Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
ARMENIAN OLIGARCH MAKES BID FOR POWER WITH NEW POLITICAL PARTY
Armenia's arguably wealthiest government-connected businessman has caused a stir in the domestic political arena by setting up a new party with far-reaching political ambitions. Gagik Tsarukian appears to have enlisted the support of prominent public figures and even an opposition leader for his bid to... MORE
RESIDENTS ANGRY AS AZERBAIJAN HIKES GASOLINE PRICES
The new year has brought new economic surprises for the average Azerbaijani citizen. The Council on Tariffs decided on January 6 to double the price of diesel fuel (from 20 cents per liter to 40 cents), giving it the same price tag as regular gasoline.... MORE
PUTIN OFFERS TO SHORE UP A WEAKENED YUSHCHENKO
Russian President Vladimir Putin is shifting tactics toward Ukraine. Following the "gas attack" designed to produce regime change in Ukraine at the upcoming parliamentary elections, Putin is now apparently moving to reach an understanding with the severely weakened President Viktor Yushchenko. The January 4 signing... MORE
RUSSIAN GENERALS WARN OF NEW REBEL OFFENSIVE IN THE NORTH CAUCASUS
Less than three months after the rebel attack on the city of Nalchik, the capital of the republic of Kabardino-Balkaria in the North Caucasus, the Russian military command has again begun to talk about new rebel attacks. On January 8, Sergei Topchy, deputy commander of... MORE
SAAKASHVILI GOVERNMENT CRACKS DOWN ON PRISON MAFIA
A wave of strikes by inmates at prisons across Georgia is part of the criminal world's carefully crafted plan to resist government efforts to assert their authority in the penal system. The first strike began on December 24 in Kutaisi, Georgia's second largest city, and... MORE
QUESTIONS SURROUND CONTINUED U.S. PRESENCE IN AFGHANISTAN
Since the fall of the Taliban in late 2001, Afghans have been wary of the continued U.S. presence in Afghanistan. They remember bitterly the aftermath of the war against the Soviets in the 1980s, when the West -- led by the United States -- left... MORE
EUROPEAN UNION RESPONDS AS MOLDOVA GAS PREDICAMENT DEEPENS
Breaking its collective silence on the Russia-triggered gas crisis, the European Union has expressed concern over the situation of Moldova, where Gazprom has halted all deliveries since January 1. The EU's Austrian Presidency, on behalf of the 25 member countries, appealed to Russia and Moldova... MORE
PUTIN’S GAS BLUNDER
The abortive interruption of Russian natural gas supplies to Ukraine on January 1 was a humiliating diplomatic blunder. It was an unnecessary crisis, and one that Russia clumsily lost in the court of world public opinion. While Ukraine was threatened with a gas blockade, Russia... MORE
YUSHCHENKO’S GOVERNMENT LOSES VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE
Yesterday, January 10, the Ukrainian parliament voted no confidence in the government of Prime Minister Yuriy Yekhanurov, which has only been in place since late September 2005, when he replaced Yulia Tymoshenko (rada.gov.ua). President Viktor Yushchenko seems oblivious to the building furor over the new... MORE
IS ALIYEV GOVERNMENT MEDDLING IN AZERBAIJAN’S BUSINESS SECTOR?
The post-parliamentary election period in Azerbaijan was marked by an unusually harsh crackdown on a group of high-profile businessmen. Foremost, the assets of the country's largest private oil company, Azpetrol, were stripped from its owner, Rafik Aliyev, who had been arrested even before the November... MORE