http://centralasia.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2008/03/10/356/ The World Affairs Blog Network Sat, 07 Nov 2009 22:58:16 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7.1 hourly 1 http://centralasia.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2008/03/10/356/comment-page-1/#comment-4493 Afghanistan and Central Asia » Blog Archive » Central Asia 2008: Year in Review Wed, 10 Dec 2008 02:18:58 +0000 http://centralasia.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2008/03/10/356/#comment-4493 [...] The year began with Afghanistan’s government and society under a severe and determined Taliban-led insurgent attack.  NATO, who was and remains in pursuit of more troops from its members, was actually partnering up with Moscow in Afghanistan’s Central Asian neighbor states in order to help supply routes.  Now as the year is nearing a close, Russia and the United States are involved in what I would call a ‘mini Cold War’ since the Georgia conflict and this may hinder further cooperation in and around Afghanistan in the coming year.  Regarding Russia, the transition from Putin to Medvedev was surprisingly smooth and it now appears that they are indeed sharing power (though it looks like things are being nicely set up for a Putin return to the presidency).  Before we leave Russia, the Georgian conflict indeed had immediate ramifications for the region, first at the annual SCO summit where though pressured none of the CA states recognized the two breakaway Georgian states, second in a serious of rapid fire oil/gas dealings by Putin in the region, and the events of last August will probably reverberate for years to come. [...] [...] The year began with Afghanistan’s government and society under a severe and determined Taliban-led insurgent attack.  NATO, who was and remains in pursuit of more troops from its members, was actually partnering up with Moscow in Afghanistan’s Central Asian neighbor states in order to help supply routes.  Now as the year is nearing a close, Russia and the United States are involved in what I would call a ‘mini Cold War’ since the Georgia conflict and this may hinder further cooperation in and around Afghanistan in the coming year.  Regarding Russia, the transition from Putin to Medvedev was surprisingly smooth and it now appears that they are indeed sharing power (though it looks like things are being nicely set up for a Putin return to the presidency).  Before we leave Russia, the Georgian conflict indeed had immediate ramifications for the region, first at the annual SCO summit where though pressured none of the CA states recognized the two breakaway Georgian states, second in a serious of rapid fire oil/gas dealings by Putin in the region, and the events of last August will probably reverberate for years to come. [...]

]]> http://centralasia.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2008/03/10/356/comment-page-1/#comment-2425 Central Asia » Blog Archive » Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan: Water Peace Thu, 03 Apr 2008 16:44:59 +0000 http://centralasia.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2008/03/10/356/#comment-2425 [...] In my short time as the lead writer for this blog, I have written much about NATO's mission in Afghanistan, as I believe the nation's stability and effective governance would do much for Central Asia, South Asia, and the Middle East regions.  On March 10th I discussed NATO troop levels and restrictions.  In light of the ongoing NATO Bucharest Summit, Foreign Policy has created The List: Who's Left in Afghanistan?, which nicely catalogs individual NATO nation troop levels, restrictions of engagement, and provides an outlook into possible changes to these in the near future.  The report is rather disparaging to the nation's who either have very low troop levels or major limitations as to what and where their troops can do and go.  The report specifically targets Germany, Austria, and Ireland for consternation. [...] [...] In my short time as the lead writer for this blog, I have written much about NATO's mission in Afghanistan, as I believe the nation's stability and effective governance would do much for Central Asia, South Asia, and the Middle East regions.  On March 10th I discussed NATO troop levels and restrictions.  In light of the ongoing NATO Bucharest Summit, Foreign Policy has created The List: Who's Left in Afghanistan?, which nicely catalogs individual NATO nation troop levels, restrictions of engagement, and provides an outlook into possible changes to these in the near future.  The report is rather disparaging to the nation's who either have very low troop levels or major limitations as to what and where their troops can do and go.  The report specifically targets Germany, Austria, and Ireland for consternation. [...]

]]> http://centralasia.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2008/03/10/356/comment-page-1/#comment-2323 Global Voices Online » Afghanistan: U.S. Pushes for NATO’s Wider Participation Tue, 11 Mar 2008 04:24:50 +0000 http://centralasia.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2008/03/10/356/#comment-2323 [...] Patrick Frost reports that U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice asked NATO members for greater participation in all aspects of the war in Afghanistan. Share This [...] [...] Patrick Frost reports that U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice asked NATO members for greater participation in all aspects of the war in Afghanistan. Share This [...]

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