Latest Articles about Domestic/Social

The End of the Road for Xi’s Mass Line Campaign: An Assessment
The end of the mass line campaign’s second phase this month provides an opportunity to understand more clearly what has been happening politically at the grassroots level in China over the last year. The Chinese press has reported at length on the crackdown against Chinese... MORE

Political Factions and Spicy Ginger: Elder Networks in PRC Politics (Part 2)
Part 2: The Patronage Network of Hu Jintao Jiang shì lao de là: “Aged ginger is spicier” Chinese proverb meaning that older people possess more experience and wisdom. The triumph of Jiang Zemin in elevating prominent protégés into the ranks of the Politburo Standing Committee... MORE

Russia Issues Ultimatum to Abkhazia
By the end of October, the authorities in Sukhumi must respond to Moscow’s proposal to sign a new agreement “On Alliance and Integration” between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Abkhazia (abkhaziya.org, October 14). The fact that the draft document was leaked to the... MORE

Grozny Suicide Bombing: A ‘Lone Wolf’ or Signs of a New Militant Group Operating in Chechnya?
The suicide bombing in the capital of Chechnya (RIA Novosti, October 5) carried out by 19-year-old Apti Mudarov (vesti.ru, October 5) during Grozny’s City Day celebrations on October 5 (Kommersant, October 6), which was also Ramzan Kadyrov’s birthday (riafan.ru, October 5), would not be worth... MORE

Siege Mentality Dominates in Moscow
Christophe de Margerie, 63, the CEO of French oil major Total, was killed as his executive jet crashed during takeoff on the runway of Moscow’s Vnukovo airport, at about midnight, on October 20. The jet hit an airport snowplow vehicle, flipped over and burst into... MORE

Is Moscow’s Proposal to Link Abkhazia to the Circassian Parts of North Caucasus a Step Toward Annexation?
On October 9, the well-known Russian-Abkhaz journalist Anton Krivenyuk published an article stating the Russian government may be interested in building a highway connecting Abkhazia to the North Caucasus. Krivenyuk hailed the idea, saying it would potentially help Abkhazia overcome its isolation and integrate itself... MORE

Upcoming Parliamentary Elections in Ukraine: Old Faces in New Rada?
As October 26, the date of the upcoming parliamentary elections in Ukraine, approaches ever closer, many current legislators are finding themselves in increasingly dire straits. In addition to the tense political campaign, an increasing number of Ukrainian parliamentary candidates and top officials have been falling... MORE

President Poroshenko’s Party Sailing to Victory in Ukrainian Parliament Election
With several days remaining until the polls open in Ukraine on October 26, it is clear that President Petro Poroshenko’s party will win the early parliamentary election hands down. Opinion polls show that the Bloc of Poroshenko (BoP) is heading for a victory no less... MORE

Lack of Conflict Resolution Mechanisms and State Interference in Religion Seen as Destabilizing Dagestan
Religious-driven conflicts in the North Caucasus are caused by the government’s interference in religious matters, according to Enver Kisriev, a Moscow-based expert of Dagestani origin. “I do not understand, why the political leadership of Russia thinks that it will be able to establish some sort... MORE

How Moscow Is Playing the Russian Autonomy Card in Kazakhstan
In the world of labor union–business relations, it is commonly understood that, oftentimes, the threat of a strike, as long as it is credible, can achieve more than an actual strike itself. On the one hand, the business against which a strike may be launched... MORE