Should local governments play a role? By Ilya V. Malyakin No one in Russia today -- neither the opposition nor the "party of power" -- denies the importance of human rights. One attempt to remedy the problems that have piled over the decades has been... MORE

Moscow and Djohar-gala have signed a long-awaited oil transport agreement, but formidable obstacles remain By Igor Rotar Russia's first deputy premier Boris Nemtsov met in Baku on July 12 with Natik Aliev, head of Azerbaijan's State Oil Company, and Khozh-Akhmed Yarikhanov, head of Chechnya-Ichkeria's state... MORE

A local leader describes the political situation in Novgorod oblast and explains the reasons for the region's stability By Igor B. Aleksandrov Editor's note: Medieval Novgorod evolved a unique form of participatory government that has been hailed as a potential inspiration for democratic development in... MORE

Military reform was being debated well before President Yeltsin announced his recent decrees By Stanislav Lunev On July 16, Russian media announced that President Boris Yeltsin had signed a series of decrees on military reform. If fully implemented, the measures will both downsize Russia's military... MORE

The Fortnight in Review In a vote of confidence by the West in Ukraine's continuing political development, NATO this month concluded an historic and broad-ranging political agreement with Kyiv. The signing of the partnership agreement came as Ukraine hosted a series of military exercises with... MORE

The Russian Communist Party: The view from the left By Aleksandr Buzgalin Ever since December 1993, when the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF) became the leading opposition force in the State Duma, analysts have been trying to fathom this organization. It has almost... MORE

The Tajik government and opposition have signed a peace treaty, but the "Third Force" could prevent it from being implemented By Igor Rotar Russia's first deputy premier Boris Nemtsov met in Baku on July 12 with Natik Aliev, head of Azerbaijan's State Oil Company, and... MORE

A leading Russian economist warns that the Kremlin's proposed housing reforms could provoke strong popular resistance By Leonid Gordon A new round of social and economic reforms is beginning in Russia. This makes it all the more important to direct our attention to the lessons... MORE

The Fortnight in Review The past fortnight witnessed Russia's triumphant reformist government celebrate its first "100 days" in office. President Boris Yeltsin, meanwhile, traveled to the G-7 summit in Denver in an attempt to integrate Russia further into the developed world's economy and to win... MORE

One of Moscow's leading security experts examines the Russia-NATO Founding Act and considers how the two sides can cooperate in future By Sergei Oznobishchev The months of waiting have concluded in the signing of the "Founding Act" between Russia and NATO. But the joy of... MORE