http://www.rferl.org/Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty is an international news and broadcast organization serving Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Russia, the Middle East and Balkan countrieshttp://www.rferl.org/enCopyright 2008 - RFE/RL, Inc.30Thu, 28 Aug 2008 19:16:34 GMTChina and Russia are two giant neighbors whose relationship never seems quite settled. Once Marxist allies, they later quarreled and went their separate ways. In the post-Soviet era, relations have been cordial, but fairly distant. At the Dushanbe summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Russian President Dmitry Medvedev was seeking China's support in the standoff with the West over Georgia. The summit failed to give Moscow clear backing, however. China analyst Christian Le Miere of Jane's Information Services, talks with RFE/RL correspondent Breffni O'Rourke about that and other developments.http://www.rferl.org/Content/Interview_China_Russian_Support_Georgian_Separatists/1194697.htmlThu, 28 Aug 2008 19:16:34 GMTFeaturesBut Paris, Berlin, and Italy have stressed the need to maintain strong ties with Moscow.http://www.rferl.org/Content/Poles_Balts_Tough_EU_Stance_Russia/1194692.htmlThu, 28 Aug 2008 18:23:09 GMTNewsIraq currently has security control of 10 of its 18 provinces.http://www.rferl.org/Content/US_Hand_Back_Anbar_Iraq/1194684.htmlThu, 28 Aug 2008 17:21:27 GMTNewsRussia's undisputed leader suspects "someone in the United States especially created this conflict with the aim of making the situation more tense and creating a competitive advantage for one of the candidates fighting for the post of U.S. president."http://www.rferl.org/Content/Putin_US_Politics_Georgia_Crisis/1194674.htmlThu, 28 Aug 2008 16:58:23 GMTNewsWestern officials have recently expressed concern that Ukraine could follow Georgia as the next target of Russian intervention. To assess Ukraine's security situation, RFE/RL spoke to Robert Hunter, the U.S. ambassador to NATO under President Bill Clinton (1993-98) and a current adviser with the RAND Corporation.http://www.rferl.org/Content/Former_NATO_Official_Sees_Zero_Russian_Military_Threat_Against_Ukraine/1194667.htmlThu, 28 Aug 2008 16:04:25 GMTFeaturesRFE/RL correspondent Kirill Kobrin spoke with Dmitry Travin, deputy editor in chief of the St. Petersburg business weekly "Delo," about the impact of the Georgia war on the Russian economy and the business community's attitude toward recent events.http://www.rferl.org/Content/Russian_Public_Worried_About_Economy_Not_Caucasus/1194610.htmlThu, 28 Aug 2008 13:56:40 GMTFeaturesBAGHDAD -- Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has extended indefinitely a cease-fire for his Al-Mahdi militia and ordered his followers to protest peacefully against the U.S. occupation.http://www.rferl.org/Content/Al_Sadr_Extends_Ceasefire/1194607.htmlThu, 28 Aug 2008 13:42:41 GMTNewsKABUL -- Afghan forces have taken over responsibility for the security of the capital, Kabul, in what is largely viewed as a symbolic move.http://www.rferl.org/Content/Afghan_Forces_Take_Symbolic_Charge_Of_Kabul/1194600.htmlThu, 28 Aug 2008 13:13:48 GMTNewsHow do Russians feel about the conflict in the Caucasus? Polls say up to two-thirds support the Kremlin's recent actions in Georgia, and that Tbilisi and Washington are to blame for escalating tensions in the region to a full-scale military conflict. But beyond simple statistics there lie more nuanced views of the unfolding events. RFE/RL spoke to professionals in Moscow and came away with a complicated mixture of pride, regret, and an overriding sense of historic inevitability.http://www.rferl.org/Content/In_Moscow_A_Mix_Of_Pride_And_Regret/1194598.htmlThu, 28 Aug 2008 12:57:14 GMTFeaturesThe member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization express grave concern over tensions in Georgia, but they fail to give Moscow clear support in its standoff with the West.http://www.rferl.org/Content/SCO_Fails_To_Back_Russia_Over_Georgia/1194578.htmlThu, 28 Aug 2008 12:15:42 GMTNewsSeated in an open-air restaurant overlooking the Mtkvari River, enjoying a light lunch of mountain trout and Georgian salad, one finds it hard to believe that Russian tanks are only about 25 kilometers away -- indeed that they may be even closer by the time the Turkish coffee arrives.http://www.rferl.org/Content/Lessons_Of_A_Postmodern_War/1194561.htmlThu, 28 Aug 2008 11:13:55 GMTCommentary & AnalysisThe diplomatic battle between the West and Moscow over Russia’s recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia is continuing to grow, as France ratcheted up the diplomatic pressure by saying the EU states are considering sanctions on Russia.http://www.rferl.org/Content/West_Criticizes_Russia_On_Georgia/1194542.htmlThu, 28 Aug 2008 10:42:55 GMTNewsAs the Shanghai Cooperation Organization holds its annual summit, there is increasing attention on the military potential of an alliance that groups both Russia and China along with four Central Asian states.http://www.rferl.org/Content/Analysis_Why_Shanghai_Is_Not_Warsaw/1194494.htmlThu, 28 Aug 2008 08:40:04 GMTCommentary & AnalysisAt the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization today, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is seeking the organization's support for his country's tough line on Georgia.http://www.rferl.org/Content/Russia_Seeks_Support_For_Tough_Line/1194468.htmlThu, 28 Aug 2008 06:48:47 GMTFeaturesBP is conducting secret, high-level negotiations with the Russia-connected billionaires who co-own its troubled Russian venture TNK-BP and an outline deal to settle their dispute may come in weeks, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters.http://www.rferl.org/Content/BP_May_Close_Deal_With_Russian_CoOwners_In_Weeks/1194417.htmlWed, 27 Aug 2008 18:19:00 GMTNewsRussia's recognition of the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia could have severe repercussions on peace efforts in other "frozen conflicts" areas where Moscow has strategic interests.http://www.rferl.org/Content/Georgia_Woes_Ripple_Other_Frozen_Conflicts/1194375.htmlWed, 27 Aug 2008 15:56:35 GMTFeaturesRahmat Wali, a 28-year-old former member of Afghanistan's national cricket team, reportedly was killed overnight during a raid on his home by coalition troops.http://www.rferl.org/Content/Afghan_Cricket_Star_Reportedly_Killed_/1194358.htmlWed, 27 Aug 2008 15:17:12 GMTNewsIf a new Cold War is really revving up, then is Georgia turning into the new West Berlin, a little Western-protected enclave located on the tense front of a global struggle, constantly teetering between run-of-the-mill ordinariness and lurking Armageddon?http://www.rferl.org/Content/Is_Tbilisi_Turning_Into_The_West_Berlin_Of_The_New_Cold_War/1194360.htmlWed, 27 Aug 2008 15:04:12 GMTFeaturesThe EU has condemned Russia's actions in Georgia, and called an emergency summit for September 1 to discuss how the bloc should react to the recent conflict between Georgia and Russia. But statements from European capitals have been more varied. Ahead of the September 1 summit, RFE/RL talked to experts in London, Paris, Berlin, Rome, and Warsaw for their views on see the showdown with Russia and prospects for the EU to agree on a common strategy.http://www.rferl.org/Content/The_View_From_Europe/1194356.htmlWed, 27 Aug 2008 14:59:42 GMTFeatures