Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
MOLDOVA ELEGANTLY DISPOSES OF THE POROSHENKO-YUSCHENKO PLAN
With President Viktor Yushchenko's name pro forma on its cover, the flawed Ukrainian conflict-settlement plan for Moldova/Transnistria seems to have met an early demise in Moldova's parliament. In a respectful tenor toward the Ukrainian president, with whom official Chisinau seeks the best possible relations, the... MORE
KAZAKHSTAN’S FOREIGN MINISTER REJECTS WESTERN ACCUSATIONS OF DEMOCRATIC BACKSLIDING
During the last two months, Kazakh state officials have made an unprecedented number of "working trips" to remote regions of the country. In what was widely perceived as a pre-election publicity stunt, President Nursultan Nazarbayev toured the coal-rich Karaganda region on June 15 and praised... MORE
UKRAINE BENDS MARKET ECONOMICS FOR ENERGY SUPPLY DIVERSIFICATION
Ukrainian officials continue what look like almost frantic attempts to diversify oil and gas supply sources in order to reduce dependence on Russian supplies (see EDM, May 18, 19, 23, June 11). Driven mainly by reasons of state, these efforts seem to overlook market economic... MORE
CHUBAIS SURVIVES YET AGAIN, BUT THE PROSPECTS FOR HIS REFORMS ARE NOT GREAT
In Russian politics, there is no other individual -- except, certainly for Vladimir Putin -- that triggers so much emotional reaction as Anatoly Chubais. Many impoverished Russians hold him personally responsible for the dubious privatization program of the mid-1990s, while new entrepreneurs praise him as... MORE
CHAIR SHAKY UNDER UKRAINE’S CHIEF PROSECUTOR
"I will go! I am fed up!" Ukrainian Prosecutor-General Sviatyslav Piskun declared during a call-in at the Fakty newspaper on Friday, June 17. "I think one should discuss things like that with the president before making statements," President Viktor Yushchenko said, reacting to Piskun's words... MORE
BELARUS OPPOSITION DEBATES TACTICS
The question of nominating a single candidate from the opposition forces to face Alexander Lukashenka in the prospective 2006 presidential election has elicited serious debate in Belarus. Plainly there is a lack of consensus about the procedure and the choice of potential candidates. The Belarusian... MORE
ETHNIC CONFLICT SIMMERS IN SOUTHERN KYRGYZSTAN
Dzirgalbek Sourabaldiyev, a well-known businessman and a member of Kyrgyzstan's parliament, was assassinated in downtown Bishkek on June 10. The deputy was shot five or six times, and his driver was also injured. The Kyrgyz parliament convened an emergency session that same day. According to... MORE
MOSCOW AND WASHINGTON PURSUE DIVERGING POLICIES IN UZBEKISTAN, CENTRAL ASIA
Securing stability in the volatile region of Central Asia is a paramount strategic interest of both Russia and the United States. But following violent unrest in eastern Uzbekistan, Moscow and Washington seem to differ over how to maintain stability in the vast, restive area ruled... MORE
GENERAL BALUYEVSKY RAISES THREAT OF MILITARY FORCE AGAINST TERRORISTS
General Yuri Baluyevsky, Chief of the Russian General Staff, has raised the issue of Russia's ultimate use of military force against terrorists. Baluyevsky signaled the possible of use of military force against terrorists, as a last resort, during a meeting with his Italian counterpart, Admiral... MORE
TBILISI WARMS TO IDEA OF RESTORING RAIL LINK TO ABKHAZIA
The prospects of reopening the Georgian-Abkhaz railway line seem to be improving. The issue has been the subject of discussions at various high-profile meetings in recent months. The Georgian government has significantly softened its initial tough stance on the issue. Reopening the railway branch between... MORE