The All Russia bloc, informally headed by Tatarstan President Mintimer Shaimiev and made up of influential regional leaders, has officially decided to enter into a coalition with Fatherland, the movement headed by Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov. Shaimiev said that the goal of the coalition--whose provisional... MORE

William Cohen's August 1 visit to Georgia, the first by a U.S. Defense Secretary to that country, is being described in Tbilisi as an historically significant event. On the other hand, Cohen's visit, rather than ushering in an American-Georgian military relationship, illustrates an existing and... MORE

The Belarusan Popular Front (BPF), oldest and most active pro-independence movement, stands a good chance of gaining mass support if it succeeds in replacing its sectarian leader Zyanon Paznyak. The Popular Front congress, held in Minsk on July 31-August 1, came very close to making... MORE

When Russian Prime Minister Sergei Stepashin visited the United States last week few were surprised that his first stop was at a Boeing plant, the American aerospace giant having developed close ties with Russia over the past decade. Russian airlines currently operate nineteen Boeing airliners... MORE

The much-discussed coalition between Fatherland, the political movement headed by Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, and All Russia, the bloc unofficially headed by Tatarstan President Mintimer Shaimiev, would appear to be close to becoming a reality. A source with All Russia reportedly said yesterday that the... MORE

In his first visit to Russia since taking over as head of the Israeli government last month, Prime Minister Ehud Barak yesterday met with President Boris Yeltsin and Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov, as well as with Prime Minister Sergei Stepashin. Barak was expected to raise... MORE

Russia's determined efforts to reestablish itself as an influential player on the world stage appeared to bear some fruit yesterday, as Moscow played host to visits by both the recently elected prime minister of Israeli, Ehud Barak, and by the pro-Western president of Montenegro, Milo... MORE

President Boris Yeltsin today signed decrees today dismissing Sergei Zverev from the post of deputy head of the presidential administration and replacing him with Vladislav Surkov (Russian agencies, August 3). The firing had been rumored for about a week. Prior to joining the Kremlin administration,... MORE

Defense Secretary William Cohen's July 31 working visit to Ukraine lent fresh impetus to bilateral military cooperation while illustrating President Leonid Kuchma's effort to steer a balanced course between Russia and the West during his reelection campaign. Kuchma, Defense Minister Oleksandr Kuzmuk and National Security... MORE

Last week's visit to the Baltic states by U.S. General Wesley Clark, the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), helped brighten the outlook for the Baltic quest to join NATO. Clark's visit contributed to clarifying four important points. First, it dispelled apprehensions that the Balkan crisis... MORE