Xi Jinping was the guest of honor at Putin’s lavish celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Nazi defeat. The two presidents signed a rash of deals. But importantly, Putin didn’t manage to negotiate better terms on his biggest interest, the two countries’ enormous energy trade.

China overtook the U.S. as the world’s top oil importer last month.

With parliament set to pass laws that officialize a more activist Japanese regional security policy, and with a major arms deal with Australia finally coming down the pike, Abe’s push to remilitarize Japan is in the home stretch. It’s going to be a big few weeks.

The measure will come up for a vote this week, but seems certain to cause at least as many problems as it solves.

King Salman has pulled out of President Obama’s Arab summit at the last, most high-profile minute.

Adam Garfinkle called it in 2013: Assad signing to the Chemical Weapons Convention was just a ploy to have us dispose of his useless stocks of chemical weapons while he held on to the deadly parts of his arsenal.

As Athens reaches its next crossroads, voices are rising within Angela Merkel’s own party to cut the Greeks free.

Illinois pension reform plan is ruled unconstitutional, leaving the governor the unenviable choice of either slashing services or taxing the economy into oblivion.

Puerto Rico’s legislature declined to pass a set of tax laws that would have opened up some extra financing to the island. Severe cuts to services, and perhaps even a disorderly default, are now in the cards.

Modi’s program of liberal economic reforms is the most important part of his agenda for the future of India. But changing the tax system to make India more attractive to foreign businesses is proving harder than many had hoped.