Latest Articles about The Caucasus
GEORGIAN OFFICIALS ADMIT THEY MISREAD RUSSIAN INTENTIONS
The State Duma unanimously ratified treaties with the Georgian breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia that will formalize military, diplomatic, and economic ties and allow Moscow to deploy thousands of troops there. Russian officials say that Abkhazia and South Ossetia may soon join the... MORE
After Azerbaijan’s Presidential Election: The Look Ahead (Part Two)
In the aftermath of the presidential election (see EDM, October 20) and looking several years ahead, Azerbaijan faces a new mixture of daunting security challenges. This will necessitate a strategic re-engagement of the United States with Azerbaijan and a long-overdue EU engagement. Azerbaijan had advanced... MORE
AFTER AZERBAIJAN’S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION: THE LOOK AHEAD (PART ONE)
Azerbaijan's reelected president Ilham Aliyev was inaugurated on October 24 for a second five-year term (www.day.az, October 24, 25). As had been expected, voters gave Aliyev a strong mandate for continuing his policies. International observers noted clear improvements in the electoral process and practice on... MORE
RUSSIA TAKES INITIATIVE IN INTERNATIONAL PUSH FOR KARABAKH PEACE
Russia has taken the center stage in international efforts to resolve the Karabakh conflict, which could yield a breakthrough before the end of this year. President Dmitry Medvedev is expected to host a potentially decisive meeting of his Armenian and Azerbaijani counterparts next month. Moscow... MORE
OFFICIALS WARN OF A POSSIBLE RUSSIA-GEORGIA WAR IN THE FUTURE
The withdrawal of Russian soldiers two weeks ago from the so-called "buffer security zones" around Georgia’s breakaway territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia did not stabilize the situation. The buffer zone around South Ossetia, occupied by Russian troops during the war with Georgia last August,... MORE
CFE TREATY DEAD AND BURIED IN GEORGIA
Since December 2007, Russia has officially “suspended its compliance” with the Treaty on Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE, signed in 1990 and adapted in 1999). The “suspension” has dealt the coup de grace to a treaty that Russia was already breaching on multiple counts for... MORE
AZERBAIJAN’S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION: A NATIONAL MANDATE FOR POLICY CONTINUITY
The final returns of Azerbaijan’s October 15 presidential election, released by the Central Electoral Commission, show President Ilham Aliyev winning reelection for another five-year term with 88.7 percent of the votes cast. Six other candidates received between 2.86 and 0.65 percent each. Nearly 76 percent... MORE
MOSCOW PROVIDES FEW DETAILS ON SOUTH OSSETIA BOMBING
At 4:45 P.M. on Friday, October 3, a powerful car bomb exploded outside the headquarters of the Russian peacekeeping forces in Tskhinvali, the capital of Georgia’s breakaway region of South Ossetia. Although the casualty figures cited in the initial reports varied from six to 11,... MORE
RUSSIAN TACTICS DERAIL GENEVA TALKS ON ABKHAZIA AND SOUTH OSSETIA
International discussions on security and stability arrangements in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, Georgia, were launched at the Palace of Nations in Geneva on October 15. The process is expected to be a long one, but it adjourned on the first day amid disagreement about how... MORE
RUSSIA DISCARDS ITS “PEACEKEEPING” OPERATION IN ABKHAZIA
At the CIS summit in Bishkek on October 9 and 10, Russia announced the termination of the “CIS collective peacekeeping operation in the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict zone.” Moscow describes its move as a common decision of the assembled heads of state and government, in a final... MORE