional stability. Azerbaijan's long border with Iran could cause problems should the confrontation over Iran’s nuclear program escalate.
The states of Central Asia are of increasing strategic importance for the U.S., yet unfortunately the opportunities that U.S. policy-makers have for influencing developments in this region are relatively circumscribed.
Nikolai Petrov, of the Carnegie Moscow Center, analyzed the recent elections to Russian regional parliaments and looked forward to national elections in 2007-2008.
If Francis Fukuyama is right, the neoconservative movement is dying. Good riddance. Through their network within the Bush administration, these intellectuals wreaked havoc on American national security interests, ruined the international reputation of the country and drove up a staggering national debt.