By Julien Vercueil After a somewhat chaotic seven-year interlude, Russia's international strategy--in terms of diplomacy, defense and politics--has been progressively redefined over the past three years. However, despite the context of ongoing negotiations for the country's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), relatively few... MORE

By Ata Khaitov The dramatic events in Turkmenistan since November 25 confirm that politics is indeed a dirty business. But it is still somewhat shocking to see how effortlessly and cynically Russia's new young politicians have adapted. These are people who, under the leadership of... MORE

By Nikolai Petrov A major scandal erupted late last year (2002) when General-Colonel Gennady Troshev, army commander in Russia's North Caucasus Military District (MD), publicly refused his Defense Ministry transfer to the Siberian MD. The incident embodied a wide range of problems: the long-running struggle... MORE

By Taras Kuzio In December 2001 a long-awaited census took place in Ukraine, the partial results of which were released in December. The results confirmed fears of a demographic decline and gave some pointers to its causes. The census also showed a sharp 5-percent drop... MORE

By Elena Chinyaeva At face value, the economic results of the last year in Russia are rather good: The economy grew by 4.2 percent, which is more than the 3.5-4 percent the government predicted at the beginning of the year. For the fourth consecutive year... MORE

By Jacques Sapir Since the 1998 financial crash, Russia--to the surprise of some Western observers--has seen impressive economic growth. But, after three very good years, this trend is now declining. GDP grew by barely 4 percent in 2002, down from over 8 percent in 1999.... MORE

By Pavlo Kutuev When asked during the climax of Tapegate (the scandal over the murder of journalist Georgy Gongadze in the autumn of 2000) whether he was considering resignation, Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma replied that he would step down in October 2004, when his tenure... MORE

By Peter Rutland There is a comfortable viewing station set up on a windy bluff just outside Nemuro, on the eastern coast of the Japanese island of Hokkaido. Tourists peer through powerful binoculars at some rocky barren islands a couple of miles offshore. They are... MORE

By Nikolai Petrov "Who are you, Mister Putin?" many journalists asked two years ago, after Boris Yeltsin suddenly stepped down, handing the reins of Russia to Vladimir Putin. One answer to the question lies in changes to the federal system--Putin's first and probably most important... MORE

By Stephen Blank The Chechen terrorist attack on a Moscow theater in October and its violent denouement stimulated Russia's government to launch, yet again, a round of military reform. Immediately afterwards President Vladimir Putin and Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov ordered fundamental changes in Russia's defense... MORE