Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
Energy Crisis Splits Ruling Party in Kyrgyzstan
Amid shortages of hydro-energy in Kyrgyzstan because of the critically low water level in the Toktogul reservoir, President Kurmanbek Bakiyev’s loyal supports are finger-pointing, accusing each other of false reports and corruption. Previously, it was mostly the opposition that criticized Minister of Energy Saparbek Balkibekov... MORE
A Breathing Spell for Political Reforms in Georgia
n the aftermath of the war with Russia, the Georgian leadership is refocusing its attention on the development of the political system in a broader institutional framework. The main initiatives in this regard originate from the top and are set for easy passage by the... MORE
A Return of Putin to the Kremlin to Save the Nation?
President Dmitry Medvedev's address to the Federal Assembly had two principal political surprises, one internal and one external. Medvedev announced that the present Russian constitution, adapted by referendum in December 1993, would be amended to increase the term of office of president from four to... MORE
Turkey and EU in Trade Row over Boron
In Turkey's convoluted "long march" toward European Union membership, Ankara has exhibited immense patience during the accession process, which began 21 years ago, when on April 14, 1987, Turkey applied to join the EU, having been an associate member of the European Union and its... MORE
Georgia’s Radical Opposition: Regime Change Today, Tomorrow, and Forever
Five radical opposition parties restarted a campaign for regime change in Georgia on November 7, with a ritualized rally outside parliament and a march on Tbilisi’s Rustaveli Avenue. These small parties are not represented in parliament, though several of them are headed by past and... MORE
Ukraine Moves To Stabilize Financial System
Ukraine has secured a big loan from the IMF in order to stabilize its finances amid the global crisis. To qualify for the loan, parties in parliament agreed to set aside their differences and pass stabilization laws proposed by President Viktor Yushchenko. Thanks to this,... MORE
The Shadowy Side of Gazprom’s Expanding Central European Gas Hub
OMV, the Austrian oil and gas group, and Russia’s Gazprom, along with the Vienna Stock Exchange and Centrex Europe Energy and Gas AG (CEEGAG) have agreed to cooperate in developing the Central European Gas Hub (CEGH) located in Baumgarten, Austria, Kommersant daily reported on November... MORE
Firat Resignation May Indicate a Hardening of AKP Kurdish Policy
On November 7, after the Central Executive Board (MYK) meeting of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), it was announced that Dengir Mir Mehmet Fırat had resigned from his position as a deputy chairman of the (AKP). Firat is known for being a relative of... MORE
Council of Europe Convinces Ter-Petrosian To Hold Independent Investigation of Violence in Yerevan
Bowing to Western pressure, Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian has formed a supposedly independent body to investigate the deadly clashes in Yerevan that were sparked by his controversial victory in last February’s presidential election. The new inquiry could undermine the Armenian government’s justification for the use... MORE
Another Disaster in the Russian Navy
On November 8 Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev ordered Defense Minister Anatoliy Serdyukov to instigate a full and thorough investigation into a fire on board a nuclear-powered submarine, the latest accident to afflict the Russian navy. Russian officials refused to identify the submarine, but a source... MORE