Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
MOSCOW AND OSCE CHAIRMANSHIP BLINDSIDING GEORGIA ON SOUTH OSSETIA
Following Georgia's presentation of a political settlement plan on South Ossetia to the OSCE Permanent Council, the Russian side has apparently enlisted the OSCE Chairmanship's assistance in derailing Georgian initiatives on that issue ahead of the OSCE's year-end ministerial conference. Anxious to avoid controversy at... MORE
HOPES FOR KREMLIN DIALOGUE WITH KABARDINO-BALKARIA INSURGENTS FADE
On November 4, the Kabardino-Balkaria branch of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) summoned Ruslan Nakhushov, chairman of the local Islamic Institute, for interrogation. According to Kommersant, Nakhushov visited the FSB the very day that the summons was served. He returned to his office after... MORE
KAZAKH OPPOSITION ACTIVIST MYSTERIOUSLY DIES AHEAD OF PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
The sudden death of Zamanbek Nurkadilov, a prominent opposition activist in Kazakhstan, has triggered a flurry of speculation that is raising the tension level ahead of the December 4 presidential election. Nurkadilov's wife, the popular singer Makpal Zhunusova, found him dead in their home in... MORE
ANDIJAN SHOW TRIAL VERDICT CONDEMNED BY WEST
The first criminal trial related to the May uprising in Andijan, Uzbekistan, ended in Tashkent on November 14. The Supreme Court of Uzbekistan sentenced the 15 defendants to prison terms ranging from 14 to 20 years. According to Judge Bakhtier Dzhamalov, the investigation proved that... MORE
PUTIN’S BUREAUCRATIC RESPONSE TO RUSSIA’S ECONOMIC MISBALANCE
For Russian President Vladimir Putin, the long trip to Busan, South Korea, to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum summit was quite problem-free, since Russia has no stake in the deadlocked trade disputes that dominated the agenda. The APEC leaders urged Moscow to join the... MORE
RUSSIAN-JAPANESE PEACE TREATY REMAINS ELUSIVE
On the eve of Russian President Vladimir Putin's November 20-22 trip to Japan for a summit in Tokyo with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, a peace treaty between the two neighboring states appears elusive. The summit comes at a difficult time for Japan in terms of... MORE
EU COMMITTED TO CHANGE IN BELARUS
On November 17, Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenka declared that he expected to win 90% of the electoral vote in the presidential elections of 2006, a figure far exceeding anything he has achieved hitherto. At the same time he accused the European Union and the United... MORE
REVISITING THE ORANGE REVOLUTION, PART ONE: CONSIDERABLE GAINS MADE
Ukraine held the second round of its contentious presidential election on November 21, 2004. When the incumbent regime of President Leonid Kuchma tried to steal the election from popular favorite Viktor Yushchenko, thousands of Ukrainians took the streets in what came to be known as... MORE
RUSSIAN PERSONNEL CHANGES TO AFFECT FAR EAST REGION
Russian President Vladimir Putin's latest personnel shakeup is likely to affect the country's Far Eastern region, as well as relations with some neighboring states. When Putin promoted his chief of staff, Dmitry Medvedev, to the post of first deputy prime minister on November 14, the... MORE
SEPARATISTS IN GEORGIA CLOSELY MONITORING UN SECURITY COUNCIL DELIBERATIONS ON KOSOVO
The leaders of Georgia's breakaway regions, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, are anxiously watching developments in Serbia's separatist region, Kosovo. The sudden interest stems from the UN Security Council's October 24 decision to start talks about the future status of Kosovo. If the international community recognizes... MORE