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Opinion: Victory for Obama, by way of Pyongyang

May 24, 2010 16:30Updated May 30, 2010 13:35
NEW YORK — One of the many theories about North Korea which appears to float on thin air goes something like this: China, the one country with real leverage over crazy Kim and his gulag, loves the status quo. Like that guy in your neighborhood who walks around with a pit bull straining against its leash, the Chinese parade their influence on the Pygmy of Pyongyang, as if to remind the neighborhood that without the strong hand of Beijing, Kim Jong-il’s steroid-fed army of Stalinist zealots would run amok all over East Asia.

Okinawa: The U.S. Marine base stays

May 24, 2010 13:02Updated May 30, 2010 13:35
TOKYO, Japan — In a decision some here have likened to signing a political suicide note, Japan’s prime minister, Yukio Hatoyama, has been forced to apologize to the people of Okinawa after reneging on a promise to relocate a controversial U.S. Marine base off the island. Hatoyama cited mounting tensions on the Korean peninsula as the main factor in his decision to retain a 2006 agreement to shift Futenma, a sprawling airbase located in the crowded city of Ginowan, to a remote location farther north near the town of Nago.

Taliban attacks sound alarm before Kandahar

May 24, 2010 13:33Updated May 30, 2010 13:35
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KABUL, Afghanistan — Over the past week, the Taliban in Afghanistan have bared their teeth and launched a series of attacks designed to show that their threat of a summer offensive is much more than empty words. The headline-grabbing assaults on two of NATO’s most heavily fortified bases, Bagram and Kandahar, cost the Taliban dearly, while leaving the international military forces relatively unscathed.

US-China relations: 5 things you need to know

May 24, 2010 06:37Updated May 30, 2010 13:34
BEIJING, China — With top-level U.S.-China talks set for Beijing this week, Sino-American relations are once again grabbing headlines. Here are five things you should know about the U.S.-China relationship. 1. It’s never been easy

Israel prepares for next threat — nuclear?

Matt Beynon Rees May 22, 2010 10:29Updated May 30, 2010 13:34
NABLUS, West Bank — During the Palestinian intifada, I sat on a dusty hilltop overlooking this most violent of West Bank towns with a dozen of the top Israeli officers in the area. The brigade commanders told their regional chiefs that all the police work and house-to-house fighting of the intifada had made their troops ill-prepared for a real war. “If we had to fight in Lebanon, my men wouldn’t know what they were doing,” shouted one.

Owner of Kyrgyzstan fuel depot speaks out

May 22, 2010 09:00Updated May 30, 2010 13:34
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan — Valery Hon owns what in local business jargon is described as a “tasty morsel.” Hon is founder and chairman of the board of the VOSST company, located just outside of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan’s capital. Among his holdings is one of the most sought-after pieces of real estate in Kyrgyzstan: a fuel storage facility located about half a mile from the country’s main international airport, Manas. 

Opinion: Ethiopia looks increasingly autocratic as it votes

Chris HennemeyerMay 22, 2010 09:21Updated May 30, 2010 13:34
WASHINGTON — Ethiopians are understandably offended that their country is known mainly for horrendous recent famines, and not for its sophisticated culture and ancient civilization.

Opinion: Uranium swap declaration improved Turkey's hand

Ozgur UnluhisarcikliMay 19, 2010 21:25Updated May 30, 2010 13:34
ISTANBUL, Turkey — The joint declaration of the ministers of foreign affairs of Turkey, Iran and Brazil signed on Monday came as a surprise to the international community. But the United States’ reaction to the uranium swap agreement, and the Turkish interpretation of this reaction, once more highlighted the gap between the U.S. and Turkey in their approaches to what is one of the most important issues on the transatlantic agenda.

Opinion: UN sanctions risk real progress on Iran

Stephen KinzerMay 18, 2010 16:23Updated May 30, 2010 13:34
Editor's note: Stephen Kinzer, author of the new book "Reset: Iran, Turkey and America's Future," has just left Iran, where he had a rare glimpse inside the country at a time when many correspondents are being denied journalist visas. He traveled on a tourist visa and, now that he is out, offers GlobalPost this analysis and a series of upcoming reports on his recent journey.

Opinion: Push is on for UN sanctions on Iran

May 18, 2010 16:10Updated May 30, 2010 13:34
NEW YORK — The surprise Turkish-Brazilian diplomatic coup this week, which resulted in Iran agreeing to transfer a quantity of its uranium abroad for enrichment, may or may not help solve the standoff over Tehran’s nuclear program. But it does indicate that nations of increasing influence whose traditions and history place them far outside George W. Bush’s black-and-white world of “evil” don’t intend stand aside as another nuclear nonproliferation crisis slides toward armed conflict.
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