Latest Articles about Domestic/Social
Beijing’s Glorification of the “China Model” Could Blunt Its Enthusiasm for Reforms
While Beijing has reiterated its willingness to help combat the international financial crisis, the Hu Jintao-Wen Jiabao administration has stopped short of making substantial commitments to the global rescue effort. This is despite the fact that the ongoing crisis has afforded China a golden opportunity... MORE
Alevis Highlight Their Demands in Ankara
On November 10 Turkey's Alevi community, a religious group that differs from Sunni Islam, organized a "Grand Alevi Rally" for the first time in the history of the Turkish Republic. Approximately 50,000 Alevis from different cities came together to demand rights for Alevi communities. The... MORE
Ergenekon Network Exacerbates Anti-Americanism in Turkey
The reading of the 2,455-page indictment against 86 suspects in the first trial against Ergenekon, a criminal network accused of plotting to overthrow the government, was completed at the trial's 11th hearing. When the process of reading the indictment ended, suspects started giving testimony in... MORE
Energy Crisis Splits Ruling Party in Kyrgyzstan
Amid shortages of hydro-energy in Kyrgyzstan because of the critically low water level in the Toktogul reservoir, President Kurmanbek Bakiyev’s loyal supports are finger-pointing, accusing each other of false reports and corruption. Previously, it was mostly the opposition that criticized Minister of Energy Saparbek Balkibekov... MORE
A Breathing Spell for Political Reforms in Georgia
n the aftermath of the war with Russia, the Georgian leadership is refocusing its attention on the development of the political system in a broader institutional framework. The main initiatives in this regard originate from the top and are set for easy passage by the... MORE
A Return of Putin to the Kremlin to Save the Nation?
President Dmitry Medvedev's address to the Federal Assembly had two principal political surprises, one internal and one external. Medvedev announced that the present Russian constitution, adapted by referendum in December 1993, would be amended to increase the term of office of president from four to... MORE
Firat Resignation May Indicate a Hardening of AKP Kurdish Policy
On November 7, after the Central Executive Board (MYK) meeting of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), it was announced that Dengir Mir Mehmet Fırat had resigned from his position as a deputy chairman of the (AKP). Firat is known for being a relative of... MORE
Council of Europe Convinces Ter-Petrosian To Hold Independent Investigation of Violence in Yerevan
Bowing to Western pressure, Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian has formed a supposedly independent body to investigate the deadly clashes in Yerevan that were sparked by his controversial victory in last February’s presidential election. The new inquiry could undermine the Armenian government’s justification for the use... MORE
Yushchenko Uses Security Service Against Former Orange Allies
The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) is targeting the president’s former Orange ally, the Yulia Tymoshenko bloc (BYuT), as part of a strategy to undermine Tymoshenko’s popularity ahead of the January 2010 presidential elections. The campaign uses methods similar to those used by former President Leonid... MORE
Medvedev’s Speech Marked by Anti-Americanism and Comfort for the Bureaucracy
The presentation of President Dmitry Medvedev’s address to the Federal Assembly was grand and fascinating beyond the standards set by his predecessor Vladimir Putin, who humbly listened from the audience since, in contrast to the Soviet tradition, there was no presidium of dignitaries. Medvedev chose... MORE