While Russian force in Georgia are embarking on their overdue withdrawal (see the Monitor, July 19, August 2; Fortnight in Review, July 21, August 4), Western political influence and economic advice is gaining ground in the country. While the two processes are not causally interrelated,... MORE

The past week saw Russian President Vladimir Putin sign the second law from the "federative packet" of laws with which he hopes to redistribute power between Russia's regions and the federal center. This law--"On changing and amending the federal law 'On the general principles for... MORE

With the approach of yet another Russian-Japanese summit, this one scheduled for September 3-5 in Tokyo, government leaders from the two countries have renewed their now standard diplomatic jousting over the crucial Kuril Islands issue. Indeed, despite the catalytic effect which President Vladimir Putin's accession... MORE

On August 7, the government in Tashkent acknowledged that an Islamist rebel force from Tajikistan had penetrated Uzbekistan several days earlier. "Intense fighting," a government communique announced, is in progress between the rebels and government troops, with "losses on both sides." According to the official... MORE

President Nursultan Nazarbaev announced on August 2 that Kazakhstan's GDP in the first seven months of 2000 grew by over 10 percent, compared to only 1.7 percent in 1999. This rise was boosted by a 16 percent increase in industrial production in the same period... MORE

The IMF has urged Kazakhstan to use its revenues from the oil and commodity price windfall to reduce the budget deficit. The state budget reported a 19.5 billion tenge surplus in the first half of 2000, equivalent to 2.7 percent of GDP (Reuters, August 2).... MORE

Russian law enforcement agencies have announced that they are prosecuting thirty-seven criminal cases involving money laundering carried out by what a Russian newspaper described today as "a good half of Russia's largest companies and enterprises," including oil companies, alcohol producers and grain trading companies. The... MORE

Yesterday, August 6, was a particularly tense day for the Russian military forces in Chechnya, given that it marked independence day for the Chechen rebel forces. The rebels did not pick the day at random: On August 6, 1996, rebel forces seized Djohar [Grozny], the... MORE

Reports published in recent weeks suggest that Russia and India are still struggling to finalize the details of two major arms deals which both sides had hoped would be ready for signing during President Vladimir Putin's planned October visit to New Delhi. The deals, involving... MORE

Using a few eager Western financiers in Moscow as its amplifiers, the Russian government is murmuring the old "Volga Boatmen's" song to Caspian countries, Western oil companies and Western governments. According to those middlemen in Moscow, the Volga River offers a most convenient export route... MORE