Latest Articles about Domestic/Social
Kyrgyz Youth Search for Political Identity
Recent political changes in Kyrgyzstan promoted widespread discussions online among younger internet users, roughly 20 to 35 years old. Twitter, Facebook and local online forums attracted numerous new users aspiring to make their voices heard amid rapid political change. From journalists to NGO leaders, young... MORE
China’s New Aristocracy: Red Cadres and Red-Hat Businessmen
The scandal of Li Qihong, the female mayor of the Guangdong Province boom town of Zhongshan, highlights a backsliding of corruption in Chinese politics. Particularly, the increasing collusion between party cadres and businessmen has made the issue more acute. Even as the Chinese Communist Party... MORE
Is Yemen Contemplating a Military Offensive in the Secessionist South?
The secessionist movement in southern Yemen has become increasingly violent in recent months and has gained considerable momentum since it first attained a loose organizational structure in 2007. The prospect of a renewed civil war ensuing between southern forces and the central government in Sana’a,... MORE
Ukrainian Government Denies Accusations of Bias Against Opposition Journalists
Freedom of speech may be in danger under Ukrainian President, Viktor Yanukovych. The pro opposition media are complaining of harassment despite the Yanukovych team’s assertions that everything is normal. Two opposition-leaning television channels, Channel 5 and TVi, have claimed that the Chairman of the Security... MORE
Human Rights Activists in the North Caucasus Continue to be Harassed and Attacked
The rapporteur on the human rights situation in the North Caucasus for the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Dick Marty, is expected to deliver his report titled “Legal remedies for human rights violations in the North-Caucasus Region” in Strasbourg on June 22.... MORE
Will Yanukovych’s Reform Plan Convince IMF?
Ukrainian President, Viktor Yanukovych, launched his long-awaited reform program with great fanfare, addressing the nation and parliamentarians from the lavish Soviet-style Ukraina palace in central Kyiv on June 3. The document, which details reform plans in the economic sector for 2010-2014, prepared with the help... MORE
Violence in Kyrgyzstan Threatens to Undermine Provisional Government
What began as a spat among young patrons of a local bar in Osh on the night of June 10 has turned into one of the bloodiest clashes in Kyrgyzstan. Officials to date have reported over 110 dead and thousands injured (www.akipress.kg, June 13). The... MORE
Putin Grows Confident on the Comeback Trail
For most of last week Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin, traveled to places he knows well and feels good about –Istanbul and Paris. These were neither tourist getaways nor business trips; he had plenty of delicate high-profile political matters to deal with, and none was more... MORE
More Presidential Candidates Selected in Belarus
Four new candidates have been chosen to run for the Belarusian presidency after congresses and meetings among some of the major opposition parties. They bring the number of declared and potential candidates to around fourteen, and reflect some of the differences and anxieties facing politicians... MORE
Kyrgyzstan Learns to Survive in Chaos
Amid corruption scandals and ongoing instability it is easy to write off Kyrgyzstan as a state destined to fail due to its dishonest political leaders and impoverished economy. However, despite the fact that the provisional government has not filled all its ministerial seats and faces... MORE