Latest Articles about Domestic/Social
Yanukovych Will Ignore Russian Espionage Against Ukraine
The election of the Party of Regions leader Viktor Yanukovych as Ukraine’s president presents a fundamental shift in the country’s national security culture as outlined by his three presidential predecessors. The most important revision will be Yanukovych’s, and the Party of Regions, view of Russia... MORE
President Yanukovych in Moscow: First Round of Tough Talks?
Viktor Yanukovych’s first visit to Russia as Ukrainian president on March 5 showed that he is no more prone to making concessions to Moscow than any of his predecessors. Yanukovych quickly came to an agreement with Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev, and Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin,... MORE
Ingush Organize Demonstration to Protest Against Kidnappings of Compatriots
On March 6, several hundred protestors in Ingushetia’s Plievo settlement, which is situated in the vicinity of Nazran, the republic’s largest town, blocked local highways and demanded that authorities investigate the kidnapping of Mikail Pliev. Ingushetia’s leading opposition figure, Magomed Khazbiev, joined the demonstration. Police... MORE
Medvedev Discards the Ambition of “Energy Super-Power”
Upon his return from the trip to Paris last week, President Dmitry Medvedev held a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister, Igor Sechin, who is supervising the energy sector, and expressed satisfaction about world oil prices that are expected to stay above $80 per barrel (Rossiyskaya... MORE
Tajik Opposition Disputes Election Results
While the outcome of Tajikistan’s parliamentary elections on February 28 were largely predictable, the opposition’s efforts to challenge its results are rather unusual. Within days of the vote, the country’s major opposition Islamic Renaissance Party (IRP) announced that it would contest the election results, indirectly... MORE
Yanukovych Inaugurated: a Pseudo Kuchma Era?
Viktor Yanukovych was inaugurated as Ukraine’s new president on February 25. His first steps and statements have proved reminiscent of President Leonid Kuchma’s (1994-2004) first term. Yanukovych selected Kuchma’s former secretary as the head of his administration and demonstrated that in foreign policy he will... MORE
Yanukovych’s Election Opens Up Crimean Separatist Threat
Viktor Yanukovych’s inauguration as Ukrainian president on February 25 forced him to face the fact that the Party of Regions that he leads, has re-opened the Pandora’s Box of Crimean separatism. National Institute of Strategic Studies analyst Petro Burkovsky asked “Will President Yanukovych open up... MORE
Son of Former President of Dagestan Named to Head the Republic
Dagestan’s new president-elect, Magomedsalam Magomedov, is the son of the republic’s former leader, Magomedali Magomedov. The younger Magomedov became the head of Dagestan’s parliament after Mukhu Aliev was elected the republic’s president in 2006 (www.runewsweek.ru, February 10). It is difficult to determine if this was... MORE
No Place Like Home: Iraq’s Refugee Crisis Threatens the Future of Iraq
The massive upheaval of Iraq’s population that has occurred since 2006 threatens the long-term stability of the country, regardless of short-term gains achieved through the political process or military surges. Symptomatic of a destabilized Iraq, displaced populations are themselves a source of future destabilization. Many... MORE
Key to Iraqi Stability Lies in Resolution of the Conflicting Interests of Kurds and Arabs
In his February 2, 2010 “Annual Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community,” U.S. Director of National Intelligence Dennis C. Blair predicts that Iraq will continue making progress, although “this forecast is dependent on the next government’s effective management of Arab-Kurd tensions, continued progress in... MORE