RFE/RL in the Media
# Steve Forbes writes about Ken Tomlinson who fought "against Soviet communism during the Cold War and played critical roles in two underappreciated organizations, Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty", Forbes
# Read Farangis Najibullah and RFE/RL’s Tajik Service piece on a Tajik militant in Syria, reprinted by Eurasia Review
# Mike Ragogna interviews filmmaker Jim Brown on how "rock 'n' roll offered a wonderful window onto Western values, especially American values and was actually tactically used by the United States through Radio Free Europe and Voice Of America" - huffingtonpost
# Alan Milner examines the bill sent to the House which would reorganize VOA and Radio Free Europe, guardianlv.com
Afghanistan/Pakistan
# Karzai Cheers U.S. Withdrawal Plan, But Taliban Unappeased, WSJ
# Trapped in Afghanistan, NYT
# Obama in Afghanistan: How America's Wars End? - Amy Davidson, haffingtonpost
# An illogical decision on U.S. troops in Afghanistan - James F Jeffrey and Ronald E. Neumann, WP
# 22,000 troops or more could leave Afghanistan this year. How have Americans’ opinions changed since there were 100,000 abroad? - Jaime Fuller
# What does a US drawdown mean for Afghanistan?, Al-Jazeera
# A Snapshot of US Troop Commitment in Afghanistan, AP
# Pakistan woman stoned by family outside Lahore court, BBC News
# In Pakistan, 1,000 women die in ‘honor killings’ annually. Why is this happening? - Terrence McCoy, WP
# Pakistan Taliban splits into factions. Group's key figure releases video saying his faction is no longer part of central leadership, accusing TTP of "robbery" - Asad Hashim, Al-Jazeera
# American porn star takes on Pakistan’s censors, Telegraph
Caucasus
# Peace in Azerbaijan urgently needed to resolve protracted displacement – UN expert Chaloka Beyani
# Armenia: Pro-Russia Activists Attack Diaspora Members for Promoting “European Values”, Eurasianet
# More Post-Soviet Revolutions: Enter Abkhazia, Eurasianet
Central Asia
# Kashagan Halt Leads Kazakhstan to Cut 2014 Oil Output Forecast, Bloomberg
# Moscow Police Arrest Suspected Head of Uzbek Islamist Terrorist Group, Moscow Times
Iran
# Prison Terms in Iran Hint of New Reins on Internet, NYT
# Iran Sentences 8 Facebook Users to Combined 123 Years in Jail, mashable.com
# Iran Steps Up War on Social Media - Micah D. Halpern, huffingtonpost
# U.S. investors begin to imagine a return to Iran, WP
# No hijab: an Iranian journalist offers women a stealthy freedom on Facebook, Deutsche Welle
Iraq
# Middle East: Three nations, one conflict - Borzou Daragahi, FT
# Iraq Oil Revival Stalls Again as Violence Pinches Growth, Bloomberg
# Any failures in Iraq and Afghanistan are due to political incompetence, not flawed strategy - Con Coughlin, Telegraph
# Iraq may serve as cautionary tale for Afghanistan - Jim Michaels, USA Today
Russia
# Russia's Propaganda War Will Backfire - Mark Lawrence, Moscow Times
# Vladimir Putin, master player - Doyle McManus, LA Times
# Details of China-Russia Gas Deal Put ‘Historic’ Agreement in Perspective - Thijs Van de Graaf, World Politics Review
Ukraine
# Miners hold pro-Russia rally in Donetsk, Guardian
# Russia warns of 'fratricidal war' in Ukraine - Konstantin Siminov, Moscow Times
# Chechen leader Kadyrov denies sending troops to Ukraine, BBC News
# Ukrainian government vows more military action against separatists, WP
# ‘Point of no return’: Resolve Builds Among Ukraine Rebels With Each Death - Noah Sneider, Al-Jazeera
# Incoming Ukrainian President Poroshenko Requests Time on EU Deal, WSJ
# Ukraine cyber war escalates alongside violence, Telegraph
Of Interest
