Armenia's arguably wealthiest government-connected businessman has caused a stir in the domestic political arena by setting up a new party with far-reaching political ambitions. Gagik Tsarukian appears to have enlisted the support of prominent public figures and even an opposition leader for his bid to... MORE

The new year has brought new economic surprises for the average Azerbaijani citizen. The Council on Tariffs decided on January 6 to double the price of diesel fuel (from 20 cents per liter to 40 cents), giving it the same price tag as regular gasoline.... MORE

Less than three months after the rebel attack on the city of Nalchik, the capital of the republic of Kabardino-Balkaria in the North Caucasus, the Russian military command has again begun to talk about new rebel attacks. On January 8, Sergei Topchy, deputy commander of... MORE

A wave of strikes by inmates at prisons across Georgia is part of the criminal world's carefully crafted plan to resist government efforts to assert their authority in the penal system. The first strike began on December 24 in Kutaisi, Georgia's second largest city, and... MORE

The post-parliamentary election period in Azerbaijan was marked by an unusually harsh crackdown on a group of high-profile businessmen. Foremost, the assets of the country's largest private oil company, Azpetrol, were stripped from its owner, Rafik Aliyev, who had been arrested even before the November... MORE

The international community has always believed that public opinion in Armenia and Azerbaijan must be prepped for painful concessions before the conflict over Karabakh can be resolved. Yet no such efforts seem to be taken in either country despite the apparently significant progress made over... MORE

After their humiliating losses during the November 6 parliamentary elections, Azerbaijan's opposition has entered a predictable period of in-fighting and collapse. Many local analysts had predicted that with no tangible successes during elections for the past 12 years and with no apparent ability to organize... MORE

Russian security officials stepped up their activities in the North Caucasus during the last two months of 2005. Officials in Kabardino-Balkaria and Dagestan proudly declared they had captured or killed scores of insurgent rebels in each republic, while Ingushetia struggled with cross-border raids from Chechnya.... MORE

For Armenia and Azerbaijan, the year 2005 was marked by intensified negotiations over a possible agreement in the Karabakh peace process. The presidents and foreign ministers of the two countries met several times during the year, and the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs from France, Russia,... MORE