Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
TALKS FOR THE CAUCASUS PACT UNDERWAY
Turkey’s shuttle diplomacy to manage the aftermath of the conflict in Georgia has kept Turkish foreign policy in the spotlight. During a series of visits to Tbilisi, Moscow, and Baku in the first half of August, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan revealed Ankara’s proposal for... MORE
WHAT THE EUROPEAN UNION CAN DO ABOUT GEORGIA AFTER THE RUSSIAN INVASION
The EU’s emergency summit on September 1 must contemplate the wreckage of European policies in the eastern neighborhood and toward Russia. Following Russia’s invasion of Georgia and the forcible change of borders there, the EU can expect intensified Russian pressures (perhaps after a decent interval)... MORE
SUMMIT TESTS EU’S CAPACITY TO OPPOSE RUSSIA’S REEXPANSION
European Union leaders will meet on September 1 in Brussels for a crisis summit in response to Russia’s war on Georgia. If allowed to succeed, the subjugation of Georgia will almost certainly be followed by steps to bring Ukraine and Moldova within a Russian sphere... MORE
UKRAINE DIVIDED ON RUSSIAN RECOGNITION OF SOUTH OSSETIA
The official Ukrainian response to Russia’s recognition of the independence of Georgia’s two breakaway provinces, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, on August 25, 2008, was not unexpected. The Ukrainian foreign ministry issued a statement on August 26 which noted: “The declaration by the Russian parliament is... MORE
TURKEY’S DELICATE ACT OF BALANCING IN THE BLACK SEA
The aftershocks of the conflict in Georgia continue to dominate regional politics, highlighting the difficulties Turkey encounters in conducting its foreign policy in dangerous neighborhoods. The latest U.S. move to utilize military vessels to provide humanitarian aid to the war-torn areas of Georgia demonstrated starkly... MORE
RUSSIA BLOCKING OSCE’S ACCESS TO SOUTH OSSETIA
Russia’s August 26 official recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as “independent states” will change nothing on the ground, let alone the international legal status of the two territories. With or without such “recognition,” Russia did as it pleased in both territories for the last... MORE
RUSSIAN FORCES SETTING UP OCCUPATION ZONES IN GEORGIA
Russian forces remaining in Georgia have switched from the role of invasion troops to that of occupation troops, seizing chunks of territory in Georgia’s interior as well as key logistical nodes and arteries. The quick and smooth switch from the invasion to the occupation mode,... MORE
RUSSIA IS READY FOR A MAJOR CONFRONTATION WITH THE WEST
A well-orchestrated surge of nationalistic pride seems to be driving Russia into a major confrontation with the West over the invasion of Georgia. The Russian media is full of brutal abuse, aimed at opponents of the invasion. State-sponsored propaganda has implied that the West is... MORE
RUSSIAN TROOPS IN GEORGIA: PULLOUT, PULL-BACK, OR STAY PUT?
Russian troops were supposed to withdraw by August 22 from all of Georgia’s interior areas. That was Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s word to Nicolas Sarkozy, when the French president -- broker of the August 12-13 armistice -- telephoned Medvedev several times afterward for clarification. Some... MORE
RESPONDING TO GEORGIA CRISIS, TURKEY SEEKS NEW CAUCASUS SECURITY INITIATIVE
The Georgian-Russian military conflict has created new security dilemmas in the South Caucasus. Not only has the fragile stability established since the chaos of 1990s been ruined, but the East-West energy and transportation corridor has also been made vulnerable. Turkey, as one of the largest... MORE