Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
CSTO SUMMIT DISAPPOINTS MOSCOW, UNITES CENTRAL ASIA
At the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) summit in Moscow on September 5, Central Asian leaders once again avoided supporting Russia's recognition of South Ossetian and Abkhaz independence. As at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit on August 28, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister... MORE
MOSCOW EXTENDS CONFRONTATION WITH THE WEST TO THE CARIBBEAN
The Defense Ministry in Moscow announced this week that warships and long-range bombers would be deployed to the Caribbean for joint military exercises with Venezuela in November. Russia's most powerful warship, the nuclear cruiser Pyotr Velikii, will lead the flotilla, accompanied by a frigate Admiral... MORE
RUSSIA’S CENTRAL ASIAN EXERCISES WITH KAZAKHSTAN FOCUS ON DEFENDING ENERGY ASSETS
On September 4 joint Russian-Kazakh military exercises began at the Chebarkul training range near Chelyabinsk, Russia. The exercises, long planned in the framework of the deepening military cooperation between the two countries, involved around 2,000 servicemen, more than 100 units of armored vehicles, and 30... MORE
ALL THE PRIME MINISTER’S MEN?
Over the last week, the domestic political agenda in Turkey has been dominated by an unprecedented war of words between Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the Dogan Group, the largest media organization in the country. The confrontation has swept both the repercussions of President... MORE
MEDVEDEV RESTRUCTURES THE INTERIOR MINISTRY
President Dmitry Medvedev has launched a reorganization of Russia’s Interior Ministry that some observers say raises it in importance above the country’s other “power” agencies and ministries and could presage a stepped-up campaign against the Kremlin’s critics and political opponents under the guise of fighting... MORE
SURPRISING AND CONTRADICTORY OPINIONS ON THE UKRAINIAN STREETS
A number of recent public opinion polls in Ukraine reveal that regional differences toward Russia after the war in Georgia remain a factor but are not as extreme as some media reports present them to be. A poll conducted from 19 to 22 August by... MORE
NAVAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE SOUTH OSSETIAN CRISIS
Last month’s confrontation between Russia and Georgia over South Ossetia had a maritime dimension that continues to expand. Russia deployed elements of its Black Sea fleet to Georgia’s coast during its military operations and subsequently sank several Georgian naval vessels in Poti. During the clash... MORE
RUSSIA ASSEMBLES ITS ALLIES AND PONDERS THE CONTENT OF ITS “PRIVILEGED INTERESTS”
The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) has never amounted to much as an alliance which ties Russia with six post-Soviet states: Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Its summit in Moscow last Friday, however, was perhaps the most important event in the 16 years... MORE
VICE PRESIDENT CHENEY’S VISIT TO BAKU RAISES SPECULATIONS
On September 3, US Vice President Dick Cheney arrived in Baku as part of his tour to the region of the former Soviet Union. The visit was the first such high-ranking visit by a US official and drew much attention because of the recent events... MORE
ONGOING TRADE CRISIS DEMONSTRATES TURKEY’S LACK OF LEVERAGE AGAINST RUSSIA
On September 8, Kursad Tuzmen, the Turkish Minister of State for Foreign Trade, said that the delays being faced by Turkish exports trying to enter Russia had so far cost the country $500 million. The crisis began in mid-August when trucks and ships carrying Turkish... MORE