In his recent state of the nation address, Russia's President Vladimir Putin was excruciatingly specific about his administration's economic policies. He was much less specific, however, in addressing the issue of the Kremlin's foreign policy. True, Putin did repeat a worn-out mantra about the strategic... MORE

On June 1, Moldova's Communist President Vladimir Voronin handed over to foreign ambassadors in Chisinau the draft of a "Stability and Security Pact for the Republic of Moldova." The pact would, in effect, place the country under vaguely defined external guarantees. The proposed arrangement would... MORE

On June 2, the Russian Duma unanimously backed an agreement, originally signed in October 2001, on joint air patrols and the exchange of information, paving the way for the future joint use of the air and air defense forces of Russia and Uzbekistan (Interfax, Moscow,... MORE

Kakha Bendukidze, one of Russia’s leading industrialists, is in Tbilisi today to accept appointment as minister of economics in the government of Georgia. President Mikheil Saakashvili and Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania decided to appoint Bendukidze during the May 27-29 visit to Tbilisi by a group... MORE

The Washington Times (May 25) published a sensational news item entitled “Dirty Bomb Easy to Buy in Ukraine”. The report was itself based on a Sky News report that investigated how relatively easy it would be for terrorists to purchase, transport and detonate a “dirty... MORE

Torture in prisons, mistreatment of prisoners, illegal arrests and abused police discretion have reappeared on the agenda only five months after the Rose Revolution, the leaders of which publicly pledged to put an end to the violence and abuse by the law-enforcement bodies. Georgian human... MORE

Insurgency has intensified in Afghanistan, giving rise to speculation as to whether it is a Taliban resurgence or broader Pashtun rebellion against non-Pashtun Kabul government. US-led coalition forces are girding for more difficult battles ahead. Suspected Taliban attacks against US-led coalition forces in Afghanistan are... MORE

The mood among western observers of the Yukos oil company has shifted decisively over the past week. They now see the company as a lost cause. The embattled Russian oil major has been slowly sinking since the arrest of its president Mikhail Khodorkovsky last October.... MORE

Presidents Nursultan Nazarbaev of Kazakhstan, Askar Akaev of Kyrgyzstan, Imomali Rahmonov of Tajikistan, and Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan met on May 28 in Astana for the annual summit of the Central Asia Cooperation Organization (CACO). At Karimov’s initiative, summit leaders invited Russia to join CACO... MORE

The first conference on Russian business investment in Georgia held on May 28-30 was a logical consequence of warming Georgian-Russian political relations after the recent "rose revolutions" in Tbilisi and Ajaria. Continuous economic hardship requires Georgia to seek foreign investment from wherever it is offered.... MORE