RFE/RL in the Media
# Salon cites Heather Maher's reporting on Sharif-Obama meetings
# Rob Coalson's piece on global energy shifts and their effect on Russia listed as a Center for Transatlantic Relations "must read"
Middle East
# Sisi-mania: "his bronzed, gold skin, as gold as the sun’s rays"
# "U.S.-Saudi Relationship Status: It's Complicated" - Mark LeVine, Al Jazeera
# "Obama Can Safely Ignore Saudi Tantrums" - Shashank Joshi, Bloomberg
Iran
# White House meets with Senate staffers to delay further Iran sanctions
# Iran MP says Tehran has halted uranium enrichment to 20 percent
# Israel intelligence minister says he thinks Iran "is serious" about a deal
# "A Leading Voice of Restraint is Starting to Worry About Iran" - Ben Birnbaum, "New Republic"
# "Iran's Newfound Engagement Should Extend to Human Rights" - Dokhi Fassihian, Huffington Post
Afghanistan/Pakistan
# "Secret Memos Reveal Explicit Nature of U.S., Pakistan Agreement on Drones" - Greg Miller and Bob Woodward, "Washington Post"
# Pakistan security officials deny drone reports
# USAID hospital in Afghanistan, with $500,000 in overpayments, is 2 years behind schedule
Russia
# "Ten Years a Prisoner" - Mikhail Khodorkovsky, "New York Times"
# Iran and Russia expand defense ties
# Russia denies espionage exchange program
# Russia says Assad's removal would undermine chemical disarmament
# FSB thinks Volgograd attack an attempt to embarrass Moscow pre-Sochi
# "Russia's Female Suicide Bombers" - Naida Asiyalova, RIA Novosti
# "Russia's Shrinking Leverage With China" - Matthew Philips, Bloomberg
Eastern Europe
# Klitschko to run for president
# "Ukraine's Yanukovych Caught Between Russia and the European Union" - Steven Pifer, Brookings
# "Ukraine and Turkey: The European Energy Coup" - Oil and Energy Insider
# Latvian and Belarusian officials talk EU ties http://www.baltictimes.com/news/articles/33617/
# "Moldova Caught In East-West Tug of War" - Jim Brooke, VOA
Central Asia
# "Why You Should Care About Tajikistan's Election" - Michael Shank and Kimairis Toogood, "US News and World Report"
Spying on Merkel
# "Allegation of U.S. Spying on Merkel Puts Obama at Crossroads" - David Sanger and Mark Mazzetti
# "Frenemies: Spying on Allies Fits Obama's Standoffish Profile" - Gregor Schmitz, "Spiegel"
# "Mass Data: Transfers from Germany Aid US Surveillance" - Hubert Gude, "Spiegel"
Of Interest
# "On Background" interview on Acela train with Hayden Tweeted live
# Former Jobbik #2 now observes Shabbat
# "A Game of Shark and Minnow" - Jeff Himmelman, "New York Times"