In response to the September 11 terrorist assault upon the United States, and following NATO's first invocation of its Article Five on September 12, the Baltic states are evidencing their willingness to assume the obligations and risks of allies. Although the three Baltic states are... MORE

The Russian print media continues to be dominated by articles devoted to the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. Several have focused what might happen next, specifically on the possibility that the United States might take action against Saudi terrorist Osama bin... MORE

Belarus offers a case study--with parts of Ukraine and Moldova providing additional examples--of a former imperial periphery in which Soviet political socialization succeeded only too well. Ten years after the end of Soviet rule in Belarus, the effects of that socialization work in Russia's favor,... MORE

Ukraine's once-powerful now-fragmented right-wing force, the Rukh, is contemplating reunification. Prompted by former Prime Minister Viktor Yushchenko's July 15 announcement of his plan to set up a bloc for the March 2002 parliamentary elections (see the Monitor, September 11), the two primary Rukhs seem to... MORE

On September 5, some six months before Ukraine's parliamentary elections, scheduled for March 2002, Kyiv Mayor Oleksandr Omelchenko went public with his desire to run in them. His announcement comes as no surprise: He has grown into a national-scale politician in the years since President... MORE

Ukraine's Education Ministry has introduced soccer, the country's most popular sport, into the national curriculum, a move more political than it might seem. Education Minister Vasyl Kremin is a member of the United Social Democratic Party (USDP), which unites several influential businessmen from Ukrainian President... MORE

The September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon continued yesterday to reshape thinking about the existing global security system. They also began to force governments around the world to choose the particular role they will play in what looks to... MORE

Chechen rebel field commander Shamil Basaev released a statement yesterday in which he expressed, on behalf of his "mujahideen," condolences to the relatives of those killed in the New York and Washington terrorist attacks. Chechens understood their pain, Basaev said, because "Russian rockets and bombs"... MORE

The attacks on New York and Washington appear to have reduced to zero the pressure among Russia's political elite for the government to sit down and negotiate with the Chechen rebels. Indeed, Boris Nemtsov, head of the Union of Right-Wing Forces, just a week ago... MORE

In the years since gaining independence, Moldova has actively sought to attract foreign direct investment to its largely agrarian economy. In 2000, net foreign direct investment reached US$126.8 million, nearly four times higher than in 1999. Nonetheless, that amount is still very low compared with... MORE