Latest Fortnight in Review Articles

CLOSING RANKS FOR NATIONAL AND COMMON SECURITY

Azerbaijan's Foreign Affairs Minister Vilayet Guliev addressed the OSCE on behalf of the five GUUAM countries, underscoring their solidarity of purpose. Guliev warned against the dangers of "ethnic intolerance and ethnic cleansing, acquisition of territories, aggressive separatism and terrorism in their interrelationship, and illegal arms... MORE

GUUAM’

s common statement also warned against the dangerous spillover of "illegal activities which flourish in the first place in conflict zones." That warning seems to reflect a special Uzbek concern. Tashkent has recently concluded--as have its neighbors Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan--that the continuing conflict in northern... MORE

OSCE DITHERS

The five countries voiced unprecedentedly frank criticism of the OSCE's ineffectiveness, as evidenced by its failure to uphold its own principles in Moldova, the Caucasus and Central Asia: "We must regretfully note the OSCE's lack of resolve and energy regarding the settlement of the so-called... MORE

MOSCOW’S PROXIES OBJECT TO GUUAM

On November 20-22, the self-styled foreign affairs ministers of Transdniester, Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Karabakh met in Transdniester's city of Tiraspol under Russian military protection. Their joint communique was publicized internationally courtesy of Armenia. The document expressed concern over the "GUUAM's growing activity and expanding... MORE

GUUAM SUPPORT FOR TARASYUK

Ahead of the Vienna conference, Ukraine nominated Borys Tarasyuk to succeed Max van der Stoel for the post of OSCE high commissioner on national minorities. The GUUAM countries supported Tarasyuk unanimously. Tarasyuk had been released on September 30 as Ukraine's foreign affairs minister under Russian... MORE

UNITED STATES – GUUAM FORUM CREATED

The ministers' meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright inaugurated a new forum: the "GUUAM-United States consultative framework" at the foreign affairs ministers' level. The GUUAM ministers expressed appreciation for the "growing American interest" in the international role of the GUUAM countries as a... MORE

GUUAM’S INSTITUTIONALIZATION MAPPED OUT

The five ministers seemed satisfied with GUUAM's unprecedented progress since the September meeting of the heads of state in New York. They reviewed preparations for the summit which is scheduled to be held in the first quarter of 2001 in Kyiv for institutionalizing GUUAM--that is,... MORE

RUSSIAN POLITICS: OUT WITH THE OLD

?Russia's political fortnight marked what future historians might view as a decisive phase in what some present-day Russia watchers are calling the "replacement of the elites." The key event was the transformation of Vladimir Gusinsky and Boris Berezovsky, two of the most influential Yeltsin-era tycoons,... MORE

SHAKING UP THE MILITARY BUREAUCRACY

Indeed, Putin also moved over the past fortnight to launch what could become a major restructuring of Russia's entire defense establishment. The creation of Rosoboroneksport appeared to be aimed not only at installing Putin's own people in key slots atop what will be Russia's main... MORE

RUSSIAN DIPLOMACY: WOOING ASIA

In what the Kremlin and a number of foreign observers have described as a new and more vigorous effort by Russia to raise its profile in Asia, President Vladimir Putin traveled east on November 15 to participate in the Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.... MORE