Topic: Central Asia

Arrests at UK's Sellafield nuclear plant raise concerns about security

The five men who were arrested outside the Sellafield nuclear plant have been released without charge. But the incident has turned attention to nuclear facilities' security.
05/04/2011 03:41 pm

Opinion World Press Freedom Day: Don't believe the numbers, the good guys are winning

Today, on World Press Freedom Day, many will rightly mourn the alarming rise in the number of journalists killed or incarcerated around the world. But the much-cited freedom of expression indices are misleading. The real story on press freedom is that our side is winning. Here's why.
05/03/2011 12:52 pm

Obama's new national security team faces major challenges

President Obama's new national security team, headed by Leon Panetta and General David Petraeus, has a wealth of experience. But it faces major challenges, especially in Afghanistan.
04/28/2011 09:02 pm

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.
04/18/2011 03:42 pm

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.
03/03/2011 04:38 pm

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.
02/28/2011 06:05 am

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.
02/20/2011 07:05 am

Editorial Board Blog 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?
01/21/2011 12:35 pm

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?
12/03/2010 05:57 pm

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.
12/02/2010 12:44 pm

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.
11/29/2010 06:18 pm

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.
11/26/2010 03:32 pm

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.
11/24/2010 01:42 pm

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)
11/19/2010 04:10 pm

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.
11/09/2010 02:37 pm

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.
10/26/2010 03:33 pm

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
10/26/2010 11:17 am

Global News Blog 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.
10/12/2010 04:53 pm

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.
10/11/2010 12:50 pm

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.
09/20/2010 08:26 pm

Global Viewpoint 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.
09/18/2010 12:05 am

Taking a spiritual stand amid political turmoil

A Christian Science a perspective.
09/16/2010 09:35 am

Terrorism & Security 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.
08/18/2010 11:53 am