Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
RUSSIAN ANALYSTS SAY MOSCOW MAY BENEFIT FROM FRENCH AND DUTCH “NO” TO EU CONSTITUTION
As the European Union's leadership reels from the French and Dutch rejection of the bloc's proposed constitution in national referendums on May 29 and June 1, respectively, most Russian analysts believe this new development may work to Russia's advantage. The resolute refusal to approve the... MORE
LAVROV MEETS CHINESE, INDIAN COUNTERPARTS IN VLADIVOSTOK
As Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met his Chinese and Indian counterparts Li Zhaoxing and Natwar Singh in Vladivostok on June 2, talk resurfaced about the three countries combining forces into a Moscow-Beijing-New Delhi axis, an alliance of three nuclear-armed countries that are home to... MORE
BREAKTHROUGH IN GEORGIA-RUSSIA NEGOTIATIONS ON TROOP WITHDRAWAL
On May 30 in Moscow, Ministers of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov and Salome Zourabichvili signed a Joint Statement regarding the "cessation of functioning" of Russian military bases and other installations and withdrawal of Russian forces from Georgia. In this document, the Russian side renounces some... MORE
RUSSIA STUDIES OSH FOR POSSIBLE NEW MILITARY BASE IN KYRGYZSTAN
Russia is seriously contemplating the possibility of increasing its military presence in Kyrgyzstan, largely in response to the Kyrgyz revolution in March and the recent unrest in Uzbekistan. Despite senior individuals with strong influence within the Kremlin alluding to Osh as the location of a... MORE
ARMENIAN LOCAL ELECTIONS REMAIN INTRA-GOVERNMENT CONTESTS AMID OPPOSITION APATHY
Over the past 15 years Armenians have grown accustomed to a great variety of political groups vying for power in their country. They must therefore be amazed by the glaring lack of choice in unfolding local elections across Armenia, races that are largely contested by... MORE
CHINA, RUSSIA FLOAT IDEA OF SELLING BAIKAL WATER
Chinese and Russian officials are considering the possibility of diverting water from Lake Baikal in Siberia through Mongolia to China's Inner Mongolia Region. According to an unnamed official from China's Ministry of Water Resources, Russian officials contacted them in May about such a project (Chinadaily.com.cn,... MORE
TALIBAN FORCES NOW ATTACKING SUNNI LEADERS IN AFGHANISTAN
Yesterday, June 1, a suicide bomber struck the grand mosque in Kandahar City, southern Afghanistan, killing at least 27 people and injuring scores of others. Among the dead was the Kabul police commander, General Akram Khakraizwall. The attack was carried out during a ceremony held... MORE
ZHVANIA’S DEATH STILL CONTROVERSIAL TOPIC IN GEORGIA
The almost-shelved investigation into the February 3 death of Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania has resurfaced and may yet damage President Mikheil Saakashvili's government. Saakashvili did not mention Zhvania's death when he reviewed the troubles Georgia has faced in 2005 when he addressed the crowd... MORE
RUSSIA CONSIDERS ITS BORDER SECURITY
Russian security officials, aware of the diverse security threats facing the country, are taking steps to raise the overall effectiveness of the border guard service. Plans to gradually increase the numbers of professional or contract personnel will be augmented by more state investment in order... MORE
RUSSIA AND IRAN JOIN HANDS IN THE CASPIAN
While Central Asia and the Caucasus have been the recent focus of world attention due to the popular revolution in Kyrgyzstan and the massacre in Andijan, Uzbekistan, potentially significant strategic developments there have been unduly neglected. In late April Russia evidently proposed the creation of... MORE