Since the 1991 collapse of the USSR, the former Soviet republics, now independent nations, have regrouped in a variety of political and economic configurations. These include the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), and GUAM... MORE

Almost exactly 150 years ago, in June 1858, Abraham Lincoln famously declared that a house divided against itself could not stand. Yet in recent days, despite deepening internal divisions over the government’s attempts to lift the headscarf ban in Turkish universities, officials and politicians from... MORE

On February 23, Iryna Kazulina, the 48-year-old wife of imprisoned Belarusian opposition leader Alyaksandr Kazulin, died of breast cancer, an illness she had suffered for the past decade. Following a mass gathering in the center of Minsk and appeals from various countries for clemency, President... MORE

Rosneft, Russia's state-run petroleum firm, has promised multi-billion dollar investments to increase its crude oil production in Eastern Siberia. However, the economic viability of Rosneft's plan remains a matter of debate, as the energy giant appears to be facing a cash shortage despite high international... MORE

The number of Chinese migrants traveling to Kyrgyzstan, mainly to Bishkek, the capital city, has been increasing over the past decade. China is one of the major exporters of goods to Kyrgyzstan, ranging from mass consumer products and home electronics to luxury commodities. In recent... MORE

Having previously encouraged assassination attempts against Georgia’s leaders, Russian state television has now lauded the assassination of Serbia’s pro-Western prime minister Zoran Djindjic by a local ultranationalist in 2003, and in the same breath assailed that country’s incumbent pro-Western president Boris Tadic. On February 21... MORE

Mobs, angry over Kosovar independence, burned the U.S. Embassy in the Serbian capital Belgrade last week, promoting a new outburst of anti-Western, anti-U.S. rhetoric in Moscow. The pace was set by President Vladimir Putin, who during an informal Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) summit in... MORE

Since Kosova unilaterally declared independence on February 17, its action has caused a fissure in international reactions. Thirty states have now recognized Kosova’s independence, including the United States, Great Britain, France, and Germany. However, Russia, China, Spain, Georgia, and Greece, among others, oppose the move.... MORE