Welcome to our column, Russia Update, where we will be closely following day-to-day developments in Russia, including the Russian government’s foreign and domestic policies. The previous issue is here. President Vladimir Putin arrived in Astana, Kazakhstan for a trilateral summit with Kazakhstani President Nursultan Nazarbayev and Belarusian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka. UPDATES BELOW Special features: – […]
Staunton, September 24 – The economic problems of the Russian Federation, some of which have been exacerbated by the sanctions and counter-sanctions regime, are now spreading to some Central Asian countries because of a fall-off in transfer payments home by labor migrants in Russia and by Moscow’s inability to pay for investment in that region. […]
Staunton, September 14 – Central Asians never have been happy that many in the outside world lump them altogether as “the stans” or under an even more disparaging rubric. Earlier this year, Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev talked about renaming his country “Kazakh Eli,” and now some politicians in Kyrgyzstan are doing the same. (For a […]
Staunton, April 9 – Pro-Moscow groups in Bishkek are actively promoting the idea that “Kyrgyzstan is tired of being independent,” that the West is the source of all its problems, and that it is time “to sign everything that is required” in order to have once again a comfortable life, according to Edil Baysalov, an […]
It’s very unlikely that Ukraine will immediately become a European country as a result of the second “orange revolution” in its short post-Soviet history. But these events may have a significant impact on the situation in Russia. The Russian authorities’ passion for geopolitical games without thinking about the consequences has led to a situation where […]
In Kyrgyzstan, at least 23 protesters have been arrested after riots broke out on Monday. At the height of the violence, the province’s governor, Emil Kaptagaev, was held captive for several hours before he was released. The protests started when a Canadian-owned mining operation signed an agreement with the Kyrgyzstan government. Some have suggested that the protests […]
The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) met in Sochi to discuss security concerns facing the former Soviet bloc. Izvestia, a pro-Kremlin outlet, highlights the discussion of Syria. According to the report, the CSTO is concerned about “gangs” from Syria endangering their borders. This is curious, as one would think that the “gangs” in Syria have […]
With America’s decade long entanglement in Afghanistan coming to a close, the debate over the size and scale of any remaining American involvement in the country has come to the forefront of Washington’s policy making circuit. From the Department of Defense and the State Department, to USAID and the White House, discussions are being held […]
