Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
TWO YEARS INTO THE ROSE REVOLUTION, ECONOMY SHOWS LITTLE CHANGE
This November the Georgian government, including President Mikheil Saakashvili, has repeatedly emphasized the urgent need to improve the country's business environment. The rekindling of this issue hints at the government's increasing concern about the worsening socio-economic situation in the country. Already independent analysts are warning... MORE
AZERBAIJAN’S OPPOSITION SET TO CONTINUE PROTEST RALLIES, BUT TIME IS RUNNING OUT
On Sunday November 13, the Azerbaijani opposition bloc Azadliq (Freedom), which unites the Musavat, Popular Front, and Democratic parties, joined with the Liberal Party and YES election bloc to hold a second protest rally in Baku's Galaba Square. The rally, initially planned for Saturday but... MORE
PUTIN’S RUSSIA AS AN UNCERTAIN PROPOSITION
The presentation of the first annual Failed States Index – a joint project of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the Fund for Peace – provided considerable fodder for the Russian media. The authors used 12 different indicators, from demographics and regional contrasts to... MORE
ARMENIA ADOPTS LANDMARK BUDGET FOR 2006
On November 11 Armenia's parliament approved the national budget for next year. The budget volume is due to exceed $1 billion for the first time in the country's post-Soviet history. The administration of President Robert Kocharian presented the planned 22% increase in government spending as... MORE
WHO ARE YUSHCHENKO’S TRUE ALLIES?
Despite Ukraine's September political crisis and the subsequent fall of the Yulia Tymoshenko government, the Tymoshenko bloc in parliament is still a fairly reliable ally of President Viktor Yushchenko's People's Union-Our Ukraine (NSNU). Other allies from the Orange Revolution, including the Socialist Party (SPU) and... MORE
KREMLIN SIGNALS TO THE BALTS IT IS DISPLEASED WITH THEIR DEFIANT STANCE
Yesterday (November 10) Moscow denied an entry visa to Estonia's foreign minister. Although the move was allegedly prompted by the Estonian side failing to comply with certain diplomatic formalities, it appears to be a clear sign of continuing tension between the Kremlin and the Balts.... MORE
RUSSIA ACKNOWLEDGES PUNISHING MOLDOVA’S WESTERN ORIENTATION
On November 10, Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs introduced for the first time a causal link between Moldova's pro-Western orientation and Russia's refusal to withdraw its forces from that country's territory. The Ministry's CIS Affairs Department Director Vyacheslav Kovalenko began a special news briefing that... MORE
SECURITY OFFICIALS SCORE VICTORY IN DAGESTAN BUT INSURGENCY INCREASES IN INGUSHETIA
The massive October 13 rebel attack on the city of Nalchik, the capital of Kabardino-Balkaria, diverted attention from the equally tense situation in the eastern part of the North Caucasus, specifically the republics adjacent to Chechnya: Dagestan and Ingushetia. Nevertheless, the endless battle between the... MORE
STILL NO OFFICIAL RESULTS FROM AFGHAN PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS
The long-overdue results of the September 18 Afghan parliamentary elections still have not been announced because of complaints and problems with the counting process. The UN-Afghan Joint Electoral Management Body (JEMB) had planned to release the final tally on Wednesday, November 9, only to once... MORE
OPPOSITION RALLY FAILS TO CHANGE RESULTS OF AZERBAIJAN’S PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS
As was expected in the run-up to last Sunday's vote, Azerbaijani opposition parties have refused to recognize the legitimacy of the November 6 parliamentary election results and have taken to the streets in protest. On November 9, three days after the election, the main opposition... MORE