by Mikhail Kochkin Political life in Russia boasts many phenomena which are hard for the outsider to understand. One of these is the party system, which currently comprises three main forces: the communists (the left wing), United Russia (centrists and the pro-Kremlin "party of power")... MORE

by Philip Hanson Post-communist change in Russia includes, among many other things, changes in Russia's commercial dealings with the outside world. The part of the outside world that exerts the strongest gravitational pull on the Russian economy, by virtue of its location and its economic... MORE

by Nicu Popescu A decade ago, shortly after the European Union signed a treaty establishing a Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) in February of 1992, Moldova engaged in a short but disastrous war with its eastern province of Transnistria. At that time, activating the... MORE

By Zaal Anjaparidze The problem of the breakaway province of Abkhazia was central to negotiations between Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in Sochi on March 6-7. The meeting, however, brought neither clarity nor hope of resolution to this complex problem.... MORE

By Dr. Evgueni Novikov Recent reports have suggested that the United States is now prepared to scrap its plans for going to war in Iraq, provided that Saddam Hussein voluntarily resigns and leaves the country. Precisely this point was made by U.S. Defense Secretary Donald... MORE

by Ata Khaitov Headlines in recent months have been dominated by events surrounding Iraq, pushing into the background the question of Afghanistan, which until recently was of critical importance. The Central Asian states are each reacting--or not reacting--to these developments in their own way, undoubtedly... MORE

by Ilya Malyakin This December, Russia sees the next round of State Duma elections. The "highlight" of this political season takes place in a context of events that is less momentous than that which surrounded the elections of 1999, but which nonetheless is in some... MORE

by Elena Chinyaeva March 8 is still celebrated in Russia as "international women's day," with men scurrying to buy flowers for their loved ones and organizations buying presents for their female employees. Most Western observers think that conditions for Russian women have substantially deteriorated since... MORE

By Oleg Varfolomeyev The favorite in Ukraine's next presidential election, slated for October 2004, is not likely to change between now and then. Viktor Yushchenko, who served as Central Bank chairman from 1993 to 1999, and now heads the center-right parliamentary bloc Our Ukraine, is... MORE

By Emil Danielyan Armenia will hold its third presidential election in six years on February 19. The event will demonstrate whether the country has made any progress toward democracy or remains bogged down in an oligarchy where voters rarely decide anything. President Robert Kocharian, now... MORE