The Trump administration has unveiled an ambitious plan to bring peace, prosperity, and renewed US influence to the South Caucasus. Russia’s declining sway in the region, combined with the absence of strong regional structures, has created a strategic vacuum that external powers are eager to fill.

By Richard Weitz

For the first time in years, Central Asia briefly dominated Washington’s foreign-policy conversations. On November 6, Central Asian leaders met with Donald Trump at the C5 1 Presidential Summit. The gathering did not produce major breakthroughs, but it was remarkable to see all five leaders speaking directly with the United States at that level.

By Richard Weitz

US President Donald Trump just completed his most significant foreign trip of the year. His week-long sojourn in Asia provided opportunities to augment ties with new allied leaders, underscore the enduring US regional presence to wavering partners, and manage tensions while reinforcing deterrence against China.

By Richard Weitz

US President Donald Trump’s demand for the United States to regain control of Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan has provoked strong regional opposition. Though not without strategic logic, major obstacles preclude such a restoration in the near term. The United States could more productively pursue cooperation on less provocative security issues.

By Richard Weitz

US President Donald Trump’s unprecedented security assurances to Qatar helped pave the way for the recent Gaza ceasefire agreement. Along with other measures, they reassured Arab leaders about the value of their partnership with the US. Offering these kinds of supplementary assurances could help Washington retain support among more allies who might seek alternative alignments.

By Richard Weitz

The recently signed Pakistani-Saudi Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement marks a major evolution in both countries’ security policies. Among other considerations, the accord formalizes, with a binding treaty, their military partnership. The agreement marks the first time Pakistan has, even implicitly, extended its nuclear shield to another country.

By Richard Weitz

China’s September 3 military parade was more than a show of strength. It signaled the arrival of a new nuclear era that could upend global security calculations. The parade highlighted how the PRC’s growing nuclear arsenal directly challenges US strategic deterrence, escalates regional proliferation dangers, and threatens the demise of global arms control.

By Richard Weitz

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) stands at a pivotal moment. As the leaders of the non-Western world met at the 25th annual meeting of the Council of Heads of SCO Members in the Chinese port city of Tianjin from August 31 to September 1, the summit – the largest in SCO history — illustrated how …

By Richard Weitz

South Korea’s new President Lee Jae Myung will visit his US counterpart Donald Trump in Washington on August 25. Their meeting occurs at perhaps the most precarious period in the 72-year history of the alliance between the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the United States.

By Richard Weitz

More than three years into Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, the conflict has transformed international relations. What Moscow had conceived as a limited and rapid campaign has evolved into a protracted war that has reshaped the global strategic landscape. The confrontation has transcended the European theater and served as non-European states to assert themselves into …

By Richard Weitz

Richard Weitz

The US South Caucasus Gambit

Trump Charges Into Central Asia’s Great Power Game

Trump’s Asian Tour: Security Results and Consequences

Afghanistan Returns to the Heart of Eurasian Security

The US and Qatar: Rebuilding Trust Through Security

The Saudi-Pakistani Pact and Shifting Alliances

China’s Arsenal and the Future of Security

The SCO at a Crossroads

The South Korean-US Alliance: A Fork in the Road

Wartime Calculus: The Moscow–Pyongyang Axis

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