Latest Articles about Domestic/Social
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Circassian Activists Unite Around Circassian ‘Genocide’ Issue
At the end of March, Mukhamed Cherkesov, the leader of the Circassian organization in Karachaevo-Cherkessia, addressed a plea to republican officials to help Circassian refugees from Syria. Cherkesov alleged that Syrian Circassians have been encountering unusually steep bureaucratic hurdles in Karachaevo-Cherkessia and been forced to... MORE
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Putin Adopts Stalin’s Style, but Remains a Late Oligarch’s Legacy
Boris Berezovsky, an entrepreneur and politician who personified the loaded term “oligarch,” effortlessly dominated the political debates in Moscow last week after his mysterious death in a mansion outside London on March 23. His 12 years in exile had been lonely, but hundreds of friends... MORE
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EU-Moldova Association Agreement May Yield Huge Political Windfall for Filat’s Party
As Moldova’s pro-European parties in parliament attempt to prevent snap elections by negotiating over a new government, the country seems to be finally inching away from a political cliff (Prime.md, March 22). But after the political frenzy that toppled the Vlad Filat government in Moldova... MORE
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Poor Performance in Makhachkala Suburb Reflects Continuing Flaws in Russian Counter-Insurgency Operations
A special operation in the Makhachkala suburb of Semender that lasted from the morning of March 20 to the evening of March 23 illuminated both a lack of skills in the Russian security services and a lack of control over the situation. It is hard... MORE
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Policy Reform Measures Highlight Potential for Transformation
In the next five years, China will implement a series of transformative public sector reforms due to the convergence of several factors over the past year that have made China ripe for change. Most obvious among them is the fact that the party leadership chosen... MORE
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Why Did President Saakashvili Agree to Become a ‘Lame Duck?’
On March 25, Georgia’s parliament voted in favor of constitutional amendments that significantly reduce the president’s powers to influence domestic and foreign policy (https://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=25887). According to the amendments, the president will have no right to dismiss the government without parliament’s consent. Currently, the Georgian Dream... MORE
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Kazan and Moscow Continue Muted Struggle for Power
On March 20, the newspaper Kommersant reported that Tatarstan has prepared a series of amendments to the Russian law on fighting extremism. The adoption of this legislation would increase the penalties for individuals involved in extremist organizations. Experts warn that the new laws could render... MORE
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In North Caucasus, Ethnic Russians Worse Off Where There Are More of Them, Moscow Sociologist Says
According to a Moscow sociologist, ethnic Russians are “paradoxically” more likely to suffer from discrimination in those republics of the North Caucasus where there are more of them. This finding suggests that ongoing efforts by the Kremlin and some republican leaders to promote the return... MORE
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Ethnic Russians Leave Stavropol Creating Regional Security Vacuum
At the beginning of 2013, several trials of suspected militants concluded in Stavropol region. Some observers assert that Islamic extremism has found a suitable breeding ground in the eastern part of Stavropol region because of its depressed economy and influx of ethnic Dagestanis from neighboring... MORE
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Russia’s History Is Too Tragic and Its Society Too Complex to Fit into Putin’s Worldview
A stunning historical discovery was made at the first meeting of the revived Russian Military History Society when President Vladimir Putin asserted that the Bolsheviks used Finnish “armed formations” for executing the coup in October 1917 (Rossiskaya Gazeta, March 14). Even more remarkable was his... MORE