Moscow Looks to the East

The U.S. and China are drawing most of Pyongyang's attention, but Kim Jong Un's trip to Russia shows that North Korea doesn't lack for diplomatic alternatives.

With the standoff between Moscow and the West seemingly here to stay, the Kremlin is beating a path to Asia, Africa and the Americas to drum up economic and security ties.

A second military base in Kyrgyzstan would not only help Russia stem militancy but would also bolster its position as the outside power with the greatest influence in Central Asia as the U.S. floats an Afghan withdrawal.

Beijing is eager to tap into the Arctic's abundant resources and take advantage of shipping lanes that will open as sea ice recedes. But it will need to muscle into the region first.

For Moscow and Beijing, the more Washington tries to squeeze them, the smaller their differences with each other become.

Washington is leaning on India and other countries around the globe to snub Russian arms in favor of U.S. weaponry. The United States, however, would press New Delhi at its peril.

As Washington tries to influence Moscow's behavior, the Kremlin is turning away from the West more and more.

The United States imposed punishing sanctions on Iran earlier in the month, but now it's starting to pursue a much bigger adversary -- Russia -- by taking aim at Moscow's defense and energy customers around the globe.