Monday July 26 was the deadline for candidates to register for Afghanistan's upcoming presidential elections. The cut-off date brought several surprises for the Afghan electorate and for the international community observing the process. In an unexpected move, President Hamid Karzai called a press conference late... MORE

On July 24, the head of the OSCE Center in Ashgabat, Ambassador Paraschiva Badescu, had to vacate her post and leave the country because Turkmen authorities refused the OSCE's request for another six-month extension of her accreditation. Such request and extension is typically a routine... MORE

The flurry of speculations around the July 20 death of well-known journalist Askhat Sharipzhanov does not seem likely to subside in the coming weeks. Sharipzhanov, the 40-year old editor of the opposition electronic paper Navigator and one of the most furious critics of the authorities,... MORE

In what could be a further indication that the Kremlin plans to seize back the commanding heights of Russia's economy -- i.e., the energy sector -- the state-owned Rosneft oil company announced on July 27 that its board of directors had elected deputy presidential administration... MORE

On July 21, the MiG Russian Aircraft Corporation dispatched two new MiG-29 fighters to Sudan, partly fulfilling an original contract for 12 fighters signed in 2001. MiG Corporation's spokesmen say that, by the end of 2004, it will have produced another 36 aircraft for governments... MORE

On July 19 Russia's Security Council convened a special meeting in the Kremlin to discuss the growing geopolitical rivalry in the post-Soviet space and Moscow's position within the Commonwealth of Independent States. As Russia desperately seeks to preserve its leadership role in the "near abroad,"... MORE

The Peasant Party of Ukraine (SelPU) held its congress on July 16-17 and changed from an opposition party to one controlled by the pro-Leonid Kuchma camp. Its new leader, Tetiana Zasukha, is a close personal friend of Ukraine's first lady, Ludmilla Kuchma. Zasukha and her... MORE

Recent developments suggest that, after nearly ten years, the Kremlin still is unable to respond to attacks by separatists bent on an independent Chechnya. First, Chechen rebels staged a raid in neighboring Ingushetia on June 21. Several hundred rebels, joined by Ingush gunmen, essentially seized... MORE

On July 21, OMON troops attacked and clubbed demonstrators around Yakub Kolas Square on Skaryna Avenue in Minsk who were protesting the president's ten years in power and likely referendum to run for a third term. The protest action was organized by several opposition groups,... MORE

On July 21, Moldova walked out of the "five-sided" negotiations on settling the Trans-Dniester conflict. That format practically excludes the West. On July 22-23, on President Vladimir Voronin's instructions, Moldovan officials called for consultations in a new format, with full-fledged Western participation including that of... MORE