By Viatcheslav Morozov The interpretation of the imperial past, of the legacy of both the Russian and Soviet Empires, has always been a key issue in relations between the Russian Federation and the Baltic States. Now we seem to be at a stage where the... MORE

By Taras Kuzio As the European Union and NATO enlarge, a Ukraine that is trying to balance both camps and that straddles the central European-Eurasian divide is not being taken seriously in the West. President Leonid Kuchma stated in May that he expected an offer... MORE

By Farkhod Tolipov Any border is arbitrary to a degree, but the laying down of borders in Central Asia has been particularly troublesome. In the 1920s and 1930s the region was carved up into five republics, part of an effort to demarcate the republics along... MORE

By Nikolai Petrov One of the main reasons for the launch of the attack on Yukos was the desire to boost the popularity of the United Russia Party as it prepares for December's State Duma elections. In recent months, there has been an important qualitative... MORE

By Elena Chinyaeva and Peter Rutland Moscow is gripped by what may be the biggest political ruckus since President Vladimir Putin took office. Against a backdrop of mounting terrorist attacks by Chechen separatists, the security forces have chosen to launch a wave of arrests of... MORE

By Enver Kisriev and Robert Bruce Ware According to the results of a referendum held in Chechnya on March 23, voters overwhelming approved a new constitution drafted by Akhmad Kadyrov, the current head of the administration of the Chechen Republic. The referendum took place against... MORE

By Oleg Varfolomeyev Kyiv has used the war in Iraq to mend relations with the United States, which seemed to be irreversibly spoilt last year when Washington accused President Leonid Kuchma of having authorized a sale of radar sets--to Iraq. A contingent of Ukrainian troops... MORE

By Zaal Anjaparidze Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze is very proud of his friendship with former U.S. Secretary of State James Baker and frequently reminisces about their joint efforts to eliminate the remnants of the "Cold War." But this time the "old and close friend" arrived... MORE

By Katia Mikhailovskaya One of the most remarkable points to appear in President Vladimir Putin's state of the nation address this year was his reference to the possibility of parliamentary rule in Russia. Putin said that he not only supports "the policy of strengthening the... MORE

By Dov Lynch Since the September 11 terrorist attacks, the United States and NATO have succeeded in taking security relations further with Russia, while the European Union has not, mainly because it has not tried to do so. The EU is caught up in a... MORE