Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
PUTIN’S ERODING SUPPORT BASE
Putin's extraordinary approval ratings have become a constant in the multi-variable equations of Russian politics; it is quite possible that they would remain up in the 60% range even after the January protests. Analysts have long argued about the real value of this popularity and... MORE
WHAT DID PUTIN ACTUALLY TELL RUUTEL, AND HOW DID HE PHRASE IT?
On January 20, Estonia 's President Arnold Ruutel used a radio address from Moscow to tell his country that Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to support an official Russian repudiation of the Ribbentrop-Molotov pact. If so, the move could suddenly ease the atmosphere of... MORE
BORDER MONITORING IN GEORGIA : THREE NONSTARTERS, ONE OPTION
With every passing week, Russia is coming closer to success in its efforts to eliminate the international presence on the Georgian side of the Georgia-Russia border. Having forced the termination of the OSCE's unarmed Border Monitoring Operation (BMO) as of January 1, Moscow now resists... MORE
KARIMOV TELLS ARMY TO PREPARE FOR PRE-EMPTIVE CAPABILITIES
President Islam Karimov, delivering a key speech on the eve of Army Day in Uzbekistan , declared that the Uzbek army must be prepared to launch pre-emptive strikes against international terrorists and the centers that direct them. Alluding to the attacks within Uzbekistan in 2004,... MORE
LITHUANIA BRACES FOR RUSSIAN MOVE ON MAZEIKIAI OIL COMPLEX
The Russian government's ongoing seizure of the private Yukos oil company threatens to extend into Lithuania . There, a Yukos subsidiary is the majority-owner and operator of the oil-processing and oil-transport industry, Lithuania 's largest industrial asset. The country seeks to prevent, or limit the... MORE
WILL ASYMMETRICAL FEDERALISM WORK FOR ABKHAZIA?
The Georgian government has crafted a new framework to facilitate the reintegration of Abkhazia and South Ossetia into the Georgian state. A special blueprint drafted by the National Security Council reportedly proposes an asymmetric federation with an unprecedented degree of sovereignty for Abkhazia. Giorgi Khaindrava,... MORE
NEW ELECTION COALITIONS IN AZERBAIJAN PROMISE HEATED PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS
Two newly formed election coalitions have awakened Azerbaijan 's seemingly indifferent political scene, promising heated parliamentary elections later this year. On January 10, 26 NGOs and representatives from various political parties formed a new election coalition, "Solidarity and Trust." Ilgar Gasimov, chairman of the public... MORE
DAGESTAN ‘S INSURGENTS REGROUP AS NEW “SHARIA JAMAAT” ORGANIZATION
Fighting between insurgents and Russian special forces erupted on January 15 in Dagestan . Two battles broke out almost simultaneously in Makhachkala , the capital of the North Caucasus republic, and in the town of Kaspyisk . Federal troops stormed private houses believed to be... MORE
MOSCOW THREATENS GEORGIA AS BUSH-PUTIN SUMMIT NEARS
Testing the West's collective credibility, Russia is again fabricating pretexts for possible military action on Georgian territory, ostensibly to go after "Chechen and international terrorists" in the Pankisi Gorge. This latest cycle of threats is more dangerous than previous ones because Moscow has just dictated... MORE
KARIMOV VOWS TO HEAD OFF ORANGE REVOLUTION IN UZBEKISTAN
Dismissing the idea of an "orange revolution" in Uzbekistan , President Islam Karimov said in a rare interview printed in the Russian news daily Nezavisimaya gazeta on Friday (January 14) that foreign influence would play no role in Uzbekistan because, "Foreign interference is effective only... MORE