By Andrei Afanasievich Neshchadin Many people say that six changes of government in the last eighteen months is too many for a country like Russia. But a closer look reveals that all these governments--with the exception of the "little deviation" under Kirienko, who paid dearly... MORE

By Mikhail Zherebiatev Russia's political scene in 1999 was marked by the fact that six elections for the leaders of executive authorities in Russia's regions were held ahead of schedule. This "epidemic" affected Belgorod, Omsk, Tomsk and Novgorod Oblasts, and the cities of Moscow and... MORE

By Tatiana Matsuk The euphoria of the early years of perestroika and the beginning of the reforms in Russia has been replaced by a deep sense of disillusionment brought on by the collapse of hopes and dreams. Russia and the West are moving rapidly in... MORE

By Zaal Anjaparidze It seems that a serious confrontation is brewing within the Georgian military establishment. Who, if anyone, might emerge the winner largely depends on the results of an investigation by the Military Prosecutors' Office and the parliament's Control Chamber aiming at exposing possible... MORE

By Elena Dikun Stepping down on the last day of the century, Russian president Boris Yeltsin made the biggest "tactical move"--to use his favorite phrase--in his career as a statesman. Yeltsin's New Year bombshell came as a complete surprise for the entire world, changing with... MORE

By Aleksandr Buzgalin There was a special present for the people of Russia on December 31, 1999: President Boris Yeltsin finally announced his resignation, which analysts had been forecasting for so long. Few were taken by surprise: Most politicians and political scientists had predicted that... MORE

By V.A. Mironov The events of December 1999 confirmed once again that political life in Russia is heading at a rate of knots into uncharted waters. First, as a number of politicians have said, the elections to the lower house of the Russian Federal Assembly... MORE

By A.I. Kolganov The results of Russia's parliamentary elections on 19 December 1999 differed conspicuously from pre-election forecasts. The predicted results for the KPRF were totally accurate--it was forecast that they would win 24-25 percent in the party lists, and that is what they got... MORE

By Sergei Kolchin While former President Boris Yeltsin was taking offense at his "friend Bill" for failing to understand Russia's actions in Chechnya, about which he spoke in no uncertain terms at the signing of the treaty with Belarus and during his visit to China,... MORE

By Valery Virkunen Russia's aluminum industry is one of the most powerful in the world. Boris Yeltsin inherited from the Soviet Union some very modern enterprises and huge hydroelectric power stations in Siberia which produce cheap power for the aluminum industry. In Soviet times, levels... MORE