Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
ECONOMIC REFORM ICON AND OPPOSITION LEADER DEBATE THE 1990s
On June 30, Anatoly Chubais stepped down as board chairman of the state electricity monopoly RAO UES, which was liquidated the following day as part of a reform of Russia’s power industry. Chubais said that he plans to retire; and if he sticks to that... MORE
TURKEY PONDERS RUSSIAN MISSILE OFFER
As Turkey moves to upgrade its weapons systems, Ankara is considering all options and possible suppliers, including Moscow. The value of such runs into billions of dollars, generating intense competition, particularly over contracts to supply Turkey with an advanced surface-to-air missile system, with potential capabilities... MORE
STEINMEIER’S PLAN ON ABKHAZIA: BENIGN INTENTIONS, LIMITED RELEVANCE, BLOCKED BY MOSCOW
Germany distributed its plan for a political settlement of the Abkhazia conflict within the European Union’s Political and Security Committee --- which includes 27 delegations --- simultaneously with Germany’s presentation of the plan in Tbilisi, Sukhumi, and Moscow. Drafted by the German Ministry of Foreign... MORE
ASSESSING THE TERRORIST EXPLOSION IN MINSK
At 12:30 A.M. on July 4, when thousands of Minsk residents were attending a concert to commemorate the official Independence Day (July 3) near the monument to the "Hero City," a bomb exploded injuring 54 people. President Alyaksandr Lukashenka, who designated July 3 as the... MORE
RELIGIOUS AUTHORITIES IN KYRGYZSTAN PLAY POLITICS
The question of the spread of Islamic fundamentalism occupies a substantial part of political discourse in Kyrgyzstan. A new bill on “Freedom of religious practices and religious organizations” in particular is being actively discussed within the Kyrgyz government. While Kyrgyzstan’s two mainstream religious organizations, the... MORE
A HAWK AND A DOVE SHARE THE DTP LEADERSHIP
On July 20, the embattled pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) elected Ahmet Turk (born 1944) and Emine Ayna (born 1968) as its co-chairs during a party congress in Ankara. As the Turkish Political Parties law does not provide for the sharing of the leadership of... MORE
MEDVEDEV’S FOREIGN POLICY TAKES INDEFINITE SHAPE
President Dmitry Medvedev, after completely ignoring foreign policy issues on the election trail, has performed a high-intensity campaign of visits, speeches and meetings since late May, wrapping up this season last week with the adoption of a new Foreign Policy Concept. Sycophants are trumpeting the... MORE
PAVEL VOSHCHANOV: DISSATISFACTION ON THE RISE IN PROVINCIAL RUSSIA
It is often said in Russia that dissatisfaction with the country’s existing political system is greater among those living in the cities than those living in the countryside. Yet according to one observer who recently traveled through central Russia, dissatisfaction with the status quo is... MORE
A POLITICAL SUMMIT MIGHT RESUSCITATE THE NABUCCO PROJECT
The European Union’s Nabucco pipeline project for transporting Caspian gas to Europe continues to experience false starts and outright setbacks. The impasse seems to justify the Hungarian proposal to hold a summit of the Nabucco consortium countries and the relevant gas producer countries, with the... MORE
TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER HOSTS HEADS OF MISSION CONFERENCE IN ANKARA
From July 15 to 18 more than 200 Turkish diplomats, including 103 of the country’s ambassadors and heads of missions serving in different countries around the world, met in Ankara to discuss Turkey’s short and long-term foreign policy goals. The unprecedented gathering of virtually all... MORE