Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
RUSSIAN TV DOWNPLAYS THE FINANCIAL CRISIS AT HOME
The world financial crisis, which has hit Russia’s stock market harder than those of most other countries, is starting to trickle down to the average Russian. As Nezavisimaya gazeta reported on October 20, repeated crashes of Russia’s main stock market indices in recent weeks and... MORE
AZERBAIJAN’S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION: A NATIONAL MANDATE FOR POLICY CONTINUITY
The final returns of Azerbaijan’s October 15 presidential election, released by the Central Electoral Commission, show President Ilham Aliyev winning reelection for another five-year term with 88.7 percent of the votes cast. Six other candidates received between 2.86 and 0.65 percent each. Nearly 76 percent... MORE
TURKEY’S SECURITY COUNCIL SEAT PROMISES CHALLENGES AS WELL AS KUDOS
On October 17, Turkey was elected as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2009-2010, securing 151 votes in the first round of voting. Turkey finished comfortably ahead of its two rivals: Austria, which took the second seat allocated to countries from the... MORE
MOSCOW PROVIDES FEW DETAILS ON SOUTH OSSETIA BOMBING
At 4:45 P.M. on Friday, October 3, a powerful car bomb exploded outside the headquarters of the Russian peacekeeping forces in Tskhinvali, the capital of Georgia’s breakaway region of South Ossetia. Although the casualty figures cited in the initial reports varied from six to 11,... MORE
IRAN GAINS FROM GEORGIAN CONFRONTATION
In the aftermath of the August Georgian-Russian confrontation, a new Caspian geopolitical reality is slowly emerging from the fog of war. The clash highlighted the vulnerability of Western-funded and built Caspian export pipelines, which, by transiting the Caucasus, avoided both Russian and Iranian territory. During... MORE
CHARGES FILED AGAINST TAJIK OPPOSITION FIGURE
On September 22 the Prosecutor General’s Office of Tajikistan launched a criminal case at the request of the Ministry of Internal Affairs against Dodojon Atovulloev, the founder of the newspaper Charogi Ruz and leader of the popular movement Vatandor (Patriot). “The criminal case has been... MORE
POLLS SUGGEST WAVERING POPULAR SUPPORT FOR THE AKP
Recent opinion polls suggest that a string of corruption scandals and the slowdown in the pace of economic growth in Turkey are eroding popular support for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). An opinion poll conducted from October 8 to 12 by the Metropoll... MORE
RUSSIAN TACTICS DERAIL GENEVA TALKS ON ABKHAZIA AND SOUTH OSSETIA
International discussions on security and stability arrangements in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, Georgia, were launched at the Palace of Nations in Geneva on October 15. The process is expected to be a long one, but it adjourned on the first day amid disagreement about how... MORE
A RADICAL MILITARY REFORM PLAN
After a meeting of Russia's top brass this week, Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov disclosed drastic plans to reform and cut the Russian military. The executive decision to begin the reform was signed by President Dmitry Medvedev on September 15, but most details were kept secret... MORE
BAKIYEV LOSES SUPPORTERS, APPOINTS CRONIES
With the resignation of Mayor General Ismail Isakov from the position of Security Council Secretary earlier this week, Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev once again showed that he wants loyal politicians in key government offices, even at the cost of inefficiency. Isakov is a widely respected... MORE