A Thai crackdown has left people smuggling boats floating offshore as thousands of refugees suffer.

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.

The problem of targeting an enemy that avoids battles is not new. Consider, for example, the Roman Empire’s 1st-Century war against Tacfarinas in North Africa.

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.