Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
IS THE WEST LOSING AZERBAIJAN?
The November 26 post-election violence in Baku marked the end of Western influence in Azerbaijan. After being severely beaten and humiliated by police forces, the pro-Western Azerbaijani opposition has no one else to blame but the West. Its hopes for U.S. support to "overthrow the... MORE
IRAN’S SEARCH FOR ALLIES IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
As international pressure mounts over Iran's nuclear activities, the Iranian government has intensified its public relations campaign in the region. Iranian Foreign Minister Manuchehr Motaki has been touring nearby states in an attempt to boost Iran's regional profile and foster bilateral relations with neighboring countries.... MORE
COUNCIL OF EUROPE’S BIASED RAPPORTEUR OVERRULED ON LATVIA
As anticipated (see EDM, October 24), Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly rapporteur Gyorgy Frunda's alignment with Russian policy on Latvia has backfired. On November 23 in Paris, CEPA's Monitoring Committee overruled Frunda's recommendations regarding "national minority rights" in that country and discontinued the monitoring procedure... MORE
SOVIET-STYLE REFERENDUM FAILS TO BRING ARMENIA CLOSER TO EUROPE
The administration of President Robert Kocharian has enacted its controversial constitutional amendments following a November 27 referendum that raised Armenia's post-Soviet culture of electoral fraud to new heights. Its deeply flawed handling of the vote is also a serious setback for the West's cautious efforts... MORE
OTUNBAYEVA LOSES LAST CHANCE TO REMAIN IN KYRGYZ POLITICS
On November 27, two key leaders of Kyrgyzstan's revolution, Azimbek Beknazarov and Roza Otunbayeva, stood for election for the parliamentary seats from the Aksy and Tunduk districts. While both were the driving forces of political changes on March 24 this year, President Kurmanbek Bakiyev and... MORE
ORANGE COALITION CRUMBLES AHEAD OF POLLS
The Orange Revolution team that swept Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko into power a year ago enters the 2006 parliamentary election campaign -- officially underway since November 26 -- divided into several small teams. Most of them will be competing for the same pro-reform, pro-Western electorate.... MORE
CHINA’S CHEMICAL SPILL IRRITATES RELATIONS WITH RUSSIA
On November 13, an explosion at an aniline plant owned by Jilin Petrochemical, a subsidiary of the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), rocked northeastern China and killed five people. A preliminary investigation reportedly indicated that the incident was caused by a plant operator who neglected... MORE
ASTANA MOVES TO MINIMIZE POSSIBLE DISTURBANCES AFTER PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
Despite heated emotions during televised campaign debates broadcast on November 17 and candidates' last-ditch efforts to win the minds of the electorate, the outcome of the December 4 presidential election in Kazakhstan can be easily predicted. President Nursultan Nazarbayev was visiting Ukraine and did not... MORE
KAZAKHSTAN-TURKMENISTAN BORDER ISSUE AS AN ELECTION GAMBIT
Kazakhstan's presidential elections, subject to the stringent controls of the ruling regime, are being carefully prepared with the release of publicity promoting President Nursultan Nazarbayev. On the periphery of that process has been the remerging issue of border security; given the extent of Kazakhstan's vast... MORE
RECENT VIOLENCE THREATENS REOPENING OF GEORGIA-ABKHAZIA RAILWAY
Recent events in Abkhazia, a separatist region of Georgia, and confrontational statements by Georgian and Abkhaz officials are likely to harm the upcoming round of the UN-mediated Georgian-Abkhaz negotiations in Sukhumi. On November 27 a remote-controlled mine detonated on the road between two Gali villages,... MORE