Latest Articles about Domestic/Social
A Tale of Two Presidents: Astana Fears the Spread of the “Kyrgyz Virus”
Kazakhstan’s official attitude towards the provisional government in Bishkek is growing more contradictory. President Nursultan Nazarbayev never tires of talking about Kazakhstan’s commitments as the Chairman of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to contribute to normalizing the political situation in Kyrgyzstan... MORE
Can the Belarusian Opposition Unite?
The term “Belarusian opposition” is practically a platitude. It is deployed by the Belarusian authorities to denote a small sector of the population that is dissatisfied with the presidency of Alyaksandr Lukashenka. For the official media it is a term of abuse. However, in Belarus... MORE
Removal of North Ossetian Mufti Sparks Fears its Muslims May Choose Radical Path
On May 20, Ali-Khadzhi Yevteyev stepped down from the position of North Ossetia’s mufti following a media campaign against him. On May 2, the Regnum news agency published an interview with Yevteyev that included very critical remarks about the role of the Russian Orthodox Church... MORE
Muqtada al-Sadr Calls for a New Role for the Jaysh al-Mahdi Militia in Iraq
Recent calls by the radical Iraqi Shi’a cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to his Jaysh al-Mahdi (JaM) militia to become involved in protecting local Shi’a mosques have ignited fear of a new sectarian confrontation in Iraq. Al-Sadr has suggested that his followers join the national security forces... MORE
Zurab Noghaideli’s National Council Bandwagons With Russia
On May 13 in Tbilisi, the political bloc “National Council” announced its intention to open representative offices in Moscow and St. Petersburg. The declared goals are to maintain liaison with Russia’s executive and legislative authorities and also with the Georgian diaspora in Russia (Civil Georgia,... MORE
Tbilisi’s Municipal Election: a Game on the Radical Opposition’s Turf
Georgia is holding local elections country-wide on May 30. The municipal election in Tbilisi is the main event in these elections. Many in the opposition and in Moscow regard the Tbilisi election as a possible trigger of upheaval for regime-change in Georgia.Most opposition groups, whether... MORE
Government Authorities Fail to Provide Security in the North Caucasus
On May 9, several explosions and a suicide attack attempt took place in Dagestan, Kabardino-Balkaria and Chechnya (www.kavkaz-uzel.ru, May 9). The situation could be called almost normal for the region, which has been plagued by violence in previous years, but with one slight difference. Following... MORE
China’s “Charm Offensive” Loses Momentum in Southeast Asia [Part II]
The change in Southeast Asian attitudes toward China’s growing economic profile in the region and its military build-up in the South China Sea is significant (See "China's "Charm Offensive" Losing Momentum in Southeast Asia [Part I]," China Brief, April 29). In mainland Southeast Asia, governments... MORE
Propaganda Overwhelms Russian Society
In Soviet times grandiose displays of military might during parades on Red Square in the center of Moscow were mostly designed to impress western Cold War adversaries. The last Soviet military parade was in November 1990. Russian society was engulfed in antimilitary sentiment caused by... MORE
What Kind of Relations Does Egypt’s Islamic Group Seek With Cairo’s Al-Azhar?
Since opening its doors to academic studies in 975 CE, Cairo’s al-Azhar University has become the Islamic world’s preeminent institution of Islamic studies and its Shaykh (or leader) has been traditionally regarded as the Sunni Islamic world’s most authoritative voice. However, since the Egyptian Revolution... MORE