Latest Articles about The Caucasus
CONTROVERSIAL ARRESTS SHED LIGHT ON ARMENIA’S MURKY SECURITY SERVICE
Armenia's National Security Service (NSS), the unreformed successor to the local branch of the Soviet KGB, has come under rare media attention after launching dubious criminal proceedings against prominent government critics. The resulting arrests of two businessmen who have alleged high-level corruption within the Armenian... MORE
JCC, “PEACEKEEPING” FORMATS IN SOUTH OSSETIA SHOWN TO BE UNTENABLE
An emergency session of the Joint Control Commission (JCC, overseeing the ceasefire in South Ossetia) was held on October 24-25 in Moscow. Convened ostensibly to overcome tensions in the wake of the September 20 demonstration of force by Russian-assisted Ossetian troops, the Moscow meeting merely... MORE
PRESIDENT ALIYEV SACKS KEY MINISTERS, CLAIMS COUP WAS IMMINENT
On October 19, Azerbaijani authorities announced they had successfully prevented a coup in the country. Authorities arrested two powerful and influential cabinet ministers -- Minister of Economic Development Farhad Aliyev (no relations to President Ilham Aliyev) and Minister of Health Ali Insanov. A third figure,... MORE
WILL FIRED GEORGIAN FOREIGN MINISTER BECOME OPPOSITION LEADER?
Late on Wednesday, October 19, Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Nogaideli announced the dismissal of Foreign Minister Salome Zourabichvili. Nogaideli, who was forced to postpone a scheduled trip to the United States because of the situation, said that he had experienced "a very difficult conversation" with... MORE
GEORGIA DE-FREEZES THE CONFLICT-SETTLEMENT PROCESSES
Interviewed in the October 17 issue of the Kyiv daily Den, Georgia's National Security Council Secretary Gela Bezhuashvili underscores a point that many in Russia and some in international diplomatic chancelleries seem disinclined to acknowledge openly: Georgia has succeeded in "de-freezing" the conflict-settlement processes regarding... MORE
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