Latest Articles about Domestic/Social
![](/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/IRAN-articleLarge.jpg)
Low Level Boundary Dispute Intensifies as Iran and the UAE Contest Control of Strategic Gulf Islands
The April 22 visit of Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to the Island of Abu Musa near the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz has triggered new tensions between Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) (al-Jazeera, April 16; Gulf News April 16). The decades-long territorial... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Ruslan_Alkhanov_-_EDM_May_3__2012.jpg)
Chechen Officials Unable to Combat Growing Growth of Extremism and Separatism
Recent events in and around Chechnya indicate a high level of tensions in the republic that also have become endemic in most parts of the North Caucasus. While being under Moscow’s control, Chechnya still is the main destabilizer of the region.According to the Chechen Interior... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/May_Day_2012__Moscow_-_EDM_May_3__2012.jpg)
Consumer Spending Spree Dampens Down Russia’s Pro-Democracy Movement
Vladimir Putin (59) has this week chaired his last meeting of the Russian government as Prime Minister. His presidential inauguration for a third six-year term is pending on May 7. The outgoing president, Dmitry Medvedev, is to be approved as Prime Minister at a special... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Police_Kabardino-Balkaria_-_EDM_May_2__2012.jpg)
Rising Circassian Activism Fuels Resentment Among Other North Caucasian Peoples
On April 26, the parliament of Kabardino-Balkaria addressed Moscow’s envoy to the North Caucasus, Alexander Khloponin to facilitate an increase in the republican police force. Earlier in March at a parliament hearing, the Interior Minister of Kabardino-Balkaria, Sergei Vasiliev, complained about a shortage of manpower... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Bridge_to_Russky_Island_-_EDM_May_2__2012.jpg)
Russia Mulls Far Eastern Economic Revival
Russia’s top officials have insisted the country’s plans to develop its Far Eastern regions remain unaffected by the presidential transition. Ahead of the Kremlin changeover, the authorities reiterated pledges to develop the Russian Far East, apparently aiming to turn these remote regions into a link... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Khloponin_-_EDM_April_30__2012.jpg)
Georgian Policy Toward the North Caucasus Causes Concern Among Russian Experts
North Caucasus federal district officials anticipate sweeping structural changes by the end of May after Vladimir Putin is inaugurated as the President of Russia. The incoming President’s administration is expected to increase its focus on the North Caucasus. Nezavisimaya Gazeta reported on April 23 that... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Dmitri_Medvedev_-_EDM_April_30__2012.jpg)
Medvedev Makes His Farewell and Putin Settles into the Old Course
Traditional May holidays have arrived to Russia, and while the Victory Day parade will be the usual rumbling of heavy weapons over Red Square, it is Vladimir Putin’s third presidential inauguration that is supposed to make them special. The outgoing President Dmitri Medvedev used the... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Hu_Chunhua___Zhou_Qiang.jpg)
Hu Jintao’s Sixth Generation Protégés Play Safe to Ensure Promotion
The rounds of ritualistic protestation of loyalty to the “Chinese Communist Party (CCP) central authorities with Comrade Hu Jintao as General Secretary” show President Hu Jintao has become the biggest beneficiary of the Bo Xilai scandal. Apart from pulling out all the stops to ensure... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Wen_Jiabao_on_Reform_in_Hannover.jpg)
The Limits of Reform: Assaulting the Castle of the Status Quo
A series of editorials this week in leading official newspapers suggested pressure for reform within the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) continues to build. One of the unsigned commentaries—like Premier Wen Jiabao’s speech about political reform as Bo Xilai was ousted from Chongqing—stated “reform has reached... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Valery_Ivashchenko_-_EDM_April_23__2012.jpg)
Ukraine’s Former Defense Minister Ivashchenko Jailed
The Pechersky district court in Kyiv on April 12 sentenced Valery Ivashchenko, who was acting Minister of Defense from June 2009 until April 2010, to five years in jail. This is despite the European Union’s warnings that more persecution of ministers from the former government... MORE