February 7, 2012 (Vietnamica) — Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in Damascus today for talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, while Assad’s regime continued a violent assault against anti-government protesters and opposition forces in Homs (National). The United States closed its Syrian embassy on Monday.
January 17, 2012 (By George Friedman, Stratfor; Repub. by Vietnamica) — The United States reportedly sent a letter to Iran via multiple intermediaries last week warning Tehran that any attempt to close the Strait of Hormuz constituted a red line for Washington. The same week, a chemist associated with Iran’s nuclear program was killed in Tehran. In Ankara, Iranian parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani met with Turkish officials and has been floating hints of flexibility in negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program.
January 12, 2012 (Vietnamica) –There are periods when the international system undergoes radical shifts in a short time. The last such period was 1989-1991. During that time, the Soviet empire collapsed. The Japanese economic miracle ended. The Maastricht Treaty creating contemporary Europe was signed. Tiananmen Square defined China as a market economy dominated by an unchallenged Communist Party, and so on. Fundamental components of the international system shifted radically, changing the rules for the next 20 years.
January 12, 2012 (Vietnamica) — Vietnam-Russia oil and gas JV Vietsovpetro aims to produce at least 6.14 million tons of crude oil in 2012, down from 6.4 million tons in 2011 — which itself was above expectations by 1 million tons. The company had previously forecast its output would fall below 5 million mt/year after 2010, but has managed to exceed that figure (Platts, Jan 11). — * Related: PV Oils Offers 500,000 Barrels of Ruby Crude for March PV Oil Offers 250,000-Barrel Cargoe of Chim Sao Crude for Loading in February
December 16, 2011 (Vietnamica) — At a ceremony in Geneva today, Russia is set to become the last member of the G20 (BBC) group of leading economies to join the World Trade Organization.
December 16, 2011 (Vietnamica) — In a significant turnaround, Russia proposed a draft UN Security Council resolution condemning the ongoing violence (DeutscheWelle) in Syria by both the Syrian regime and anti-government protesters. The resolution criticized the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for its “disproportionate use of force,” but did not call for sanctions against the regime.
