Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
UKRAINE’S CENTRIST CAMP IN DISARRAY AHEAD OF 2006 ELECTIONS
Although the main story in Ukrainian politics this fall has been the rift in the Orange Revolutionary camp, the centrists that once gathered around former president Leonid Kuchma are far more divided. Most of them will have a hard time winning seats in the 2006... MORE
UNEDIFYING DEBUT TO 5+2 NEGOTIATIONS ON MOLDOVA
After a 15-month break, negotiations on Transnistria resumed on October 27-28 in Chisinau and Tiraspol, now in the 5 + 2 format. This includes the United States and the European Union as observers to the old five-sided format of Russia, Ukraine, OSCE, Chisinau, and Tiraspol.... MORE
ROSE, ORANGE REVOLUTIONS’ PROTAGONISTS AGAINST ‘COLOR REVOLUTION’ IN AZERBAIJAN
Judging by the experience of past elections in Azerbaijan -- particularly the 2003 presidential vote -- the crucial date in the upcoming parliamentary elections will not be the November 6 balloting day, but the day after. All opinion surveys and other indicators presage a clear-cut... MORE
BAKIYEV-KULOV POLITICAL UNION ENDANGERED BY CRIMINALS
October's showdowns between various political forces in Kyrgyzstan's government and parliament, as well as between criminals and businessmen, have challenged the credibility of the political union between President Kurmanbek Bakiyev and Prime Minister Felix Kulov. Rysbek Akmatbayev, the older brother of assassinated parliamentarian Tynychbek Akmatbayev... MORE
AFTER THE TULIP REVOLUTION: ARE SINO-KYRGYZ RELATIONS STILL “ALIVE AND KICKING?”
On the sidelines of the October 26 Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Moscow, Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao and Kyrgyz Prime Minister Felix Kulov met to discuss bilateral ties. Wen confirmed that Beijing would back the new regime in Bishkek and expressed his hopes that... MORE
SHANGHAI COOPERATION ORGANIZATION EYES ECONOMIC, SECURITY COOPERATION
As top officials from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) gathered in Moscow on October 26, they reiterated earlier pledges to expand economic ties in Central Eurasia. The meeting also confirmed the SCO's ambitious goal of becoming a major global player. Prime ministers from member states... MORE
RUSSIAN AUTHORITIES FEAR ISLAMIC INSURGENCY IN VOLGA REGION
During the 2000 presidential campaign, Acting President Vladimir Putin explained to journalists why he had launched a ruthless military campaign in Chechnya. Referring to the Chechen rebels who had invaded the neighboring republic of Dagestan in summer 1999, Putin said they had entered Dagestan not... MORE
LYTVYN’S BLOC – AN UMBRELLA FOR KUCHMA’S PEOPLE?
Ukrainian Parliamentary Speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn has decided on the format of his participation in the March 2006 parliamentary polls. The much-advertised mega-bloc between Lytvyn, President Viktor Yushchenko's People's Union-Our Ukraine (NSNU), and former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko's Fatherland party has failed to materialize. Instead, Lytvyn... MORE
FREEDOM OF MEDIA IN GEORGIA DECLINES EVEN FURTHER
Reporters Without Frontiers, a Paris-based watchdog organization, released the 2005 version of its Worldwide Press Freedom Index on October 20. Georgia fell from 94th place in 2004 to 99th place. Prior to the November 2003 Rose Revolution, the organization ranked Georgia 73rd. Georgia's falling scores... MORE
ALIYEV ISSUES NEW DECREES TO IMPROVE ELECTION TRANSPARENCY
A combination of international pressure and domestic tension has forced the Azerbaijani authorities to make several significant concessions regarding the November 6 parliamentary elections. Speaking at the October 25 governmental session, President Ilham Aliyev outlined new measures to ensure a transparent and democratic electoral process.... MORE