Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
Bombings in Moscow and the North Caucasus Strengthen the Siloviki
The shock of the double terrorist attack in Moscow metro on March 29 is subsiding, however the follow-up suicide explosions in Dagestan and Ingushetia confirm that the North Caucasus is not going through just another upsurge of instability but is engulfed by a local civil... MORE
Mistral Debate Unavoidable in NATO: Part One
The view that NATO has no business discussing French arms deals with Russia is far from being a consensus position. The proposed sale of French Mistral-class warships –an offensive power-projection capability– to Russia is testing the laissez-faire approach to arms sales by NATO countries to... MORE
Kyiv Considers Unpopular Measures to Qualify for Additional Loans
As an International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission completed its work in Ukraine on April 2, Kyiv hopes to secure additional loans. The cabinet of Prime Minister, Mykola Azarov, badly needs such loans not only in order to fill gaps in the state budget, but also... MORE
Attacks Reported in Ingushetia, Dagestan, Chechnya and Kabardino-Balkaria
Violence has continued in the North Caucasus over the past week in the wake of the March 29 bombings in the Moscow metro, which killed 40 people and were reportedly carried out by two female suicide bombers from Dagestan, and a March 31 suicide bombing... MORE
Russia’s Role in Kyrgyzstan Change
Russian Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin, was the first foreign political official to recognize the legitimacy of Kyrgyzstan’s provisional government. In stark contrast to the US State Department’s awkward statements about Washington’s intention to continue to cooperate with the Kurmanbek Bakiyev government that has not yet... MORE
Saakashvili Visits Washington: Georgia’s Concerns and Contributions
US President, Barack Obama, will host the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington on April 12-13 and Georgian President, Mikheil Saakashvili, has been invited to participate. According to the Georgian presidential spokesperson, it still remains unclear whether the US president will meet separately with his Georgian... MORE
Chechnya’s Parliament Criticizes Russian Presidential Envoy in the North Caucasus
On March 31, Chechnya’s parliament issued a statement expressing its disapproval of the presidential envoy to the North Caucasus, Alexander Khloponin. According to the Chechen parliament, delays in changes in the socio-economic development of the region were disappointing and could potentially damage President Dmitry Medvedev’s... MORE
Tulip Revolution Reloaded
April 7 became yet another day of momentous change in Kyrgyzstan. More than 70 people died during clashes with police, and roughly 1,000 were injured in anti-government protests across the country (www.diesel.elcat.kg, April 8). The scope of causalities is unprecedented in Kyrgyzstan. Spontaneous protests erupted... MORE
Moscow Signs the Nuclear Arms Treaty: Raising Hope for Additional Progress
Today in the Czech capital Prague, Presidents, Barack Obama, and Dmitry Medvedev, signed a new treaty to replace the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) that expired last December. Within seven years of the new treaty being ratified by the US Senate and the Russian... MORE
Uzbek Reactions to Holbrooke Visit and US Regional Interests
The US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, visited Uzbekistan as part of a tour of several Central Asian states during February 17-21. At that time, Holbrooke held talks with Uzbek President, Islam Karimov, regarding the US-led offensive in Afghanistan and related international... MORE