Latest Articles about The Caucasus
DESPITE CEASE-FIRE ANNIVERSARY, SITUATION REMAINS TENSE IN KARABAKH
Last week, Armenia and Azerbaijan marked the 13th anniversary of the cease-fire signed between the two governments in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, in 1994. But not only does the situation between the two countries remain tense, the prospects for peace keep getting smaller and smaller,... MORE
ESTONIA’S PRESIDENT UNDERSCORES SHARED GOALS IN VISIT TO GEORGIA
At the height of Russian bullying of Estonia, the country’s President Toomas Ilves flew to Georgia to tell that country -- which also borders on a hostile Russia -- that “Georgia is not alone.” Ilves’ decision to proceed with the previously scheduled, three-day official visit... MORE
AUTHORITIES AND OPPOSITION FIGHT TO CONTROL LUCRATIVE POST IN KARACHAEVO-CHERKESSIA
On March 11 residents of Karachaevsk, the second-largest city in the North Caucasus region of Karachaevo-Cherkessia, voted for mayor. Yet two months later, the final result of the election is still unknown. Meanwhile, two local political forces are fighting each other to gain control of... MORE
ARMENIAN SECURITY SERVICES SUSPECTED OF SPYING ON OPPOSITION LEADER
Armenia’s intensifying parliamentary election campaign has been jolted by a scandal over the secret recording of a recent confidential meeting between a top opposition leader and a Yerevan-based Western diplomat. Details of that conversation have been controversially disclosed by a pro-establishment newspaper, in what is... MORE
AZERBAIJAN MOVES TO SHAPE IMAGE OF ISLAMIC WORLD
On April 26 a major international conference, “The Role of Media in the Promotion of Tolerance and Understanding,” opened in Baku, Azerbaijan. The conference was held under the auspices of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) with several high-ranking guests such as the Secretary-General... MORE
U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT REPORT RAISES CONCERN IN BAKU AND YEREVAN
On March 6, the U.S. Department of State released its 2006 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, prepared by its Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. The annual report contains updates on human rights conditions in countries around the world. This year’s reports on... MORE
YELTSIN, PUTIN AND THE NORTH CAUCASUS: CONTRASTING APPROACHES TO THE VOLATILE REGION
The death of former Russian president Boris Yeltsin has produced numerous evaluations of his legacy, including his policy towards the North Caucasus. Many people in the North Caucasus consider Yeltsin’s regional policy to have been more harmful than helpful. Residents of Chechnya are particularly angry... MORE
NORTH CAUCASUS-TESTED STRATEGIES USED TO COUNTER MARCH OF THE DISCONTENTED
Russian police severely beat many participants in the April 14-15 demonstrations against President Vladimir Putin in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Known as the “March of the Discontented,” the rallies were organized by the “Other Russia” movement. Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s deputy press secretary, dismissed the recent... MORE
UNSC RESOLUTION ON THE CONFLICT IN ABKHAZIA: LESS TENDENTIOUS BUT STILL DUBIOUS
A routine six-month prolongation of UNOMIG’s mandate -- the 13 year-old United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia -- resulted in yet another political resolution on Abkhazia by the United Nations Security Council on April 13, after a week-long debate that punctuated a frozen “negotiating process.”... MORE
MOSCOW SIGNALS SUPPORT FOR ARMENIAN POWER HANDOVER
With less than a month to go before Armenia’s crucial parliamentary elections, Russia has signaled its support for an anticipated handover of power from Armenian President Robert Kocharian to newly appointed Prime Minister Serge Sarkisian. In a series of early April visits to Yerevan, senior... MORE