On July 17 Belarusian President Alyaksander Lukashenka dismissed the head of the KGB, Stsyapan Sukharenka as well as his first deputy, Vasil Dzemyantsey. Sukharenka's replacement is Yury Zhadobin, formerly head of the president's security forces. Zhadobin's first task is to clean up the organization, signifying... MORE

On July 19 Turkish newspapers published extensive pre-election data from the KONDA polling firm (Radikal, July 19). Based on nine surveys of more than 25,000 people conducted between February 15 and July, the results indicate that the ruling AK Party will likely form another majority... MORE

At first, it seemed that the "lobster summit" in Maine between U.S. President George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month had reversed the ever-widening Russo-Western fray. The two presidents announced further consultations on outstanding issues including missile defense, and they approved... MORE

On July 13 the foreign ministers of Russia and China met in Moscow to discuss bilateral ties, including energy issues. After the meeting Russia's top diplomat, Sergei Lavrov, noted a shared interest in investment cooperation and coordination of plans to develop Russia's Far East and... MORE

Gazprom’s just-concluded agreement with the French firm Total to develop the Shtokman gas field marks a new stage in Russia’s energy strategies and policies. First, it re-defines to Russian unilateral advantage the concept of Western access to Russian energy reserves, by separating access from ownership.... MORE

Roman Bezsmertny, a high-ranking member of President Viktor Yushchenko’s Our Ukraine (NU) party, has left its leadership and is not going to run for parliament this year. Bezsmertny’s departure is part of an evolutionary process affecting Our Ukraine. The group of businessmen active in politics,... MORE

On July 9 the Shanghai Cooperation Organization council of foreign ministers met in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, to finalize the agenda for the forthcoming SCO summit in August. Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Ednan Karabayev commented afterward that the summit will focus on developing the work of the SCO-Afghanistan... MORE

The surprise and controversial exchange of intelligentsia delegations between Azerbaijan and Armenia on June 28 generated heated debates in both societies. The move, the first of its kind in the past decade, raised more questions than answers. Each delegation was comprised of five or six... MORE