Latest Articles about Domestic/Social
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Ivanishvili starts selling Russian assets for liquidity
Georgian billionaire and aspirant to power, Bidzina Ivanishvili, has started selling some of his assets in Russia for liquidity. Some of the proceeds will probably be ploughed into Ivanishvili’s political operations in Georgia and third countries. Ivanishvili amassed his $6.4-billion worth in Russia during the... MORE
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Ingushetia’s opposition demands resignation of republic’s leader
On May 12, Ingushetia’s most well-known opposition organization Mehk-Khel published an address to the newly elected president of Russia, Vladimir Putin. Ingushetia’s opposition called on Putin to dismiss the head of the region, Yunus-Bek Yevkurov. The authors of the open letter cited “critical political and... MORE
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Normal or Special Standards for Georgia’s Elections?
A unique conjunction of external and internal circumstances suggests that Georgia’s upcoming parliamentary elections will be subjected to more (possibly far more) rigorous scrutiny, compared with elections in any of the former Soviet-ruled countries.International election observers are set to arrive in numbers unprecedented even for... MORE
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Circassian Activism Encompasses More Countries as the Opportunities for Interaction Expand
On May 4, 17 Circassians from Syria arrived at the Mineralnye Vody airport, situated in the south of Stavropol region. Fourteen of the new repatriates moved to Kabardino-Balkaria and three to Adygea. About 100 repatriates from Syria have resettled in the North Caucasus after the... MORE
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Putin Cannot Go to Camp David
Instead of marking a closure for the turbulent period of ugly elections, Vladimir Putin’s presidential inauguration opened a new phase in the political crisis in Russia. The activities have centered again on Moscow where the heterogeneous opposition finds it remarkably easy to mobilize thousands of... MORE
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Armenian President Wins Big in Parliamentary Elections
Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan has retained control over parliament and received a massive boost to his power as a result of the past weekend’s legislative elections, which his Republican Party (HHK) won by a landslide. Official results of the May 6 vote were a serious... MORE
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Allegations of Human Rights Abuses by the Government Agents Remain Unaddressed in the North Caucasus
On May 3, Russian human rights center Memorial filed materials with the Russian Investigative Committee concerning rights abuses in the North Caucasus. The collected evidence comes from four republics: Chechnya, Ingushetia, North Ossetia and Kabardino-Balkaria. On April 18, the Investigative Committee’s chief, Alexander Bastrykin, signed... MORE
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Local Government Financing Growing Increasingly Precarious
In 2008, China’s central government launched its own New Deal, heavily promoting massive infrastructure development after the economic downturn. Local governments were more than happy to take up the banner. Now, they are left with shiny new plazas, towering office buildings, highways to nowhere and... MORE
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Exploring Constitutional Reform in the Wake of the Bo Xilai Affair
In recent years, China’s commitment to “rule in accordance with law” has been called into question as Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leaders have intensified the politicization of legal institutions, de-emphasized judicial professionalism and formal adjudication, and suppressed rights defenders (“CCP Tightens Control over Courts,” China... MORE
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Chen Guangcheng Fiasco Shows Dim Prospects for Political-Legal Reform
The blind lawyer Chen Guangcheng’s plight, which piqued much of the world’s attention the past fortnight, has fully exposed the shocking failings of China’s law-enforcement apparatus. Chen was forced to seek shelter in the U.S. Embassy in Beijing due to the Chinese authorities’ systematic violations... MORE