Topic: Central Asia

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Briefing
Chechnya: How a remote Russian republic became linked with terrorism

The main suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing are two brothers from Chechnya, a Russian republic that has been the scene of cyclical revolts and brutal crackdowns for the past 200 years.
CSMonitor editors share their favorite people to follow on Twitter

Twitter turned 7 this week. In celebration of the social network's birthday, The Christian Science Monitor compiled a list of favorite Twitter accounts. Each is informative and useful in its own way. Find out what each section recommends for you.
4 ways US and Iran can make nuclear talks work

The Moscow talks on Iran’s nuclear program ended in stalemate June 19, as both cynics and optimists anticipated. While low-level experts will meet in July, the next set of sanctions against Iran are scheduled to kick in within weeks, arguably restarting the whole negotiating process. The next time around, the parties should consider broadening their approach in these four ways.
Briefing
Gay marriage laws around the globe

There is no national gay marriage legislation in the pipeline in the US, however, numerous countries around the globe already recognize same-sex marriage or the right to civil unions. Here’s the breakdown by region.
International Women's Day: How it's celebrated around the globe

International Women's Day has served for more than a century as a day to honor the achievements of women globally. Here are some ways people are celebrating:

All Content

Greg Mortenson's 'Three Cups of Tea' : Will CBS report harm aid work?

A '60 Minutes' report alleges that Greg Mortenson, author of 'Three Cups of Tea,' may have fabricated some elements of his memoir about building schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Mortenson is defending his work.
Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 03/22
In Pictures: Spring equinox celebrations
The Monitor's View: Save America's foreign policy budget

A choice between a robust US diplomatic program and a healthy federal budget is a false one. As events in the Arab world show, now is not the time to whack the State Department's budget.
To A Mountain In Tibet

On a journey to Tibet, renowned travel writer Colin Thubron creates one of his most revealing and personally intimate works.
Opinion: US and Iran could become strategic allies – with India's help

Tighter sanctions and military threats haven't swayed Iran over its nuclear program. What the West really needs is genuine rapprochement – the kind that India is especially suited to facilitate.
Democracy comes in waves, and Tunisia's 'jasmine revolution' may be the Arabs' turn

The rise of democracies since World War II seemed to come region by region, from Africa to Latin America to Asia. Are Arab states of North Africa and the Middle East next?
Clinton's WikiLeaks alchemy: Can she turn outrage into unity on Iran?

Secretary Clinton is in the Persian Gulf to limit damage over the WikiLeaks disclosures. Can she translate the revelations into increased international resolve against Iran's nuclear program?
PepsiCo to buy stake of Wimm-Bill-Dann for $3.8B

PepsiCo now has access to the healthier drinks consumers are increasingly clamoring for, as Wimm-Bill-Dann produces dairy and juice products including Chudo, J7 and Lubimy Sad.
WikiLeaks 'attack': How damaging to US foreign relations?

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton condemns the WikiLeaks 'attack on the international community' as harmful to US policy goals. But major geopolitical shifts are unlikely, analysts say.
Wikileaks release: in Russia, fear of damage to future US relations

As Wikileaks prepares to release millions of confidential cables, Russian diplomats worry about their ability to talk frankly in the future – while some politicians and anti-Kremlin activists are concerned about private conversations.
Why US astronauts are celebrating Thanksgiving early

Three American astronauts will host a Thanksgiving dinner for their three Russian crew mates aboard the International Space Station on Nov. 24 because half of the crew returns to Earth Thursday.
19 countries that won't be at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony

This year's Nobel Peace Prize ceremony on Dec. 10 won't only be missing its honoree, Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, who is under house arrest in China. The number of countries that have declined invitations to attend has risen from six to 19 in the past two months. Nobel committee members suspect that has something to do with China's "you're either with us or against us" tone urging other nations to join its boycott of the Oslo ceremony. Beijing boasted Tuesday that most countries would stay away from attending the ceremony. In fact, only the 65 countries with embassies in Norway were invited, and 44 of those had accepted, according to the Nobel Prize Committee. Who's standing with China? Here's a list. (click on the blue circle in the upper right corner of this page to move through the slides)
Opinion: Time to be a better neighbor, India. If you don't, China will.

President Obama's trip to India underscored India's importance in global security and global finances – a democratic counter to an aggressive China. But India's poor foreign policy and botched regional relations have been holding it back.
The 8 worst countries on Transparency International's list

The 2010 Corruption Perceptions Index, released annually by Transparency International, shows northern Europe continues to be perceived as the world's least corrupt region, with six countries taking the top 10 spots. The island-state of Singapore climbed into first place this year with New Zealand and Denmark. The United States fell behind Chile and into 22nd place, marking the first time it failed to rank in the top 20. Russia ranked worst among global powers, falling from 146th place to 154th place, tied with Cambodia. Nearly three quarters of the 178 countries in the index were below five on a scale of 0 (high corruption) to 10 (low corruption). That means not just the following countries have a corruption problem.
WikiLeaks ready to drop a bombshell on Russia. But will Russians get to read about it?

WikiLeaks is about to release documents on Russia, but the tightly-controlled Russian media is unlikely to report them the way Western media attacked the documents about Afghanistan and Iraq
Global Gender Gap Index: Iceland tops, France drops, and US breaks into top 20

Iceland is No. 1 and Yemen is ranked last in the World Economic Forum's 2010 Global Gender Gap Index, which measures gender equality.
Kyrgyzstan elections signal unease with parliamentary rule

Weekend Kyrgyzstan elections came off smoothly and fairly. But they also demonstrate popular unease with reforms designed to prevent a return to one-man rule.
Five things Obama will do at the UN

President Obama hasn’t had much time lately for anything other than the economy, jobs, and maybe a little worrying about the midterm elections. But he’ll focus a good chunk of this week on foreign affairs when he decamps Washington for the United Nations in New York, spending the better part of three days – from Wednesday afternoon to Friday evening – on many of the bigger issues on his international plate. Here are five things Mr. Obama will do while in New York.
Turkey: a democratic superpower in the Middle East

Turkey's vote for constitutional reforms last week helped solidify its position as the new superpower of the Middle East and the shining model of what a modern, Muslim-majority democracy can achieve if given the opportunity.
Taking a spiritual stand amid political turmoil

A Christian Science a perspective.
Russia's Medvedev talks terrorism, drug trade with Afghanistan, Pakistan leaders

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev hosted leaders from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Tajikistan in Sochi, Russia, on Wednesday. Militancy and the drug trade are increasing threats to Russia's security.
Letters to the Editor – Weekly Issue of July 5, 2010

Readers write in about Turkey and plastic pollution.
In Pakistan, Hillary Clinton announces new aid projects, lauds mango

The mood was upbeat during Hillary Clinton's two-day visit to Pakistan, in contrast to her visit in October. Today she announced plans for two hydroelectric dams and three hospital projects.
Lunch with a Russian spy: kind of, well, ordinary

The alleged Russian spies lived unobtrusively among ordinary Americans, but US officials say their mission was to make influential contacts over time. Here's one account of a brush with a Russian spy, back in the cold-war days, that fits that pattern.