Approximately three months before the presidential elections in Kyrgyzstan, over 30 candidates have shown interest in running for the highest post in the country. The list includes the leaders of political parties, journalists, businessmen, and unemployed citizens not known to the wider public (www.akipress.kg, August... MORE

Russian mass media last week spread word of a statement by the command of the Chechen rebels that referred to Riyadus-Salikhin (Gardens of the Righteous) in connection with the killing of former Russian army colonel Yuri Budanov, who was shot to death in Moscow on... MORE

Massive corruption and misappropriation of government funds is a widespread ill in Russia that no one seems to know how to correct. Chief Military Prosecutor, Sergei Fridinsky, has frequently spoken about criminal outrages within the Russian military while the situation continues to worsen. Last January,... MORE

The popular British singer Sting disappointed thousands of his followers in Kazakhstan by suddenly canceling his concert scheduled for July 4 to celebrate the Day of Astana. The embarrassed promoters in Kazakhstan tried to attribute this cancelation to “technical reasons,” and finally had to reimburse... MORE

On July 22, the Memorial human rights center published a report on the most recent trends and developments in the North Caucasus. The report summarizes events spanning March-May 2011, and covers primarily Dagestan, Ingushetia and Kabardino-Balkaria.  The report notes there was an increase of 6,000... MORE

Moscow is piling the heat on Minsk and Kyiv to subordinate their economies, notably their energy sectors, to Russia and with that accept Russia’s political tutelage. In both cases, Moscow is using the instruments of its gas and its customs union (EurAsEc). EurAsEc has lent... MORE

On July 29, Turkey was shaken by yet another development concerning a possible political crisis between the civilian authorities and the country’s upper military echelon. The Chief of the General Staff Isik Kosaner quit his post, followed by three of the four force commanders, Land... MORE

Russian military manning, saddled with conscripts serving for twelve months and reduced numbers of contract personnel, continues to be subject to experiments. The latest, relates to a brigade in the North Caucasus, which will witness the preparation of “combat-ready” conscripts in a new training program... MORE

Barely a week after US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, had asked Turkey’s leaders in Ankara to open the Turkish-Armenian border, Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan has thwarted that effort by issuing an irredentist-sounding statement to youth (“Armenian President Casts Doubt On Ongoing Negotiating Processes,” EDM,... MORE

Armenian President, Serzh Sarksyan, has hinted at historic territorial claims against Turkey, and implied that he regarded the seizure of Azerbaijani territory as final. Addressing an audience of students from Armenia and the diaspora on July 23, Sarksyan was asked whether the country could regain... MORE