Latest Articles about The Caucasus
OPPOSITION DIVIDES OVER LOCAL ELECTIONS WHILE GOVERNMENT INTENSIFIES CAMPAIGN
Georgia will hold elections for local governments in early December, Giorgi Arveladze, head of President Mikheil Saakashvili’s administration, announced on August 7. Arveladze mentioned two reasons for choosing that month: to allow incumbent governments time to complete projects and to allow the new governments to... MORE
Russia’s Uncertain Military Future in Chechnya
On August 10, Leonid Krivonos, the acting military commandant of Chechnya, stunned the Russian public by commenting that the Russian military command in Chechnya expects rebel activity in Chechnya to increase in August and September. Krivonos mentioned the recent ambushes and bombings of Russian military... MORE
AZERBAIJANIS TAKE SIDES IN ISRAELI-LEBANESE WAR
The ongoing military operations between Israel and Lebanon have sparked popular protests and heated debates in Azerbaijan. Although a predominantly Muslim country, Azerbaijan prides itself on being a secular country and having strong ties with Israel and the United States. Nevertheless, the high rate of... MORE
NEW WAVE OF REBEL ATTACKS IN DAGESTAN AND INGUSHETIA
On July 8, insurgents in the North Caucasus region of Dagestan simultaneously attacked two senior local officials. Early in the morning a roadside bomb killed Bitar Bitarov, prosecutor for the town of Buinaksk, as he was driven to his office. After the blast, Bitarov’s car... MORE
SAAKASHVILI UNVEILS NEW ECONOMIC STRATEGY
Opponents have long criticized Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili for not adopting a consistent strategy for the country’s economic development. The past five years have brought unprecedented levels of unemployment, rising prices, and declining standards of living to many households. Salaries in Georgia are reported to... MORE
YEREVAN ANNOUNCES CONTINUED ECONOMIC GROWTH, BUT TAX REVENUE STILL LAGS
Armenia’s economy is on track to expand at a double-digit rate for a sixth consecutive year, earning the government in Yerevan more praise from Western lending institutions. The Armenian authorities say that growth may slow down in the coming years but will still be strong... MORE
TBILISI PREPARES TO SEND ABKHAZ GOVERNMENT-IN-EXILE TO KODORI
The Georgian government claims to have restored “constitutional order” in the upper Kodori Gorge -- the sole Georgia-controlled part of breakaway Abkhazia. As a result of a special operation by police and army units, the Kodori-based paramilitary group “Monadire” (Hunter) and its chieftain, Emzar Kvitsiani,... MORE
GEORGIA DEMONSTRATES POLITICAL, MILITARY SKILL IN KODORI GORGE
Georgian authorities are beginning to restore normal conditions for daily life in the upper Kodori Gorge, following the successful law-and-order operation on July 25-27 that forced the Moscow-manipulated rebel chieftain Emzar Kvitsiani to flee the area. The upper Kodori Gorge is the only part of... MORE
GEORGIA REGAINS CONTROL OVER BATTLE IN KODORI
Following President Mikheil Saakashvili July 24 call “to give Georgia’s enemies their gruel,” Georgian troops launched a special operation in Kodori Gorge to neutralize the local chieftain, Emzar Kvitsiani, and his officially disbanded “Monadire” (Hunter) militia, after he defied the central authorities in Tbilisi on... MORE
NEW POLL SHOWS ARMENIANS EQUALLY SUPPORTIVE OF RUSSIA, WEST
A U.S.-funded opinion poll released this month paints an interesting, if contradictory, picture of the geopolitical preferences of Armenia’s population. It shows that the vast majority of Armenians continue to support the close political and military ties with Russia maintained by their government. At the... MORE