Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
THE MYTH OF UKRAINE’S “THIRD FORCE” IN PARLIAMENT
Parliamentary speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn has made another trip to Moscow on August 1 to seek political support for the March 2006 parliamentary election (Ukrayinska pravda, August 1). But the choice is limited and it is not clear with whom Lytvyn's People's Party of Ukraine (NPU)... MORE
MOSCOW AND INSURGENTS TAKE STEPS TO MILITARIZE THE NORTH CAUCASUS
Observers, security officials, and journalists across Russia are all talking about the possibility of another big war in the North Caucasus. This conflict is already known as "the third Caucasus war," as there have been already two military campaigns in Chechnya. Last year, rebel spokesman... MORE
“GODFATHER OF THE TALIBAN” ACCUSES ISLAMABAD OF AIDING TALIBAN INSURGENTS
As Afghanistan's September 18 parliamentary elections draw closer, there are new allegations about Pakistan's involvement in that country's domestic politics. Pakistan has also announced the closure of more than 30 refugee camps in Baluchistan and the North-West Frontier. Afghan and U.S. officials have spoken in... MORE
BIRD FLU OUTBREAK THREATENS TO DEVASTATE CENTRAL EURASIAN ECONOMY
As Russia and Kazakhstan are now threatened by the Asian bird flu, the outbreak is understood to potentially entail wider economic repercussions. In the words of Russia's popular newspaper Moskovsky komsomolets: "Europe is afraid of our poultry" (August 8). The first cases were confirmed in... MORE
MOSCOW’S CENTRAL ASIAN FRIENDS CAMPAIGN AGAINST U.S. BASES
On August 5 and 10, respectively, the heads of presidential think tanks in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan made statements to local media, calling for the removal of U.S. bases from Central Asia. Their statements largely reflected Moscow's public arguments to that end. In Bishkek, Valentin Bogatyrev,... MORE
ABKHAZ DERAIL RAILROAD TALKS
Abkhaz leaders have derailed the tripartite talks on rehabilitating the railroad between Russia and Georgia in Abkhazia that were scheduled to begin in Sukhumi on August 9. The group of nine Georgian railroad experts had to return to Tbilisi after the Abkhaz authorities unexpectedly refused... MORE
ANTI-SAAKASHVILI OPPOSITION STRIKES ELECTION DEAL
The month-long negotiations among Georgia's opposition parties about fielding common candidates in the forthcoming parliamentary by-elections on October 1 have produced an agreement. On August 5, leaders of the Conservative, Labor, Tavisupleba (Freedom), and the New Right parties signed a memorandum about holding preliminary primaries... MORE
KAZAKH FOREIGN MINISTRY REFUTES ARGUMENTS ABOUT TERRITORIAL CONCESSIONS
Kazakhstan's border delimitation process has always been an issue shrouded in mystery, even for residents of the border areas. The authorities have previously accused journalists in South Kazakhstan of issuing inaccurate reports that damage relations with Uzbekistan. Therefore, journalists hungry for first-hand information were excited... MORE
NEW DATA CREATES DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE OF ORANGE REVOLUTIONARIES, VOTERS
Democratic Initiatives, a well-established, Kyiv-based sociological think tank, has just published a new study, Politchnyi portret (no. 32, 2005). Democratic Initiatives was one of four Ukrainian sociological organizations involved in organizing exit polls during the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election. Politychnyi portret reveals that 18.4% of... MORE
KAZAKH FOREIGN MINISTRY REFUTES ARGUMENTS ABOUT TERRITORIAL CONCESSIONS
Kazakhstan's border delimitation process has always been an issue shrouded in mystery, even for residents of the border areas. The authorities have previously accused journalists in South Kazakhstan of issuing inaccurate reports that damage relations with Uzbekistan. Therefore, journalists hungry for first-hand information were excited... MORE