Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
KYRGYZSTAN’S ENERGY SECTOR LOSES INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES DUE TO CORRUPTION
When Kyrgyzstan became independent in 1991, the energy sector signified a rare hope for the country’s future economic development. Today, Kyrgyzstan’s hydro-energy sector represents a significant part of the country’s economy. It also remains a significant source of corruption. After the March 24 Tulip Revolution... MORE
REBEL “NOGAI BATTALION” SPURS RUSSIAN AUTHORITIES TO OFFER ASSISTANCE TO NOGAI MINORITY
"The leaders of bandit formations plan to carry out several terrorist acts in several republics of the North Caucasus,” Dagestan’s interior minister, Adilgirei Magomedtagirov, told journalists on September 14. But despite the broad statement by Magomedtagirov, who has fully recovered from a recent attempt on... MORE
YANUKOVYCH AND ALLIES ASSERTING AUTHORITY OVER FOREIGN POLICY
Operating through coalition mechanisms that President Viktor Yushchenko has helped create, the Party of Regions is de facto appropriating the president’s formal authority to shape foreign policy. Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych’s September 13-14 announcements in Brussels, unilaterally turning down a NATO Membership Action Plan (MAP)... MORE
SIX WAYS FOR YANUKOVYCH AND ALLIES TO CIRCUMVENT YUSHCHENKO ON FOREIGN POLICY
The accustomed division of prerogatives in Ukraine, whereby the president handles foreign policy while the prime minister oversees the economy, is no longer operational. The constitutional reform has shifted the balance of power in prime minister’s favor. By turning down a NATO-Ukraine Membership Action Plan,... MORE
PUTIN DOWNPLAYS ENERGY DIALOGUE IN PARIS
Russian President Vladimir Putin resumed his European engagements last week, traveling to Budapest and Paris; he also plans a sentimental trip to Dresden in mid-October. The atmosphere at the meetings, however, was not exactly cordial, with French President Jacques Chirac assuming a rather reserved tone... MORE
RUSSIA SEEKS CLOSER MILITARY LINKS WITH UZBEKISTAN
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov has hailed defense links between Moscow and Tashkent, saying that recent decisions made by the presidents of Russia and Uzbekistan have helped develop military cooperation "successfully." He also praised a bilateral anti-terrorism drill in Russia's Krasnodar region and stated that... MORE
KARIMOV PRIORITIZES RUSSIAN ARMAMENTS
Uzbekistan’s President Islam Karimov has prioritized procuring Russian armaments, not only to further the reform and modernization of the Uzbek armed forces, but also to strengthen Tashkent’s security response to the threat of terrorism. Karimov is using the new sense of cooperation in bilateral relations... MORE
ESTONIA: WHY NOT THE BEST?
Estonia’s presidential election tomorrow, September 23, involves more than just a choice between Arnold Ruutel and Toomas Hendrik Ilves. In a more profound sense, this election can decide whether or not a third man, Center Party leader Edgar Savisaar, becomes Estonia’s political and business king-maker... MORE
RUSSIAN PUNDITS WARY OF ANKARA’S REVIVED GEOPOLITICAL AMBITIONS IN EURASIA
The suggestion to form a Turkish commonwealth among Turkic-speaking countries voiced at the recent gathering of leaders of Turkic states in Turkey’s seaside resort city of Antalya appears to reflect Ankara’s desire to strengthen its economic and political positions in Eurasia. Moscow should not treat... MORE
INDIAN STEEL TYCOON FACES NEW WAVE OF PROTESTS IN KAZAKHSTAN
Initial reports say at least 32 miners were killed by a methane gas explosion in the Lenin coal mine, near the town of Shakhtinsk in Central Kazakhstan’s Qaraghandy region. The incident, the latest in a long string of mining accidents in coal mines owned by... MORE