Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
NAZARBAYEV’S ANTI-CORRUPTION CAMPAIGN: HONEST EFFORT OR ONE-MAN SHOW?
On April 14 Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev signed a new presidential decree on stepping up the fight against corruption and strengthening discipline in state bodies. However, even the president's own entourage gave lukewarm support to the new campaign. Understandably, corrupt government officials could hardly be... MORE
RUSSIAN OBSERVERS ASSESS CONDI’S VISIT
The Russian press has been mulling the significance of U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's visit to Moscow this week. And while most observers noted her criticism of the Kremlin for what she characterized as its excessive centralization of power and restrictions on the media,... MORE
OKRUASHVILI MAY RESIGN TO BETTER POSITION HIMSELF AGAINST SAAKASHVILI
Embattled Georgian Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili has dropped hints that he might resign from the cabinet. Okruashvili has made headlines recently due to several scandalous statements about his opponents. First, the opposition New Rights Party criticized Okruashvili for patronizing known smuggling operations. In a televised... MORE
YUSHCHENKO TURNS FOCUS TO SOUTHERN UKRAINE AND CRIMEA
Anatoliy Matvienko's confirmation as prime minister of Crimea on April 20 follows an April 4 Odessa court decision to overturn the 2002 mayoral elections and confirm Eduard Hurfits as mayor (Ukrayinska pravda, April 4, 20). Both cases represent a strategic breakthrough by President Viktor Yushchenko's... MORE
PRIMAKOV’S RUSSIA/INDIA/CHINA TRIANGLE NEARS REALIZATION
Although the world media emphasized the proclamation of a Sino-Indian strategic partnership during Prime Minister Wen Jiabao's recent visit to New Delhi, it overlooked another equally important development. Wen Jiabao announced that three "influential countries" -- China, India, and Russia -- "share identical or similar... MORE
GUAM SUMMIT: A NEW LEASE ON LIFE (Part 2)
The meeting of presidents of GUAM countries (Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Moldova) in Chisinau on April 21-22 has the potential to turn GUAM from a virtual into a real and possibly effective organization by capitalizing on the ongoing transformation of the regional environment. Four factors, directly... MORE
KYRGYZ INTERIM GOVERNMENT CRITICIZED FOR POLICIES, LACK OF ACTION
One month after the Tulip Revolution in Kyrgyzstan, the new government headed by interim president Kurmanbek Bakiyev is facing extensive criticism of its slow and sometimes ambiguous political program. The Kyrgyz mass media has condemned Bakiyev for taking foolish steps in building the interim government... MORE
OFFICIALS ON BOTH SIDES ADVOCATE U.S.-AFGHAN STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP
There are increasingly strong indications that the United States and Afghanistan are considering a long-term U.S. military presence in Afghanistan. The hints have come from both sides. The latest discussion on the subject came when U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld visited Afghanistan last week. In... MORE
RUSSIAN BORDER GUARDS BEGIN WITHDRAWAL FROM TAJIKISTAN
On April 15 Russian border guards began their long-awaited withdrawal from the "Moskva" patrolled areas of the Tajik-Afghan border, handing over control of the sensitive area to Tajikistani border units. Despite Russia's apparent step back from its well-established role in Tajik border security, Moscow will... MORE
UKRAINE ASKS RUSSIA TO BEGIN PREPARATIONS FOR WITHDRAWING BLACK SEA FLEET
After canceling her scheduled visit to Moscow last week, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko explained her reasons to the BBC (April 15). Not only was she infuriated at Russia's unwillingness to drop criminal charges against her, part of Moscow's interference in last year's Ukrainian presidential... MORE