Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
WILL UKRAINE HAVE NEW CONSTITUTION?
President Viktor Yushchenko has begun his drive to reverse the 2004 constitutional reform. His goals include boosting presidential powers and weakening the legislature. On February 20 Yushchenko convened the first meeting of the National Constitution Council (NKS), consisting of 97 experts and politicians, to share... MORE
TEHRAN PUTS PRESSURE ON U.S. MILITARY PRESENCE IN CENTRAL ASIA
On February 21 Kyrgyz Prime Minister Igor Chudinov met with Iran’s Foreign Minister Manuchehr Motaki, in Bishkek, discussing how bilateral trade and economic plans could be furthered in the future, while also exchanging views on common security issues. The latter discussion focused on the security... MORE
RELEASE OF POLITICAL PRISONERS IN BELARUS SPARKS DEBATE
Over the past two weeks Belarus has released a large group of “political prisoners” from jails and camps across the country. They include activists, politicians, and some of the entrepreneurs who were arrested when protesting the restriction of their activities through new state laws. Significantly,... MORE
GUDKOV: MOST RUSSIANS CHOOSE GREAT POWER STATUS AND SOCIAL PROTECTIONS OVER FREEDOM
In a 2004 letter from prison, Yukos founder Mikhail Khodorkovsky said that while Vladimir Putin “certainly is no liberal and no democrat,” he is nonetheless “more liberal and democratic than 70% of the population of our country.” While one might quibble with the tycoon’s exact... MORE
TURKISH GENERAL STAFF ANNOUNCES “DETERRENT OPERATION” IN NORTHERN IRAQ
Turkey’s cross-border incursion into northern Iraq, which began late on February 21 after eight hours of air and artillery strikes, has been accompanied by an equally aggressive PR campaign. Ankara involved Washington prior to beginning operations, while the Turkish General Staff has castigated the media... MORE
SOCIAL POLARIZATION DEEPENING IN TURKEY
As supporters of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) stage sporadic protests in western Turkey against the ongoing Turkish military operations in northern Iraq, the government’s hurried attempt to lift the headscarf ban in Turkish universities appears to be deepening the other great divide in Turkish... MORE
THERE IS A KOSOVA PRECEDENT, THOUGH NOT WHAT MOSCOW SAYS IT IS
Russia has failed to exploit Kosova’s independence from Serbia as a “precedent” for conflict-resolution through partition in Georgia, Moldova, or Azerbaijan (see EDM, February 19). Nor could Moscow stop Kosova’s move to Western-supervised independence and its international recognition. Moscow had insisted that Kosova’s internationally recognized... MORE
OPPOSITION USES UKRAINE–NATO ISSUE WHEN POLITICALLY EXPEDIENT
For over a month, the Ukrainian parliament has been in a forced recess as the opposition blocked the legislature to protest a joint letter to NATO signed by President Viktor Yushchenko, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, and Parliamentary Speaker Arseny Yatsenyuk. The January 15 letter asked... MORE
WINTER SHOWS NEED FOR CENTRAL ASIA ENERGY COORDINATION
An unusually cold winter has gripped Central Asia, causing severe energy shortages in all countries for almost two months. Throughout the region the lack of electricity and gas has revealed the urgent need to develop inter-state energy cooperation that would allow a coordinated response to... MORE
TURKISH GROUND OFFENSIVE SET TO DEEPEN RIFT WITH IRAQI KURDS
Yesterday, February 21, the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) stepped up the psychological pressure on the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) by staging a cross-border land operation into northern Iraq. Initial unconfirmed reports suggest that up to 10,000 Turkish troops had crossed into Iraq to strike at... MORE