Latest Articles about The Caucasus
RUSSIA CONTINUES ITS ENERGY OFFENSIVE AGAINST GEORGIA
While a proposal to sell Georgian gas trunk lines to the Russian gas giant Gazprom remains on Tbilisi's agenda, the Georgian government has made a different move that would increase Russian control over the Georgian electricity system. On March 5, Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Nogaideli... MORE
ARMENIANS PUZZLED BY U.S. OFFICIAL’S GENOCIDE RECOGNITION
A senior U.S. diplomat has caused a stir in America's relations with Turkey and Armenia by publicly declaring that the 1915-1918 killings of some 1.5 million Armenians in the Ottoman Empire was "the first genocide of the 20th century." The statements by Washington's ambassador in... MORE
NEW REMAINS DISCOVERED IN BESLAN: INCOMPETENCE OR CRIME?
On February 25, residents of Beslan, North Ossetia, found clothing and physical remains of several child hostages killed during the rescue operation on September 3, 2004. Jeremy Page, a reporter for the London Times, was with the residents when they made the discovery. In his... MORE
WAR OF WORDS INTENSIFIES BETWEEN ARMENIAN PRIME MINISTER AND PARLIAMENT SPEAKER
Armenia's governing coalition has been thrust into fresh turmoil by a bitter row between two of the three political parties represented in it. The row between the Republican Party (HHK) of Prime Minister Andranik Markarian and the Orinats Yerkir (Country of Law) party led by... MORE
COMPETING THEORIES ABOUT ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION IN ABKHAZIA
Alexander Ankvab, prime minister of the self-proclaimed Republic of Abkhazia in Georgia, narrowly escaped death late on February 28 when still-unidentified assailants shot at his motorcade. Ankvab and his entourage were heading from the capital, Sukhumi, north toward Gudauta. The gunmen were waiting to ambush... MORE
SPECULATION ON PIPELINE SALE TO GAZPROM DETRIMENTAL TO GEORGIA’S INTERESTS
A flurry of statements by Georgian officials in recent days suggests that Tbilisi is once again considering the high-risk proposition of selling the country's gas transportation system to Russia's monopoly Gazprom. The idea is deeply controversial in Georgia's decision-making circles. The individuals pushing for such... MORE
GEORGIA, MOLDOVA, BALTICS FIGURE ON SIDELINES OF BUSH-PUTIN SUMMIT
Russia's military and political pressures on Georgia, Moldova, and the Baltic states figured prominently in discussions on the eve and the sidelines of the Bush-Putin summit in Bratislava, but there was no indication that U.S. President George W. Bush raised those issues in his meeting... MORE
BESLAN MOTHERS TRUST PUTIN, DEMAND DZASOKHOV’S HEAD
On February 17, the "Mothers of Beslan," a group of women who lost their children in the hostage crisis in Beslan last September, petitioned Russian President Vladimir Putin to dismiss the president of North Ossetia, Alexander Dzasokhov. The Beslan families told journalists that they had... MORE
MOSCOW’S CRACKDOWN ON “ISLAMIC” MILITANTS FUELS FEARS OF PROLONGED CHECHEN CONFLICT
The long-awaited Russian crackdown against Islamic militants in the North Caucasus has begun. For now the emerging law enforcement and military campaign seems more sporadic in its nature than first mooted. President Vladimir Putin, promising to get tough with "terrorists" following the Beslan hostage crisis... MORE
NEW SURVEY IN AZERBAIJAN SHOWS RISING INFLUENCE OF ISLAM
While local and international analysts continue to debate the pluses and minuses of Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliev's January trip to Iran, the non-governmental research organization Far Center, based in Baku has released the results of its recent survey on religious freedom in the country. The... MORE