Putin cancels US trip to deal with protests, criticism

Vladimir Putin will miss a planned visit to the US this month for a key global summit and a much-anticipated meeting with President Barack Obama, the Kremlin has confirmed, as the Russian president faced pressure from protests and opposition criticism at home.

The White House announced on Wednesday that Putin (more…)

New Russian plane with 50 aboard missing in Indonesia

A new Russian-made civilian plane carrying 50 people went missing in Indonesia while flying over mountains Wednesday during a demonstration flight for potential buyers and journalists, officials said. (more…)

Weakened Putin appeals for unity as police prevents protests

Vladimir Putin took the oath as Russia’s president on Monday with a ringing appeal for unity at the start of a six-year term in which he faces growing dissent, economic problems and bitter political rivalries. (more…)

Syria holds elections as violence rages

Syrians voted in a parliamentary election on Monday touted by authorities as a milestone of political reform but dismissed by the opposition as a facade while people are killed every day (more…)

HRW chief told Obama to intensify pressure on Russia before thousands more Syrians are killed

In a recent interview with Human Rights Watch Executive Director Ken Roth, we discussed his latest thinking on the challenges and opportunities of the Middle East in transition, the role of non-profit, civil society and philanthropic sectors in accelerating the positive outcomes of the Arab Spring, (more…)

Analysis: Five myths about America’s decline

By Ian Bremmer: Drawn-out wars, economic struggles, exploding debt — it’s easy to point to these signs and conclude that America is in an irreversible decline;

Russians bury democracy as Putin returns as president

Russian demonstrators carried a black coffin bearing the word ‘democracy’ through the city of Vladivostok on Sunday at the start of protests against Vladimir Putin on the eve of his return to the presidency for another six years. (more…)

China to host Arabi and Ghalioun for Syria talks

The head of the Arab League, which has played a key role in mediating the Syria crisis, arrived in China on Friday for discussions with top leaders, China’s foreign ministry said.

Nabil al-Arabi arrived in the commercial hub of Shanghai and would travel to Beijing on Monday to meet Chinese officials, (more…)

Indispensable but invisible in the Syrian crisis

For a year, a chorus of pundits has been proclaiming that the Arab Spring has ushered in a new era in the Middle East in which the United States no longer is the “indispensable nation” Bill Clinton once described. Syria has proved them wrong.

Russia accuses Syrian rebels of using terror tactics

Russia accused Syrian rebels on Thursday of using terror tactics and suggested they were more to blame for ceasefire violations than President Bashar al-Assad’s troops, as a top rebel military leader said the U.N. monitoring mission to Syria is doomed to fail. (more…)