Latest Articles about Domestic/Social
US Expert Community’s Cooperation With Russians Seen As Vital For Moscow’s Success In the North Caucasus
On August 8, the well-known Russian pundits Igor Yurgens and Sergei Kulik published their assessment of the situation in the North Caucasus and the impact of external actors in the region. Yurgens and Kulik occupy top positions in the Institute of Contemporary Development, which is... MORE
Medvedev’s Remarks on Georgian War Anniversary: Politics, Lies, and Electioneering
On August 5, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev gave an interview to Moscow-based and Georgian media on the third anniversary of the Russia-Georgia war in August 2008 (www.kremlin.ru, August 5). Medvedev made several controversial remarks, which must be understood in terms of the three audiences he... MORE
Putin Calls For Greater Government Control over Youth Education in the North Caucasus
On August 3, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin held a government meeting in Kislovodsk on Moscow’s youth policy in the North Caucasus. While a large part of the statements made by Russia’s most powerful politician were apparently connected to the country’s upcoming presidential elections, Putin... MORE
Western Debates On Belarus
The continuing economic problems in Belarus combined with the harsh crackdowns on public actions, such as clapping in unison, have led Western analysts to debate current policies on dealing with the regime of Alyaksandr Lukashenka. Opinion remains deeply divided on the best course of action.Senior... MORE
Medvedev Reflects On the Georgia War and On Himself
President Dmitry Medvedev’s interview on August 5 about the causes and consequences of the August 2008 war with Georgia contained little news and more than a few lies, but it still sheds some interesting light on the current political disarray in Russia. Shunning the official... MORE
Tymoshenko Arrested, Ukrainian Foreign Policy Moves Toward a Crisis
The arrest of opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko on August 5 derails Ukraine’s integration into Europe at the same time as its relations with Russia are poor (video of arrest here: https://www.pravda.com.ua/photo-video/2011/08/5/6454611/).The disunited opposition has rallied to Tymoshenko’s side with Arseniy Yatseniuk’s Front for Change issuing... MORE
Insurgency-Related Violence Reported In Ingushetia, Dagestan and Kabardino-Balkaria
Insurgents in the North Caucasus targeted police and local officials in Ingushetia, Dagestan and Kabardino-Balkaria this past week.Three policemen were shot to death in Nazran, Ingushetia yesterday (August 4). The incident took place around 10:30 p.m., local time, when a traffic police patrol car carrying... MORE
Haqqani Network Growing Stronger at the Expense of the Tehrik-e-Taliban
The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) seems to be slowly disintegrating as various commanders try to pull it in different directions. A clear indication of this process came when the TTP Commander in the Kurram Agency, Fazal Saeed Haqqani, announced that his group had seceded from the... MORE
What to Expect From the Presidential Elections in Kyrgyzstan
Approximately three months before the presidential elections in Kyrgyzstan, over 30 candidates have shown interest in running for the highest post in the country. The list includes the leaders of political parties, journalists, businessmen, and unemployed citizens not known to the wider public (www.akipress.kg, August... MORE
Is the North Caucasus Rebel Movement Spreading Beyond the North Caucasus?
Russian mass media last week spread word of a statement by the command of the Chechen rebels that referred to Riyadus-Salikhin (Gardens of the Righteous) in connection with the killing of former Russian army colonel Yuri Budanov, who was shot to death in Moscow on... MORE