"The rest are now making attempts to break the encirclement and get out of Shali and make their way towards the mountains, " he said.

BBC: Russian forces 'have made mistakes'

The first is Mr Kissinger's insight that Chinese strategists think like players of wei qi or Go, which means that, in the long term, they wish to avoid encirclement.

ECONOMIST: America and China

He was made a Hero of Russia, the country's highest honorary title, for his actions in bringing his troops out of encirclement during fighting with separatists in Chechnya in 2000.

BBC: Ingushetia profile

Although it is America's ally, Pakistan maintains links with the predominantly ethnic-Pushtun Taliban in Afghanistan, as a hedge against the day America leaves and a way to thwart a perceived Indian plan of strategic encirclement.

ECONOMIST: Dealing with Pakistan

The dominant Los Angeles Times, for instance, now faces an encirclement of MediaNews dailies that range from the Long Beach Press-Telegram in the south, the Pasadena Star-News and San Gabriel Valley Tribune to the east and the Daily News to the north.

FORBES: Where's Dean?