# Obama lays out a defense of foreign policy. Says diplomacy, force both needed in murky world - Mark Landler, NYT
# Is America Losing the Capability to Fight a Major War? - Steven Metz, World Politics Review
# Steve Forbes writes about Ken Tomlinson who fought "against Soviet communism during the Cold War and played critical roles in two underappreciated organizations, Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty", Forbes
# Read Farangis Najibullah and RFE/RL’s Tajik Service piece on a Tajik militant in Syria, reprinted by Eurasia Review
# Mike Ragogna interviews filmmaker Jim Brown on how "rock 'n' roll offered a wonderful window onto Western values, especially American values and was actually tactically used by the United States through Radio Free Europe and Voice Of America" - huffingtonpost
# Alan Milner examines the bill sent to the House which would reorganize VOA and Radio Free Europe, guardianlv.com
Afghanistan/Pakistan
# Karzai Cheers U.S. Withdrawal Plan, But Taliban Unappeased, WSJ
# Trapped in Afghanistan, NYT
# Obama in Afghanistan: How America's Wars End? - Amy Davidson, haffingtonpost
# An illogical decision on U.S. troops in Afghanistan - James F Jeffrey and Ronald E. Neumann, WP
# 22,000 troops or more could leave Afghanistan this year. How have Americans’ opinions changed since there were 100,000 abroad? - Jaime Fuller
# What does a US drawdown mean for Afghanistan?, Al-Jazeera
# A Snapshot of US Troop Commitment in Afghanistan, AP
# Pakistan woman stoned by family outside Lahore court, BBC News
# In Pakistan, 1,000 women die in ‘honor killings’ annually. Why is this happening? - Terrence McCoy, WP
# Pakistan Taliban splits into factions. Group's key figure releases video saying his faction is no longer part of central leadership, accusing TTP of "robbery" - Asad Hashim, Al-Jazeera
# American porn star takes on Pakistan’s censors, Telegraph
Caucasus
# Peace in Azerbaijan urgently needed to resolve protracted displacement – UN expert Chaloka Beyani
# Armenia: Pro-Russia Activists Attack Diaspora Members for Promoting “European Values”, Eurasianet
# More Post-Soviet Revolutions: Enter Abkhazia, Eurasianet
Central Asia
# Kashagan Halt Leads Kazakhstan to Cut 2014 Oil Output Forecast, Bloomberg
# Moscow Police Arrest Suspected Head of Uzbek Islamist Terrorist Group, Moscow Times
Iran
# Prison Terms in Iran Hint of New Reins on Internet, NYT
# Iran Sentences 8 Facebook Users to Combined 123 Years in Jail, mashable.com
# Iran Steps Up War on Social Media - Micah D. Halpern, huffingtonpost
# U.S. investors begin to imagine a return to Iran, WP
# No hijab: an Iranian journalist offers women a stealthy freedom on Facebook, Deutsche Welle
Iraq
# Middle East: Three nations, one conflict - Borzou Daragahi, FT
# Iraq Oil Revival Stalls Again as Violence Pinches Growth, Bloomberg
# Any failures in Iraq and Afghanistan are due to political incompetence, not flawed strategy - Con Coughlin, Telegraph
# Iraq may serve as cautionary tale for Afghanistan - Jim Michaels, USA Today
Russia
# Russia's Propaganda War Will Backfire - Mark Lawrence, Moscow Times
# Vladimir Putin, master player - Doyle McManus, LA Times
# Details of China-Russia Gas Deal Put ‘Historic’ Agreement in Perspective - Thijs Van de Graaf, World Politics Review
Ukraine
# Miners hold pro-Russia rally in Donetsk, Guardian
# Russia warns of 'fratricidal war' in Ukraine - Konstantin Siminov, Moscow Times
# Chechen leader Kadyrov denies sending troops to Ukraine, BBC News
# Ukrainian government vows more military action against separatists, WP
# ‘Point of no return’: Resolve Builds Among Ukraine Rebels With Each Death - Noah Sneider, Al-Jazeera
# Incoming Ukrainian President Poroshenko Requests Time on EU Deal, WSJ
# Ukraine cyber war escalates alongside violence, Telegraph
Of Interest
# Obama lays out a defense of foreign policy. Says diplomacy, force both needed in murky world - Mark Landler, NYT
# Is America Losing the Capability to Fight a Major War? - Steven Metz, World Politics Review