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Amid protests from the U.S. and Georgia, French President Nicolas Sarkozy confirmed on March 1 that France was negotiating the sale of four Mistral-class assault ships to Russia. The announcement, which came at the start of Russian President Dmitri Medvedev's three-day state visit, marks the first such deal between Moscow and a NATO country. While Sarkozy described the deal as an attempt to move beyond Soviet-era politics, nearby nations have raised concerns about the decision to sell the ships--which can carry troops, helicopters and armored vehicles--to a country that launched an offensive against...
...only country likely to flex its muscles after the election. Turkey - which has a restive Kurdish minority of its own - will try to block any further devolution of power to Kurdistan. And last month, Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah invited leaders of a pro-Sunni coalition to visit Riyadh, a sign that the kingdom would like to play a role as protector of Iraq's Sunnis. "Everyone in the region will try to occupy Iraq," says Sheik Hussam al-Mojammai, the head of Baqubah's Awakening Council, a Sunni citizens' brigade that helped defeat insurgent groups in the province. "Even...
...been points of dispute between the U.S. and China. During 2009 they were largely avoided, as Obama delayed final approval of the arms sale, which was initially greenlighted by his predecessor, George W. Bush, and postponed the Dalai Lama meeting to avoid offending Beijing ahead of his first state visit to China. Following this year's arms-sale announcement, however, China cut off high-level military exchanges with the U.S., which had been recently restored following China's protest over a previous weapons package that was approved by Bush...
...office of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd called Yudhoyono's address - he is the first Indonesian leader to speak before the Australian parliament in its 109-year history - a "milestone" for bilateral ties. But it was not the only grand gesture exchanged between the neighboring nations during his three-day visit to Australia this week. The Indonesian president was also awarded the Honorary Companion of the Order of Australia, the highest civilian honor in Australia, for encouraging democracy and economic ties between the two countries. (Other recipients of the prize include Mother Teresa and Nelson Mandela.) (Read how Yudhoyono...
...journey to Australia by boat. Twenty-three vessels, many piloted by Indonesian fishermen, have been intercepted in Australian waters this year, an increasing number of illegal arrivals that has become a fire-hot domestic issue that could hurt Rudd's popularity during an election year. Yudhoyono announced during his visit that people-smuggling would now be punishable with a five-year sentence in Indonesia, and a new agreement to combat the practice was signed. The two leaders also announced increased collaboration in other areas, including fighting terror and transnational crime, and will hold annual meetings between MP's to maintain...