Secretary of State Colin Powell's December 10 visit to Moscow exhibited some of the same ambivalences in Russian-U.S. ties as has the question over a Russian role in NATO. The mood surrounding Powell's talks with Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov and his meeting with President Vladimir... MORE

Pavel Krasheninnikov, chairman of the State Duma's committee on legislation, said yesterday that the Duma is likely to vote next month on a bill drafted by his Union of Right-Wing Forces (SPS) that would abolish the death penalty in Russia. According to Krasheninnikov, the bill,... MORE

The idea of extending the term of the Russian presidency has received a boost from Sergei Mironov, the new speaker of the Federation Council, the upper chamber of Russia's parliament. Last week, the newspaper Novye Izvestia reported that President Vladimir Putin's team was considering the... MORE

Over the weekend, streets leading to the center of Djohar [Grozny], the Chechen capital, were blocked by police and Interior Ministry personnel, who carefully searched vehicles and checked the documents of pedestrians. The reason for the security measures was the arrival of Viktor Kazantsev, President... MORE

There are signs that the Russian card will be heavily played in the upcoming Verkhovna Rada (parliamentary) elections, scheduled for March 2002. Russian is the language of everyday communication for about half of Ukraine's population, and about one in five Ukrainian citizens is an ethnic... MORE

With two recent appointments in the Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers, the Donetsk regional group has suddenly, but not unexpectedly, significantly boosted its influence in the corridors of power. On November 20, President Leonid Kuchma appointed Vitaly Hayduk as fuel and energy minister, replacing Stanyslav Stashevsky.... MORE

On November 28, Kyiv Mayor Oleksandr Omelchenko demonstrated that he was serious about striving to become a leader on a national scale: His allies in the Verkhovna Rada (parliament) set up a faction called Yednist (Unity). Over the December 1-2 weekend, Omelchenko was elected chairman... MORE

Estonia's central government has worked hard to establish a reputation for fiscal probity. But the largest of the country's local governments, Tallinn, believes that significant investments in the near term will in the long run more than compensate for the cost of borrowing the funds... MORE

A first contingent of approximately 200 French and some forty Italian troops have arrived in Tajikistan in recent days, adding to the several dozen Americans known to have been there since October. The French and Italian deployment was staggered, with small groups of special forces... MORE

Improved relations between Russia and NATO, which had been proceeding at breakneck speed over the past two months, were reported to have slowed considerably and unexpectedly during a meeting of alliance foreign ministers in Brussels yesterday. According to a Reuters report of the Brussels meeting,... MORE