Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
YUKOS CASE REVERBERATING IN LITHUANIA AND FAR BEYOND
In a further disquieting signal ahead of the upcoming George W. Bush--Vladimir Putin summit (see EDM, January 31), the White House announced on January 31 that the United States would support Russia's bid for admission to the World Trade Organization in 2005. Inasmuch as WTO... MORE
WHO IS BEHIND YARMUK JAMAAT: BALKARS OR KABARDINS?
On January 27, Russian troops and local police forces surrounded an apartment building where members of an underground Islamist organization known as "Yarmuk Jamaat" were hiding in Nalchik, the capital of Kabardino-Balkaria. The troops stormed the building, and seven rebels, three men and four women,... MORE
PORA! TAKES TWO DIFFERENT PATHS
The radical youth group and anti-Leonid Kuchma youth movement PORA! (It's Time!) has been acclaimed for its contribution to Viktor Yushchenko's victory in Ukraine's recent presidential elections. The two wings of the group, known as "Black" PORA and "Yellow" PORA, held a united congress on... MORE
ANTI-SEMITISM AND THE RUSSIAN OLIGARCHS
On January 27 Russian President Vladimir Putin took part in the ceremonies marking the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. On January 24, Associated Press received a copy of a letter to the procurator-general signed by 20 Russian lawmakers, calling for "the prohibition in... MORE
AZERBAIJAN CELEBRATES DIPLOMATIC VICTORY, BUT WHAT NEXT FOR KARABAKH?
For the last several days, Azerbaijani politicians and the general public have been celebrating a diplomatic victory. After several hours of intense and heated debate on January 25, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted a resolution on the Karabakh conflict. The resolution,... MORE
CENTRAL ASIA GAS UPDATE
Gas output data for 2004, just released by the three Central Asian producer countries, illustrate the region's underutilized potential as a supplier to the West, the absence of a Western strategy in this regard, and Russia's unchecked tendency to monopolize the marketing of Central Asian... MORE
RUSSIA CLAIMS STRATEGIC VICTORY IN GEORGIAN PRIVATIZATION ROUND
When Tbilisi recently completed the privatization of several Georgian industrial giants, Russian companies had become owners of several strategic economic entities in Georgia. All indications suggest that the Russian firms are not finished with their Georgian acquisition plans. Evraz Holding has taken ownership of 70.8%... MORE
ASTANA LAUNCHES AMBITIOUS HYDROELECTRIC POWER PROJECT
Last month the government of Kazakhstan approved a new strategy for developing the country's hydroelectric energy resources. Kazakhstan plans to build 20 power stations, with a total capacity of 4.8 kilowatts per hour, by the year 2015. Most of the stations will be located in... MORE
UN SECURITY COUNCIL’S HANDLING OF ABKHAZIA: A DISQUIETING PRELUDE TO BUSH-PUTIN SUMMIT
On January 28, the UN Security Council (UNSC) voted to approve a routine six-month extension of the UNOMIG (UN Observer Mission in Georgia) mandate to observe the ceasefire in Abkhazia. The UNSC had finalized the wording of the relevant resolution at a closed-door meeting on... MORE
GAZPROM’S CRISIS OF OVERGROWTH
Gazprom, Russia's almighty monopoly producer, distributor, and exporter of natural gas, is in serious trouble. Its directors' meeting on January 26 was expected to reveal the bitter disagreements about the current budget and investment program that have been smoldering since last autumn (Gazeta.ru, January 26).... MORE