Russian President Vladimir Putin's September 4 address to the nation after the horrific resolution of the hostage crisis in Beslan galvanized Russian diplomacy into action. One of the first steps during the weekend was to summon the Dutch ambassador to the Foreign Ministry and request... MORE

Russians are still in shock and mourning over the vast human tragedy in Beslan, North Ossetia. However, a number of observers, including both supporters and critics of the Kremlin, are saying that the terrorist attack there could present a challenge to the legitimacy of President... MORE

After four massive terrorists attacks against Russian civilians in ten days, culminating in the horrific attack on schoolchildren in Beslan, Russian President Vladimir Putin finally acknowledged the deficiencies in the nation's law enforcement and security machinery and vowed a major overhaul. In a televised address... MORE

As the death toll in Beslan climbed past 350, Russian President Vladimir Putin broke his silence on September 4 in an address to the Russian people. During his televised speech, Putin showed no sign of revising Russia's security policies in Chechnya and seemed to utilize... MORE

During August simmering tensions within the Russian government surfaced, with ministers trading recriminations in public view. Some see the dispute as politics as usual, the struggle for power between rival factions. Others, such as Nikali Vardul, see a profound rift between liberals, philosophically committed to... MORE

A bombing near the Rizhskaya metro station in northeastern Moscow on August 31 may have been the work of a female suicide bomber who was the sister of a Chechen woman suspected of having blown up one of the two airliners brought down on August... MORE

On the last day of summer, French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder visited Russian President Vladimir Putin at his vacation residence, Bocharov Ruchei, near Sochi. Their discussions were broad and inconclusive, ranging from the Middle East and Iraq, to Russian oil, Iran's... MORE

The Japanese daily Asahi Shimbun is reporting that Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is interested in visiting the disputed Southern Kuril Islands; the "Northern Territories" in Japanese parlance. Koizumi hopes to at least make a helicopter or boat tour of the islands as soon as... MORE

In mid-August, the Bush administration unveiled plans for the global redeployment of U.S. troops. According to the Pentagon blueprint, around 100,000 U.S. servicemen will be moved from Western Europe and Asia back to North America, while some units will be sent to new forward positions... MORE

The Federal Security Service (FSB) has abandoned its initial opinion that the near-simultaneous crashes of two civilian airliners on August 24 were likely the result of pilot error, mechanical defects, or problems with fuel quality. Within days, the FSB announced that investigators had found evidence... MORE