Latest Articles about The Caucasus
GULIYEV STOPPED BEFORE REACHING BAKU
As Azerbaijan's November 6 parliamentary elections draw near, public interest in election-related events has increased dramatically. Perhaps counting on this heightened public attention, the chairman of the Azerbaijan Democratic Party (ADP), Rasul Guliyev, recently announced that he would return to his country. Guliyev has been... MORE
GEORGIA’S OPPOSITION TAKES STEPS AGAINST SAAKASHVILI, SOROS
Two separate events affecting Georgia's opposition groups vividly demonstrate the extremes of contemporary political life in Georgia. On October 17, the Conservative and Republican parties announced the establishment of a new parliamentary faction composed of former members of the ruling National Movement and former allies... MORE
NALCHIK UNDER ATTACK: MOSCOW UNABLE TO RESPOND
Early in the morning of October 13, police in Kabardino-Balkaria received an anonymous telephone tip that gunmen had been seen near the Belya Rechka River on the outskirts of Nalchik, the local capital. Police and military Special Forces units rushed to the scene. About 8:30... MORE
PROBLEMS MOUNT FOR GEORGIAN ARMY
Almost every day, Georgian television airs government-sponsored ads inviting Georgians to join the mighty Georgian army. While, this patriotic display tries to create a rosy picture of Georgia's military potential, the reality is more alarming than inspiring. This week over 40% of the Georgian military's... MORE
WILL INCREASING U.S. PRESENCE IN AZERBAIJAN MEAN MORE TROUBLE FOR RUSSIA AND IRAN?
Yesterday the governments of the United States and Azerbaijan convened a two-day conference in Baku on "Black Sea and Caspian Sea Maritime Nonproliferation." Running October 12-13, the workshop seeks to develop close cooperation among the coast guard and border agencies of the Black Sea and... MORE
NEW UNREST IN JAVAKHETI PROMPTS WARNING FROM YEREVAN
Akhalkalaki, the main town in the predominantly Armenian-populated and Armenia-bordered Samtskhe-Javakheti region of Georgia, was the site of an anti-government protest rally on October 5. The incident reaffirmed that this turbulent region remains unstable, despite the Georgian government's efforts to normalize the situation there. The... MORE
GEORGIA ON RUSSIAN “PEACEKEEPING:” ENOUGH IS ENOUGH
Georgia has taken a major step toward correcting or ending Moscow's "peacekeeping" and "mediating" activities in the Abkhaz and South Ossetian conflicts on Georgia's territory. Georgian parliamentary leaders in close consultation with the Presidency have drafted a resolution whereby the parliament sets deadlines for corrective... MORE
GEORGIAN OPPOSITION LOSES BY-ELECTIONS, ALLEGES VIOLATIONS
The October 1 by-elections to fill five seats in the Georgian parliament produced a convincing victory for the ruling National Movement party. Party leader and President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili openly declared these by-elections to be an indicator of the electorate's confidence in his policies... MORE
ARMENIAN SPEAKER SCORING MORE POINTS WITH TRADEMARK POPULISM
Armenia's ambitious parliament speaker, Artur Baghdasarian, has solidified his positions this week by exploiting an issue that touches a raw nerve in Armenian society and is a major ingredient of his populist discourse. Baghdasarian, who is seen as one of President Robert Kocharian's potential successors,... MORE
PUBLIC MOOD IN AZERBAIJAN POINTS TO A NEW WAR
On September 26-27, OSCE Minsk co-chairs Bernard Fassier (France), Yuri Merzlyakov (Russia), and Steven Mann (the United States) met in Vienna to discuss further steps in the Karabakh peace process. Before the meeting, Azerbaijan's foreign minister, Elmar Mammadyarov, declared, "The peace process has not yet... MORE