Lazy Saturday reading

Here’s some good stuff I’ve been reading this afternoon: General Petraeus’s secret visit to Islamabad Jihadis plot to seize Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal How democracy promotion makes Egypt worse  Former Iranian nuke negotiator rips Ahmadinejad Berlusconi moves to block publication of (allegedly) topless photos Whatever happened to old Soviet dissidents? Gates lays the groundwork for Plan ...

Here's some good stuff I've been reading this afternoon:

Here’s some good stuff I’ve been reading this afternoon:

More from Foreign Policy

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping give a toast during a reception following their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 21.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping give a toast during a reception following their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 21.

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The power dynamic between Beijing and Moscow has switched dramatically.

Xi and Putin shake hands while carrying red folders.
Xi and Putin shake hands while carrying red folders.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin greets Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
Russian President Vladimir Putin greets Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

It’s a New Great Game. Again.

Across Central Asia, Russia’s brand is tainted by Ukraine, China’s got challenges, and Washington senses another opening.

Kurdish military officers take part in a graduation ceremony in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, on Jan. 15.
Kurdish military officers take part in a graduation ceremony in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, on Jan. 15.

Iraqi Kurdistan’s House of Cards Is Collapsing

The region once seemed a bright spot in the disorder unleashed by U.S. regime change. Today, things look bleak.