Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles

Unraveling Russia’s Strategy For Its War On Terror

According to recent high-profile statements from the Russian political and military leadership, Russia is effectively at war with terrorists -- again. Many would argue that Russia has been at war with a form of terrorism in its ongoing decade-long conflict in Chechnya, officially portrayed as... MORE

Yushchenko Continues To Lead In Ukrainian Presidential Elections

Opinion polls are again at the center of Ukraine's 2004 presidential elections. The gap between Viktor Yushchenko and Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych continues to remain stable at 5-8% (Ukrayinska pravda, September 9). Throughout the year Yushchenko's ratings have increased from 21 to 30% and Yanukovych's... MORE

Putin Merges Gazprom And Rosneft

In yet another move apparently aimed at strengthening the Kremlin's "vertical of power" in the wake of the Beslan tragedy, President Vladimir Putin on September 14 gave a green light to the Gazprom natural gas monopoly to acquire the state-owned oil company Rosneft. Putin also... MORE

Azerbaijan’s Nato Aspirations Suffer A Self-inflicted Setback

On September 13 the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, U.S. General James Jones, canceled the Cooperative Best Effort-2004 exercise, which was scheduled to be held September 14-26 in Azerbaijan and involve almost 1,000 personnel from more than 20 NATO member and partner countries. The exercise... MORE

Karzai Fires Herat Warlord Ismail Khan

On September 11, Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai dismissed Ismail Khan, widely known as the "warlord" of Herat province in western Afghanistan. The move came one day before Karzai announced the programs and policies for his next term of office. Karzai's decision was believed to be... MORE

Russian Preventive Strikes — Options And Capabilities

When General Yuri Baluyevsky, the new chief of the Russian General Staff, declared on September 8 that Russia could deliver preventive strikes on terrorist bases anywhere in the world, most experts considered his statement either as an attempt to draw attention away from the dismal... MORE

Questions Raised Over Alleged Kazakh Hostage Takers

Recent allegations, circulated in Moscow, concerning the presence of ethnic Kazakhs among the terrorists in Beslan, provoked swift denials and concerted efforts in Astana to downplay any possible speculation about terrorists operating within Kazakhstan. Coupled with this response, the authorities in Kazakhstan have intimated their... MORE