Analysis

South Korean President Lee Myung Bak is due to meet with his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao in Beijing on May 27. At the top of the agenda will be economics and talk of a new regional security mechanism as the North Korean nuclear issue starts to fade. [more]

An artillery rocket fired from the Gaza Strip exploded in a shopping center in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon on May 14. [more]

Eurozone inflation rose 0.4 percent in April, an increase of 3.4 percent from April 2007, the EU statistics office announced May 14. [more]

As a large-scale secessionist movement in the making, the Uighur threat is overplayed by the Chinese, who view the various Uighur groups as more unified than they really are. Still, as Beijing tries to clamp down on Uighur militants outside of Xinjiang, a more significant threat could soon be targeting China. [more]

A terror attack in northwestern India could provide a political opportunity for India if it chooses to make a policy shift regarding its relationship with Pakistan. But whether India will make that shift remains unclear. [more]

A letter from key leaders in Lebanon's army has highlighted divisions within Lebanon's armed forces. [more]

Poland is weighing the value of alignment with the United States.(With Stratfor map) [more]

The East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) is at the top of China’s most-wanted list of terrorist organizations. Although the group has a long and varied history, there are indications today that a revived movement may be integrating into the broader international jihadist movement in Central and South Asia.(With Stratfor map) [more]

Emerging energy hot spot Lake Albert, located on the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, could be the flash point for a conflict between the two countries. [more]

Five explosions occurred in a crowded market in Jaipur, a city in northern India's Rajasthan state, May 13. [more]

The Mexican government has arrested five individuals involved in the murder of Mexico’s highest-ranking federal law enforcement official. [more]

Although a clash between Georgia and Russia over the secessionist region of Abkhazia seemed very possible last week as both players positioned troops, a trigger is still necessary before this long-standing feud erupts.(With Stratfor map) [more]

The Mexico Security Memo is a weekly summary report concerning instability and key incidents. [more]

A proxy war is shaping up in eastern Chad and western Sudan, with a deployment of EU peacekeepers caught in the middle. (With Stratfor map) [more]

In the run-up to the summer Olympics in China, Beijing has implemented stringent security measures to guard against terrorist attacks — and any politically motivated protest that could embarrass the regime. To help justify the measures, the government has shined a spotlight on the East Turkistan Islamic Movement.(With Stratfor map) [more]

Two earthquakes struck China within the space of seven minutes on the afternoon of May 12. This natural disaster will bolster Beijing's defense against external critics of the upcoming Olympic Games. (With Stratfor map.) [more]

Two days after taking over western Beirut, Lebanese Shiite Islamist movement Hezbollah is gaining the upper hand -- and the Lebanese army has yet to come to the government's aid. [more]

The Lebanese government could find Shiite militant group Hezbollah's vast communications network difficult to dismantle, in spite of its decision to do so. [more]

The Gulf cartel staged a high-profile hit May 8 in Sinaloa state, gunning down the son of the Sinaloa cartel leader on the same day Mexico’s federal police chief and anti-kidnapping director were killed in Mexico City, thought to be the work of Sinaloa. [more]

The following are internal Stratfor documents produced to provide high-level guidance to our analysts. These documents are not forecasts, but rather a series of guidelines for understanding and evaluating events, as well as suggestions on areas for focus. [more]