Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
TURKISH MEDIA TARGET BARZANI AFTER AL-MALIKI FAILS TO AGREE TO CONCRETE MEASURES AGAINST PKK
The Turkish media have targeted Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani following the failure of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Kamel al-Maliki to agree to take concrete measures against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) during his August 7 visit to Ankara. Prior to al-Maliki’s arrival in Turkey, the... MORE
YUSHCHENKO, YANUKOVYCH, TYMOSHENKO CONTESTING ELECTION AGAIN
The campaign for the September 30 parliamentary elections officially kicked off in Ukraine on August 2. This campaign will see the same contenders as in the March 2006 election: President Viktor Yushchenko’s Our Ukraine-People’s Self-Defense bloc (NUNS), except last year it was just Our Ukraine,... MORE
RUSSIAN FLAG STAKES ENERGY CLAIM AT NORTH POLE
Russia made big international waves last week with a successful Arctic expedition that combined scientific and geopolitical goals. The research ship Akademik Fedorov and the nuclear icebreaker Arktika left Murmansk on July 24 and on August 2 reached their destination – the North Pole, now... MORE
HUNGARY’S MOL ENERGY COMPANY GROWS IN CENTRAL EUROPE AND BEYOND
Hungary’s national energy company, MOL, is mounting an effective defense against a hostile takeover by its Austrian counterpart, OMV, which could lead to Russian takeover of Hungary’s energy sector (see EDM, July 24, 25). As part of its defense -- but also in the course... MORE
TURKEY’S KURDS OPT FOR ISLAM OVER THE PKK
The results of the Turkish general election of July 22 suggest that Turkey’s Kurdish minority is looking increasingly to Islam rather than the secular nationalism of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) is generally regarded by both its opponents and... MORE
KAZAKHSTAN AND RUSSIA RENEW EFFORTS TO CURB DRUG TRAFFICKING
A shared opposition to the constant stream of drugs flowing from the poppy fields in Afghanistan is apparently one of the few remaining areas of cooperation between Kazakhstan and Russia. Since Russia handed over responsibility for protecting the troubled Tajik-Afghan border to poorly equipped and... MORE
RUSSIA’S BLACK SEA FLEET PLANS FORCE BUILD-UP AT NOVOROSSIYSK
Admiral Vladimir Masorin, commander-in-chief of Russia’s naval forces, announced ambitious plans to expand the Russian Black Sea Fleet’s forces and missions during his just-completed visit to the fleet’s main base at Sevastopol in Ukraine. The plans focus on developing Novorossiysk as a major naval base... MORE
RUSSIA’S BLACK SEA FLEET CLINGING TO SEVASTOPOL WHILE IT CAN
Apparently expecting petrodollar-fed budgetary infusions, Russia’s navy expects to reinforce its Black Sea Fleet with new units, beef up its Novorossiysk base on Russian territory, and attempt to cling to the Sevastopol base in Ukraine past the 2017 deadline. Such is the gist of remarks... MORE
TURKISH MILITARY EXPELS OFFICERS FOR ALLEGED ISLAMIC ACTIVITY
On August 4, the Turkish military officially announced the expulsion of ten serving officers for alleged Islamic fundamentalist activities. The announcement came one day after the end of a three-day meeting of the Supreme Military Council (YAS), which traditionally meets at the beginning of August... MORE
NIYAZOV’S SECURITY CHIEF ARRESTED, HUNT BEGINS FOR STOLEN FUNDS
The December 21, 2006, death of Turkmenistan’s self proclaimed president-for-life Saparmurat Niyazov set off an intense round of speculation about both the succession process and who might gain access to the world’s fifth-largest energy reserves, responsible for more than $2 billion annually in export revenues.... MORE