Conferences and suggestions about what to do in Afghanistan are chock-a-block, but the reality speaks for itself, says Eric Walberg

23/4/9 -- The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's Special Conference on Afghanistan, held in Moscow on 27 March, marks a new stage in the international community's relations with this beleaguered country. It reflected the growing clout of Russia and China, the founders of the SCO, which includes Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan and four observers -- India, Iran, Pakistan and Mongolia.

Bringing the threat of war to Russia's borders is having wide-ranging repercussions, argues Eric Walberg

14/5/9 -- As Russian troops marched to celebrate the victory over Nazi Germany 8 May, NATO troops -- 1,300 of them from 10 member countries and six "partners" -- were beginning their month-long Cooperative Longbow/Lancer war "games" on Russia's southern border. In deference to Moscow, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Moldova and Serbia decided not to participate in the NATO exercises, preferring to send their diplomats to Red Square in homage to the untold Russian sacrifice in pursuit of world peace. According to Russian MP Sergei Abeltsev, the NATO decision to hold the drills in Georgia during the WWII Victory Day celebrations was a "total revision of the history of the Great Patriotic War".