Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
French Warship Sale to Russia: Another Symptom of NATO Erosion?
Pierre Lellouche was for many years a staunchly Atlanticist politician in a Gaullist-minded France. Currently serving President Nicolas Sarkozy as his State Secretary for European Affairs, Lellouche follows Sarkozy’s line in defending the French Mistral warship sale to Russia, regardless of its corrosive effects on... MORE
Hadji-Ismail Dagomuqua Berzeg, Circassian Warrior and Diplomat (Part 2)
In 1838, the Russian navy sent troops to four locations: the mouth of Sochi River (April 13), the mouth of Tuapse River (May 12), the mouth of Shapsoukho River (July 10) and the Tsemez River (September 12). In July 1838, the headquarters of Russian General... MORE
Armenian Economy Emerging From Recession
Armenia appears to be emerging from its first economic downturn in over 15 years, which was triggered by the global financial crisis. The latest macroeconomic data released by authorities in Yerevan suggests that its unfolding economic recovery may well surpass government expectations for this year.After... MORE
Moscow Finds US Non-Strategic BMD Plans Threatening
Russian officials – the Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and the Chief of the General Staff, First Deputy Defense Minister Army-General Nikolai Makarov – have told journalists that a nuclear arms control agreement to replace the 1991 START treaty that expired on December 5, 2009, “is... MORE
Hadji-Ismail Dagomuqua Berzeg, Circassian Warrior and Diplomat (Part 1)
The great patriotic war known as the Circassian-Russian War of the years 1763-1864 left indelible memories among the nations scattered all over the world. Several of the Circassian leaders –esteemed for their courage and intelligence in commanding thousands of Circassian guerilla fighters against foreign Russian... MORE
NATO-Kazakhstan Transit Agreement: Unleashing the Potential of Northern Supply Route
NATO and Kazakhstan reached an agreement on January 27, allowing the Alliance to supply non-military goods through Kazakh territory to Afghanistan, substantially enhancing the capacity of the Northern Distribution Network (NDN) carrying supplies from Europe through Russia and Central Asia to Afghanistan. The deal came... MORE
Tymoshenko Refuses to Recognize Yanukovych as President
Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has withdrawn her appeal from the High Administrative Court against the February 7 election runoff result. This means that nothing will prevent the election winner Viktor Yanukovych’s inauguration on February 25. However, Tymoshenko refused to admit her defeat. Moreover, she told... MORE
Baku Promotes Stability in the South Caucasus
It appears that both processes surrounding the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Karabakh and the Armenian-Turkish rapprochement intensified almost immediately after the Russia-Georgia war in August 2008, which established a new geopolitical environment, with implications not only for Georgia, but also for the South Caucasus and beyond.... MORE
Armored Trains Return to the Russian North Caucasus
A weapon thought by many to belong to military museums is making a return to active anti-insurgency operations in the North Caucasus: the armored train. First used for such purposes in the American Civil War, armored trains and the tactics associated with their use were... MORE
Russian Military Doctrine Looks East
Statements by senior Russian defense officials raise many questions concerning Moscow’s defense posture. The Chief of the General Staff Army-General Nikolai Makarov and the First Deputy Defense Minister Army-General Nikolai Pankov recently chaired a roundtable with Russian journalists in Moscow, devoted to military reform. Noting... MORE