Violence against NATO troops by Afghan security forces in reponse to burning of the Quran at the Bagram Air Base has reignited doubts over the U.S. endgame in Afghanistan, which hinges on handing over security to Afghan forces. The weekend's killing of two U.S. soldiers by an Afghan security official...

Iran has expressed willingness to resume talks over its nuclear program, but blocked access to a military site suspected of hosting covert nuclear weapon research for visiting inspectors from the UN nuclear agency, the IAEA, this week. The two sides also failed to reach...

China's Vice President Xi Jinping's visit to the United States is being closely watched by policymakers to gain insight into China's likely future leader ahead of the transition beginning later this year. His remarks on the first day of meetings February 14 "did not differ in any substantial way from...

Amid ongoing violence in Syria against anti-government protestors and opposition fighters, the United States closed down its embassy (AP) in Damascus Monday and pulled all U.S. diplomats out of the country. The decision came just two days after Russia and China vetoed a UN Security Council...

The European Union adopted an oil embargo against Tehran (BBC) on Monday, banning all new contracts and agreeing to freeze the assets of Iran's central bank within the EU. The move follows new sanctions from the United States on Iran's oil and financial sectors. The EU -- responsible...

A new video apparently showing U.S. Marines desecrating three Afghan corpses (BBC) has prompted condemnation from the Afghan government, the Taliban, NATO, and U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. The video comes at a sensitive time; the Obama administration is in the midst of diplomatic efforts to start peace...

The International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA] confirmed Monday that Iran has started enriching uranium up to 20 percent at the underground nuclear facility at Fordow, near the city of Qom. Fordow, buried deep in a mountain, is protected from aerial strikes. Iran's move prompted countries such as the...

World leaders met in Bonn, Germany, on December 5 to chart the roadmap of engagement in Afghanistan (DeutscheWelle) post-2014 when most foreign troops will leave the country. Yet Kabul's ability to assume security, political, and economic responsibilities is increasingly in doubt. Many estimates say a drawdown in international aid...

A recent report from the International Atomic Energy Agency on Iran's nuclear program has prompted fresh sanctions from Western states. The United States designated Iran's entire financial sector as a "primary money laundering concern" in November, but does not mandate sanctions against the central bank. The Obama...

A NATO air attack that killed at least twenty-four Pakistani soldiers along the Afghan border has further damaged a U.S.-Pakistan relationship that has lurched from crisis to crisis this year. After the attack, Pakistan requested U.S. personnel to vacate Shamsi Air Base, which is used for launching...

As President Barack Obama tours Asia this week to signal U.S. commitment to the region, his final stop is in Bali, Indonesia, where he will be the first U.S. president to attend the East Asia Summit (EAS). China's growing economic and military strength has been the subtext throughout...

Meeting in Canberra, U.S. President Barack Obama and Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced plans for up to two hundred and fifty U.S. Marines to be stationed in Australia, which will be eventually ramped up to twenty-five hundred, intended to counter China's growing military presence in the region....

The UN's nuclear agency has issued its strongest judgment to date that Iran is seeking to develop a nuclear weapon. The much-anticipated IAEA report, released November 8, has triggered a debate in the United States, Israel, and other Western powers over the best action to halt Iran's nuclear program....

To build a regional consensus on Afghanistan's future, on November 2, foreign ministers from 14 countries -- including India, Pakistan, China, and Russia -- plus officials from the United States and some European countries are meeting in Istanbul. The conference aims for Afghanistan's neighbors and other major regional players to...

The Obama administration's charges that an Iranian paramilitary force plotted the assassination of the Saudi ambassador to the United States have prompted denials and counter-charges from the Iranian regime. While Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi has said the government is ready to investigate U.S. claims, admission...

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak's state visit to the United States on October 13 comes on the heels of congressional approval (KoreaHerald) for a long-pending Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two countries. The pact is seen as another achievement in a strong alliance that experts say has...

October 7 marks the tenth anniversary of the beginning of U.S. war in Afghanistan. There is no certain end in sight for U.S. involvement, and concerns are growing over the United States' capacity to bring stability to the country and the region. Triggered by the terrorist attacks on 9/11 in...

The mass uprisings sweeping the Middle East have fed a competition for regional influence as the old order continues to totter. In the thick of things is Iran, which has great interest in the viability of its embattled Syrian allies, the Saudi role in Bahrain, and the leadership turnover in...

A powerful and influential India is in U.S. national interests, and the two countries should collaborate more closely on all major global issues, says Robert D. Blackwill, co-chair of a new joint study report by the Council on Foreign Relations and Aspen Institute India. Blackwill, a former U.S....

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad delivered his characteristic anti-West speech Thursday at the U.N. General Assembly, prompting the ritual large-scale walkout by diplomats, including from the United States. Ahmadinejad's appearance at the U.N. came a day after Iran released two U.S. hikers, imprisoned in the country for...