A meeting is set for October 1 between Iran and representatives from the United Kingdom, China, France, Russia and Germany. What's the topic? Well, everyone except Iran want to talk about that country's nuclear program, but Iran is saying that is not up for discussion, but other countries should feel free to ask questions.

Most likely this is an initial step where both sides try to press their points while forging diplomatic ties and contacts. The Western world still views an Iran with a nuclear arms program as unacceptable, but Iran insists that its program is for peaceful purposes. However its refusal to allow inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency raises doubts to that claim.

It's not just the members of Congress who seem reluctant to take the new kid in town at his word. Vice President Joe Biden starting laying out the program at the Munich Security Conference. The allies and the not-so-allied are listening, but cautious.

Russian gas supplier Gazprom is having disputes with Ukraine again, which could affect Europe's gas supply and power.

Critics say that Russia is using its energy resources as a political weapon to pressure European and former Soviet countries to adopt favourable stances towards Moscow.
But threats to disrupt exports, and the fact that it has carried out such threats in the past, have damaged Russia's reputation as a reliable gas supplier.

Cathy Young writes of Russia's increasing anti-Americanism and possible reasons for it:

In the post-Soviet era, many Russians are angry because their country has neither the stature nor the living standards that they believe it deserves. Polls shows that most Russians actually favor a Western way of life. Nearly two-thirds would rather live in a well-off country than in one that is poorer but more powerful and feared by others. Unfortunately, most also believe their country will not reach Western levels of well-being any time soon, if ever. As frustrations mount, it is often easier to blame an external force than the country’s own failings. It doesn’t help that the 1990s, when pro-Western attitudes were at their peak, are remembered as a time of poverty and insecurity.

As President-Elect Obama pushes for another stimulus package (and one of his advisors offers his own, unofficial suggestions), Canada considers another package for itself. Japan, Russia and Australia have already done their own.

Now China has announced plans for strengthening its slowing economy, which could really hurt world markets.

Mere hours after Obama won the US election, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev announced that Russia would be placing missiles along its Polish border, as a deterrent to a US antimissle system in that country.    Continues...

Current US-Russia relations are cool, in light of the war in Georgia. This may cause the US to abandon the International Space Station, ceding control of it to Russia.

What?    Continues...

Freezing out Russia may be risky: Some say efforts to check terrorism and proliferation shouldn't end over Georgia. Cheney and other hard-liners disagree.

Georgia and the Balance of Power. "The Russian invasion of Georgia has not changed the balance of power in Eurasia. It has simply announced that the balance of power had already shifted."    Continues...

Putin Asserts Link Between U.S. Election and Georgia War

Kathleen Parker sums up Bush', Obama's and McCain's take on the Georgia situation.