The Obama Administration has taken a long-overdue strong line opposing Russia's intimidation of democratic Georgia. This potential break in the "reset" of U.S. relations with Russia comes on the heels of a flurry of JINSA engagement with the Georgian government including a mission to Tbilisi in May and subsequent meetings in Washington.

Twenty JINSA officers, members and professional staff traveled to Israel in June for a unique week-long program planned to obtain the latest, accurate information on Israel's security and political situation. And to provide for the group an opportunity to participate in meetings similar to those conducted for the security professionals that travel on JINSA programs.

During a visit to the region lasting from May 1 to May 9, a delegation of JINSA officers and members of the Board of Directors engaged in dialogue with officials of the governments of Ukraine and Georgia. In both Kiev and Tbilisi, meetings with senior representatives of the Defense and Foreign Ministries were held.

JINSA Board of Advisors Member Maj. Gen. Sid Shachnow, USA (ret.), former commander of the U.S. Army Special Forces Command, addressed the Jerusalem Conference, Feb. 17, on the subject of "War in the 21st Century: Counter-Terrorism versus Counter Insurgency." His prepared remarks can be read here.

The 26th JINSA Flag & General Officers Trip took place in September during a period of political and military flux. The JINSA delegation, consisting of 10 retired American admirals and generals, one professional staff member and four members of JINSA’s Board of Directors, traveled widely and met with Israeli civilian, military and intelligence professionals, as well as American Lt. Gen. Keith Dayton, the U.S. Security Coordinator for the Israel-Palestinian Authority.

Cross-strait tensions decreased dramatically in March when Kuomintang candidate Ma Ying-jeou, won the island republic's presidency by 16 percentage points over his Democratic Progressive Party rival, Frank Hsieh. Having captured a two-thirds majority in December elections for the Taiwanese parliament, the Legislative Yuan, Ma and his KMT after eight years out of power must now make good on campaign promises and please a constituency worried over a sluggish economy, diminished relations with the United States and increased tensions with mainland China.