Friedman on Geopolitics

The Kosovo question, which set the stage for the rise of Putin and current and future crises, will stand out as a turning point in the history of the coming period. [more]

On Aug. 8 the Russians showed the world that the 21st century will be like any other. [more]

The last week saw the Russian military move against Russia's small southern neighbor Georgia. [more]

Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the man who in many ways laid the intellectual foundations for the fall of Soviet communism, died this week. [more]

Chinese officials have been clamping down on visa applications. [more]

China and Russia are anything but natural partners. In fact, their being civil is no small accomplishment. But what if ... [more]

The Bush administration has let it be known that it is prepared to reduce U.S. troop levels in Iraq. [more]

An Israeli-Syrian peace deal and a U.S.-Iranian deal over Iraq are within sight. [more]

A highly publicized Israeli air force exercise over the Mediterranean Sea in early June could have been a dress rehearsal for an attack against Iran or an exercise in psychological warfare. [more]

The creation of a European state suffered a grievous -- if not fatal -- blow at the hands of Irish voters June 12. [more]

U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has fired the secretary of the Air Force and the Air Force chief of staff. [more]

Saudi Arabia will host an interfaith conference June 4. The conference highlights the Saudi desire for regional stability so the Arab country can continue cashing in on record-high oil prices. [more]

As oil prices passed $120 a barrel, they clearly began to have global impact. Recently, we have seen startling rises in the price of food, particularly grains. The world is refocusing on high commodity prices. [more]

In the past few weeks, rumors of a geopolitical shift in the Middle East have reached a crescendo. [more]

Mexico has witnessed the killings of several high-profile officials in the past weeks. [more]

Gen. David Petraeus has been recommended to be the next head of U.S. Central Command, a position that would give him oversight of both the U.S. war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. [more]

The Middle East, already monstrously complex, grew more complex last week. [more]

Iran and the United States are locked into increasingly public negotiations over Iraq’s future. While Washington is never going to trust Tehran and vice-versa, a solution to the Iraq question is possible provided it creates an institutionally neutral Baghdad. [more]

China is surrounded by territory that is difficult to traverse, making invasion in either direction challenging. [more]

As usual, rumors of an Arab-Israeli war are swirling in the Middle East. [more]