ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

A composite photo shows Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (L) and Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.SAM PANTHAKY/AFP/Getty Images, Oli Scarff - WPA Pool /Getty Images Summary The landslide victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party, led by its controversial chief Narendra Modi, in India's recent general elections has significant ramifications for Indo-Pakistani relations, especially as Islamabad is preoccupied with the cross-border Taliban insurgency on its western flank. Modi's incoming government will have to balance between its need for pragmatism and its imperative to show that it has a more effective and tougher policy toward the threats emanating from Pakistan than the previous Indian government. Conversely, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's administration has a need to improve ties with India but faces massive resistance from within the security establishment. Since both governments are led by right-wing nationalists with strong opinions on religion and signif

Ukrainian President-elect Petro Poroshenko speaks to the media during a press conference on May 26 in Kiev.Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Analysis Petro Poroshenko has been declared the official winner in Ukraine's presidential elections , receiving around 54 percent of the vote. Despite Russia's cautious welcoming of Poroshenko's victory, the new Ukrainian leader faces some immediate challenges to his rule. First and foremost will be dealing with pro-Russian separatism in Ukraine's eastern regions . As expected, voting could not be held in many parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, particularly in the separatist strongholds. Then, just a day after the election, separatists took over the regional airport in Donetsk, where Ukrainian security forces confronted them. Heavy fighting continued into May 27. The operation to dismantle the separatist takeover in Donetsk is one of the largest since Ukrainian security forces launched what the government calls anti-terrorism opera

Analysis EUROPE May 26-27: EU ministers for industry, research and the internal market will meet in Brussels. May 27: European Council President Herman Van Rompuy will host an informal meeting of EU leaders in Brussels during which they will discuss possible candidates for European Commission president. May 28: The EU Permanent Representatives Committees, Coreper I and Coreper II will meet in Brussels. May 28: The International Monetary Fund's executive board will meet to discuss and likely approve the disbursement of its next bailout tranche to Greece. May 29-30: Slovenian President Borut Pahor will visit Serbia with a business delegation at the invitation of Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic. The president will also visit areas affected by recent floods. May 31: Outgoing Slovenian Prime Minister Alenka Bratusek will establish a new political party, which will hold its first congress in Ljubljana. FORMER SOVIET UNION May 26: EU Energy Commissioner Gunther Oettinger will host natu

A U.S. soldier watches the sun go down near Turkham, Afghanistan. (TAUSEEF MUSTAFA/AFP/Getty Images) Analysis The act of formal remembrance is one of the most profound human gestures, whether it is conducted on the personal or the national level. Originally a commemoration of the Union and Confederate dead from the American Civil War, Memorial Day in the United States codifies the act of remembrance, paying tribute to those who died in military service. Memorial Day is specific to America, but honoring the memory of those who sacrificed their lives for their country, ideals or comrades-in-arms is universal. Throughout history, the more expansive a civilization, the deeper the pool of resources from which it can draw and the taller its ambition. The collective offers myriad benefits, from breeding stock to greater capacity for production, to increased manpower for agriculture, construction or defense. However, the size of the collective is proportional to the amount of resources it need

A large banner promoting the European elections hangs from the European Commission headquarters at the Berlaymont Building in Brussels on May 25.SISKA GREMMELPREZ/AFP/Getty Images Summary Elections for the EU Parliament, held May 22-25, were defined by the strong performance of anti-establishment and nationalist parties that reject deeper EU integration. While voter turnout was almost the same as in 2009, once again only four in 10 EU voters cast ballots. Both phenomena highlight the degree to which the economic crisis in Europe is impacting popular support for the European Union. A significant number of European citizens are not interested in the EU Parliament, and many of those who are voted for Euroskeptical parties. These elections will have repercussions at the national and European levels. Moderate parties will adopt issues from the nationalists' agenda and push to slow or even reverse the process of continental integration, with immigration and the welfare state at the core

Tectonic shifts are underway in East Asian geopolitics. Thursday saw several incidents that called attention to the increasingly insecure and fast changing strategic and security dynamics of a region known in recent decades mostly for booming business. Another Uighur terrorist attack in China, a shoot-out between the Koreas along their disputed maritime border and, to top it off, a coup in Thailand all brought simmering regional conflicts to the fore. These incidents come on the heels of a consequential Russo-Chinese strategy session and an ongoing maritime clash between China and Vietnam . Despite vastly different causes and contexts, each of these events serves as a single piece in the much greater puzzle of assessing where the world's most populous and wealthy region is headed in the future. To the outside world, the surprising thing about East Asia is how the sudden eruptions of conflict seem to come out of nowhere and then retreat into the background as if nothing ever hap

  Russia is launching its St. Petersburg Economic Forum on May 22-23, attracting top businesses, investors and politicians from Russia and around the world. In the past, the Kremlin has used the forum to promote its economic strategy. For example, in 2008 and 2010, Russia used the forum to attract foreign businesses and investors for the country's modernization and privatization plans . This year, Moscow is using the forum to show that Russia is still a desirable economic partner and a destination for foreign investment and business. This is important to Russia at this time for two reasons. First, Russia wants to prove that despite the Western sanctions levied against it , the global business and investment community still wants to operate in Russia. Second, Russia has seen massive capital flight from the country -- $51 billion in the first quarter -- due to tensions with the West, which has prompted Moscow to look for new economic opportunities. Leading up to the forum, a numb

Ukrainian independent presidential candidate Petro Poroshenko greets supporters during an election campaign rally on May 20 in Cherkasy.MYKOLA LAZARENKO/AFP/Getty Images Summary With Ukraine's political future hanging in the balance, the country will hold its presidential election May 25. Insecurity in the east will complicate the election, but after the polls take place Ukraine's greatest challenge will be finding a way to deal with Russia. Moscow's moves indicate it may recognize the results of the election, but Russia will make a strong push to politically neutralize Ukraine. Analysis The outcome of the election is all but certain: Petro Poroshenko, a former foreign minister and one of Ukraine's leading businessmen, has led in the polls by a wide margin for much of the past two months. He may win outright in a single round of voting by obtaining more than 50 percent of the vote, or he may register a resounding victory in a run-off. But numerous complications surroun