Harold Rhode

Some years ago, there was a heated discussion between a Turkish diplomat who spoke excellent English and a State Department Foreign Service Official (FSO). The Turkish diplomat was denouncing human rights in America. The FSO responded: “What have we done wrong? What can we do to put it right?” He misunderstood his interlocutor. In the […]

Are China, Russia, and Turkey locked in a battle for control over Central Asia, historic Turkestan? Are there prospects for one – or any combination of two against the other – to win? How much should this matter to the United States and the West? Historically, Central Asia formed one cultural unit, but wrote in […]

Armenia and Azerbaijan are in the news again, as the normal low-level hostility in the region has flared into hot war. This round of the never ending conflict began in mid-summer, when the Armenians accused the Azerbaijanis of bombing them with drones, which Azerbaijan denies happened. Since September 27th, the conflict has escalated to the […]