Latest Articles about The Caucasus
IS RAMZAN KADYROV LEAVING THE LIMELIGHT?
Ramzan Kadyrov, deputy prime minister and leader of the pro-Russian forces in Chechnya, likes to be the center of attention. He makes numerous public statements that tend to be quite extravagant. Last summer, for example, as the conflict in South Ossetia escalated, Kadyrov promised to... MORE
SAAKASHVILI DECLARES BUSH VISIT “A HUGE POLITICAL VICTORY”
U.S. President George W. Bush paid an unprecedented visit to the republic of Georgia on May 9-10. His warm reception in Tbilisi contrasted with Moscow's frosty view of the trip, which one Russian analyst described as "a fly in the ointment" of Russian-American relations. Some... MORE
AZERBAIJAN JOINS ARMENIA AS NEW MEMBER OF DISCREDITED UN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION
On April 29, Azerbaijan became a member of the UN Human Rights Commission. Azerbaijan's representative to the United Nations, Yashar Aliev, described the vote as an "important step." The election was held following a meeting of the UN Economic and Social Council, to which the... MORE
MOSCOW THWARTS JOINT PRESIDENTIAL DECLARATION ON TROOP WITHDRAWAL FROM GEORGIA
On May 6, the Russian government reneged on a recent, informal understanding between Ministers of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov and Salome Zourabichvili regarding a timetable for the closure of Russian bases and withdrawal of troops from Georgia. That informal understanding had envisaged starting the withdrawal... MORE
BIG FISH LARGELY UNAFFECTED AS YEREVAN CRACKS DOWN ON TAX EVASION
The Armenian authorities have released new data on Armenia's leading corporate taxpayers. The previously unreleased data reveal the first results of the government's new crackdown on tax evasion. The figures suggest that, while the administration of President Robert Kocharian is on course to achieve a... MORE
CHECHEN FORCES ENTER DAGESTAN WITH FSB HELP
Early in the morning of April 20, Yusup Adjiev's bodyguards saw masked gunmen climbing down from the fence surrounding his house in Toturby-Kala, a village in Dagestan. Adjiev is the head of Dagregiongaz, a state-owned company that controls gas supplies in the Khasavyurt district of... MORE
ONE YEAR AFTER THE FALL OF ABASHIDZE, AJARIA STILL PLAGUED WITH GOVERNANCE PROBLEMS
"Aslan has fled, Ajaria is free!" With these words, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili greeted his countrymen on the morning on May 6, 2004. A popular revolution in the Georgian Autonomous Republic of Ajaria had toppled the region's strongman, Aslan Abashidze, ending his 13-year rule and... MORE
SLOW CADRE REFORM HINDERS ALIEV’S DEVELOPMENT AGENDA
On April 26, while visiting Shemakha, a town 100 kilometers away from Baku, Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliev was confronted by numerous complaints about rising prices in the country as well as the lack of employment opportunities. Yet, the most striking comment came from a senior... MORE
SABER RATTLING GROWS LOUDER AROUND ABKHAZIA
The leadership of Georgia's separatist region Abkhazia is beefing up its military potential, while the Georgian armed forces are continuing their military exercise. Televised reports about the Georgian exercises began with title cards reading "Sukhumi" (capital of Abkhazia) and "Tskhinvali" (capital of breakaway South Ossetia).... MORE
RUSSIAN AUTHORITIES PRESS AHEAD WITH PLANS TO COMBINE ADYGEYA AND KRASNODAR KRAI
Plans to unify two Caucasian regions of Russia, Adygeya and Krasnodar Krai, have seriously aggravated the situation in Adygeya, the most stable national republic of the violent North Caucasus. On April 23, about 10,000 people participated in a protest rally in Maikop, the Adygeyan capital.... MORE