Geopolitical Diary

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert could be indicted on charges of bribery. There is violence in Lebanon between Hezbollah and those opposed to it. The Turks suspended Israeli-Syrian talks because of leaks. Things are in flux in the Middle East. [more]

Though former Russian President Vladimir Putin will remain in power as prime minister, as a personality he is ultimately irrelevant. [more]

Georgia has warned that war with Russia over the secessionist region of Abkhazia is highly likely. Meanwhile, Russia has moved troops into regions around Georgia while saying that the Georgians have massed troops. The crisis is turning hotter. [more]

The price of oil passed $120 per barrel today. [more]

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert reportedly is being investigated for suspicions of bribery. Under these circumstances, Israel will be too internally focused to carry out any major initiatives. [more]

The West is considering nonmilitary options for dealing with the Taliban. However, at this stage, it is not clear who the West can deal with among the Pashtun jihadists. Lessons learned in Iraq could prove useful. [more]

U.S. economic figures released April 30 show that the subprime mortgage crisis did not cause an economic catastrophe. However, high commodity prices -- especially high food prices -- could create greater problems. [more]

While recent developments in ongoing peace negotiations between Israel and Syria indicate that an agreement between the two countries may be reaching a critical phase, potential deal-breakers still abound. [more]

Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said Ankara would continue to act as a go-between to encourage Israel and Syria to restart direct negotiations, Haaretz reported Monday. [more]

Taliban fighters attempted to assassinate Afghan President Hamid Karzai at a ceremony April 27. The attack emphasizes how difficult it is to achieve stability in Afghanistan. [more]

The Bush administration briefed the U.S. Congress on April 24 about the Sept. 6, 2007, Israeli raid on Syria. But why now? And why is the United States explaining an Israeli raid? [more]

Israel and Syria appear to be mulling over a peace deal involving the Golan Heights. The situation has many fascinating aspects -- including Iran's stance on a possible deal. [more]

In an April 17 audio message, al Qaeda's No. 2 leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, played off Sunni-Shiite tensions to weaken the United States' position in Iraq and use Sunnis to block Iran's influence. [more]

News broke in the former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan on April 21 that on March 29 Azerbaijani authorities had halted a shipment of Russian equipment destined for Iran’s nuclear facility at Bushehr. [more]

Rumors are surfacing that Syria and Israel are in serious peace talks. Such rumors are not unusual -- but seeing Israel and Syria acknowledge the talks are taking place is something new. [more]

The global trend of unrest over high food prices –- especially the price of grain –- has far-reaching implications. [more]

Looking to gain traction as its influence erodes, Russia is attempting to shore up ties with Libya and challenge Western attempts to make inroads into the North African country's economy. [more]

Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr is proving to be a problem for Iran and his influence could play a key role in preventing the Iranians from dominating Iraq in the long run. [more]

Brazil recently has become self-sufficient in oil production -- and that is without recent (and likely future) finds. [more]

Taiwan's vice president-elect, Vincent Siew, and Chinese President Hu Jintao met April 12 at a conference -- the first such meeting for Taipei's incoming government. [more]