Equal access to the media during this year's Ukrainian presidential campaign is a key issue in determining to what degree Western governments, the Council of Europe, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe can judge the election as "free and fair" (Ukrayinska pravda,... MORE

Russia intends to further strengthen its military presence within Central Asia this year, beginning with deepening its commitment to its airbase in Kant, Kyrgyzstan. Essentially designed to enhance the anti-terrorist dimension of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), this will be accompanied by broad-ranging Russian... MORE

Kazakhstan's efforts to successfully reform its largely Soviet-legacy armed forces has taken small steps towards achieving some of its longer-term goals, though much remains to be tackled if its future development is to be rescued from decline. In July the Kazakhstani government finally gave approval... MORE

The latest escalation in Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia re-ignited a heated policy debate in Moscow on what should be the Kremlin's stance in the conflict. Significantly, Russia's policies vis-a-vis Tbilisi and the renegade authorities of South Ossetia are being sharply criticized by both... MORE

Naval maneuvers in the Atlantic Ocean will mark the first joint exercises conducted between the Russian Navy and NATO. On August 7 the Baltic Fleet set sail for the Mediterranean Sea to join the Spanish Navy and sail to the Atlantic and demonstrate their battle... MORE

The preparations for the October 3 presidential elections in Georgia's breakaway Abkhazia region are gaining momentum and presenting political surprises. Sergei Shamba, the former foreign minister, has kept his promise to stay in politics after his party, United Abkhazia, refused to nominate him as a... MORE

While the battle for Yukos plays out in Moscow, another oil-related struggle continues to unfold on Russia's eastern frontier. China is currently facing energy shortages and brownouts at a time when imported energy is critical to its economic and overall security. But as China's demands... MORE

In mid-July, Afghanistan's interim president, Hamid Karzai, issued two statements that reflected an unprecedented toughness toward drug traffickers and warlords in the country. Karzai summoned most of Afghanistan's reputed warlords to Kabul to inform them that their resistance to disarmament was trying his patience. According... MORE

The "mystery backer" behind an offer to pay off Yukos' tax arrears is a consortium of Dubai-based investors, the Sunday Times reported on August 8. "Members of Dubai's ruling Maktoum family are believed to have joined a bid fronted by Konstantin Kagalovsky, a former associate... MORE

Although Russia's transition to democracy is understandably going through fits and starts, the July 4 and 19 mayoral elections in Vladivostok highlighted the true rot that exists in the Primorye region. Ultimately Vladimir Nikolayev, director of the fishing and shipping concern TURNIF, was elected mayor... MORE