The battle for Kunduz highlights the military and political challenges facing Afghanistan and the narrowly defined U.S. mission there, says CFR’s Stephen Biddle.

New Chinese territorial claims over the East China Sea have alarmed trade partners and neighbors, but no major disruption in the region’s booming commerce is expected, says CFR’s Thomas Bollyky.  

The treatment of terrorism suspect Abu Anas al-Libi, who seems destined for trial in U.S. federal court, fits the Obama administration’s new protocol for such captures, says expert Stephen Vladeck.

The trial of a punk band in Russia reflects the Putin regime’s hard-line opinions on political dissent, and those views are shaping its foreign policy, says CFR’s Stephen Sestanovich.

The sharp drop in support for the ruling United Russia party in parliamentary elections reflects growing public discontent with Vladimir Putin’s decision to seek the presidency again next year, says …