Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Egyptian authorities have banned protests and tightened security overnight to prevent demonstrators from repeating the rally on January 25, when thousands took to the streets of Cairo to denounce President Hosni Mubarak.
The new conviction of Russian oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky is a potent demonstration of the regime’s lack of commitment to the modernization of the Russian political and judicial system.
A recent law expanding the power of the Federal Security Service (FSB), Russia’s secret service, has provoked concern among human rights organizations and political activists.
The attack at the Baksan hydropower station may be a sign that the militants in the Russian republic of Kabardino-Balkaria are switching to guerilla warfare and that the authorities must rethink their strategy for how to deal with the North Caucasus.
The recent terrorist attack in Stavropol suggests that if Russia is still facing an increasing number of terrorist attacks, then perhaps it is time for the authorities to rethink their policies for the pacification of the Caucasus.
Public hostility toward the Kyrgyz government escalated over the past weeks, leading to the recent street protests and demonstrations that seem to have topped the government of President Bakiyev.
The Moscow City government's plans to put up billboards honoring Joseph Stalin for the 65th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany are a clear act of political rebellion against the Kremlin.
In 1990, when the Russian economy was falling apart and Russia was suffering from acute food shortages, the first McDonald's opened in Moscow, offering a new experience of food service.
The five post-Soviet Central Asian republics—Kazakhstan, Krygyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan—share common political, cultural, and historical roots, but they are far from homogeneous, and continuing domestic and regional tensions could lead to violent conflict.
In his annual address, President Medvedev delivered a critical and shrewd assessment of Russia's state of affairs, but it remains to be seen whether fear of yielding political control will prevent the Kremlin from acting on Medvedev’s bold words.