Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
PUTIN ON KOSOVO AND POST-SOVIET CONFLICTS: DESTRUCTIVE AMBIGUITY
Innovating on the diplomatic device known as constructive ambiguity, Russian President Vladimir Putin is resorting to what may be termed destructive ambiguity on Kosovo and the post-Soviet conflicts. Without coming down either for the principle of territorial integrity or that of self-determination, Putin leaves his... MORE
RUSSIANS, GEORGIANS, OR CAUCASUS REBELS: WHO BLEW UP THE PIPELINES?
On January 22, several explosions stopped the flow of Russian electricity and natural gas to the North Caucasus. An export power-transmission line was damaged in Karachaevo-Cherkessia, a republic in the west of the region, and almost simultaneously two gas pipelines were blown up in the... MORE
DONORS PLEDGE MORE AID, BUT WORRY HOW KABUL WILL SPEND IT
A two-day conference on Afghanistan wrapped up on February 1 with commitments by major donor countries for rebuilding Afghanistan. About 70 countries took part in the conference, and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Afghan President Hamid Karzai and U.S. Secretary of... MORE
HEAD OF GEORGIA’S NATIONAL GUARD RESIGNS AFTER 10 DAYS
The Georgian armed forces anticipate two major challenges in 2006. First, Russian peacekeeping troops are expected to withdraw from the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Second, Georgia must redesign its defense system according to NATO standards if it hopes to join that organization.... MORE
IRAN, TAJIKISTAN STRENGTHEN COOPERATION IN THE ENERGY SECTOR
Amid rivalries over energy supplies between a number of post-Soviet states, international media outlets have largely ignored Tajikistan's initiatives with Iran for hydroelectricity. Tajikistan is an important part of the Central Asian power system, which has a high potential for producing hydroelectricity, but it has... MORE
IRAN AND CHINA SIGN AGREEMENT TO EXPLORE OIL IN THE CASPIAN SEA
On January 18, Iran's North Drilling Company (NDC) and the Hong Kong-registered China Oilfield Services Ltd. signed an oil-exploration agreement for management, repair, and maintenance of the Alborz semi-floating platform, currently being constructed by the Iranian Offshore Industries Company. A three-year contract with an estimated... MORE
CRISIS OF UKRAINE’S STATE INSTITUTIONS
The Kremlin's "gas attack" on Ukraine exploited an ongoing crisis of state institutions in that country and exacerbated the crisis almost to the point of meltdown. This situation undermines the country's and its president's capacity to resist Moscow's emerging strategy to recapture key economic and... MORE
SPECULATION CONTINUES OVER APPOINTMENT OF NEW UZBEK MVD CHIEF, RESIGNATION OF SNB CHAIR SEEMS INEVITABLE
The recent turnover at the top of the Uzbek Ministry of Internal Affairs is still generating talk inside Uzbekistan. On January 5, the National Information Agency of Uzbekistan (UzA) announced a presidential decree naming Bahodyr Matlyubov as the new Minister of Internal Affairs, replacing the... MORE
CALLS GROW FOR RESIGNATION OF KYRGYZ SECURITY CHIEF
Members of the Kyrgyz parliament are calling for the resignation of Tashtemir Aytbayev, chairman of the National Security Service. A resolution, adopted on January 26, aims at tackling the unsatisfactory nature of the National Security Service in its efforts to combat organized crime. MPs also... MORE
MOSCOW TO INCREASE NUCLEAR TIES WITH UZBEKISTAN
The five members of the Eurasian Economic Community (EEC) formally admitted Uzbekistan to the organization during its January 25 summit meeting in St. Petersburg. The EEC member states -- Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan -- agreed to allow Uzbekistan to join the organization for... MORE