As PM Erdogan visits US to meet President Obama, it is clear that Turkey is slowly getting sucked in the Syrian conflict. This was further validated by the bombings on May 11 in the border city of Rehanli, which killed about 50 people and wounding more than 100.

During the last two weeks, Pakistan has taken two strategic decisions that will have far reaching implications. These choices also signify the direction it is posturing to move towards despite the risks. One of these decisions was to move ahead with the Iran-Pakistan (IP) gas pipeline project.

India’s foreign minister Salman Khurshid carried out a three-day visit to Iran starting May 3rd, and was in Beijing last week, as Pakistan conducted landmark elections. India was recently caught in a dangerous border stand off with China in the Ladakh area.

Quite a bit of media attention was focused on the BRICS conference in Dublin, including the two-day 24th Arab League Summit held in Doha last week. What came as a surprise was the presence of Gen. Kiyani in the Middle East, holding a meeting with John Kerry in Jordan.

President Obama’s trip to the Middle East came at an interesting juncture. Netanyahu just appointed a new cabinet and Obama himself started his second term in January.

While US-Turkish relations are usually quite unblemished, recent events have caused them to sore a little. One of the incidents responsible for this was the criticism of Turkish judicial system by no other than the US ambassador to Turkey Francis Ricciardone.

The Syrian crisis had many tangents from the get go. It was never going to be like Iraq and Libya. For one, Syria is Iran’s closest ally, whose fall may isolate the country in a way the sanctions have never been able to.

As more territory moves under the control of opposition forces in Syria, western intelligence sources are projecting the fall of Assad government is quickly approaching. With this prospect, Assad is faced with a challenging task i.e., to use chemical weapons or not.

As the US withdrawal from Afghanistan slated for late 2014 approaches, the politics of South and Central Asia is entering a particularly peculiar stage.

With Pakistan’s ties with India somewhat stabilized and Afghan reconciliation making positive headway, it can be safely assumed that US-Pakistan relations are also on the positive trajectory.