Russia, the international lender?;

 Strongarm tactics ahead of parliamentary polls;

Ever since the late October release of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s latest report on Iran, the White House has been working overtime to convince the world that it is, in fact, committed to preventing the Islamic Republic from going nuclear. Last month, responding to criticism of his Iran policy from Republican challengers, President Obama argued that the sanctions levied by his Administration to date have had “enormous bite.”

The reality, however, is considerably more modest. While it has publicly pledged its commitment to a serious economic offensive aimed at derailing Iran’s nuclear drive, in practice the White House has done far less than necessary to achieve that objective.

 Russia's rampant brain drain;

 Iran's Cultural Revolution Inches Forward; Malaise and Despair in the Islamic Republic; Blowback from the "Arab Spring"; Iran-Pakistan Pipeline Inches Forward; New American Attention to Democracy in Iran

New anti-xenophobia measures enacted in Moscow;
Medvedev doubles down on "modernization"

United Russia takes sides in the "tandem";
New anti-bribery bill ratchets up costs of corruption

Call it the Great Game, round three. The first such contest, famously chronicled by Rudyard Kipling, involved the 19th century struggle for dominance between the British and Russian empires over access to India and its lucrative trading routes. The second centered on the post-Soviet scramble for resources and influence in energy-rich Central Asia. Today, a third such round of geopolitical competition is emerging in South Asia, spurred by the vast energy potential of the post-Soviet space and the uncertain political disposition of Afghanistan.

Last month, this competition took a giant step forward when Afghan President Hamid Karzai met with the presidents of Turkmenistan and Pakistan, as well as with India's oil and gas minister, in the Turkmen capital of Ashgabat. The meeting netted an agreement to begin construction of a new natural gas route known as the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India pipeline in two years' time.

Russia’s deadbeat ex-husbands;
Moscow backs arms dealer Bout

 Regime Keeps up Pressure on Reformists; Amid Sanctions, Iran's Gasoline Trade Continues...; ...But at Reduced Volume; Secret Executions on the Rise