Russia and Eurasia - Rolling chronology
CHRONOLOGY of Russia/Eurasia-related events and daily guide to international MEDIA HEADLINES
18 May 2012 - Full text...

Saakashvili after 2013 - Questions of stability
An irreverent analyst contradicts the myth of a democratically inclined Georgia. NEW
14 May 2012 - Full text...

Exiting the presidency - Medvedev defends his record
Dmitri Medvedev may have dismayed supporters by the way he announced his alternation with Putin, but his contribution to the gradual liberalisation of Russian politics has been real. NEW
6 May 2012 - Full text...

Eurovision contest turns political - Unscrpted song and dance in Baku
Azerbaijan’s organisation of the2012 Eurovision contest (semi-finals and final 22-28 May) was supposed to be a moment of national triumph; but it begins to look more like an embarrassment.
27 April 2012 - Full text...

US Missile Defence and Russia - A practical proposal
A Western expert proposes taking US-European missile defence plans ‘off the front burner’
18 April 2012 - Full text...

Ukraine and the Customs Union - An informed study
A panel of experts pronounces on proposals for integrating the Ukrainian with other CIS economies.
9 April 2012 - Full text...

Russian ‘energy diplomacy’ - Another way of seeing it
A Western analyst probes the reality and provenance of Russia’s ‘energy weapon’
31 March 2012 - Full text...

The Krelmlin and the Opposition - 'Moving on'
It is generally concluded that the demonstrations which shook Russia between the 2011 parliamentary and 2012 presidential elections changed Russia for the better. We examine what is happening on both the ‘Kremlin’ and the ‘opposition’ side. In the meantime, a complex of appointments and administrative innovations offers a clue to the intentions of the leadership. We treat the opposition in a second entry.
28 March 2012 - Full text...

‘Moving on’ - Russian opposition’s uphill task
Much work is required if the Russian ‘opposition’ is to capitalise on the political awakening that emerged in the demonstrations before the presidential election. At the same time, the opposition must distance itself from street movement, if it is to gain credibility.
27 March 2012 - Full text...

Russia’s defence effort - Hopes and realities
Defence experts question Moscow’s ambitious plans to overhaul its defence posture and military-industrial base.
14 March 2012 - Full text...

After Putin’s victory - Everyone's dilemma
Not only Putin, but all the opposition groups, must now decide where they are going.
5 March 2012 - Full text...

One against All - Putin’s response to his opponents
In next Sunday’s Russian presidential election, there is little chance of pulling Putin down. His belated campaign on his own behalf has included apparent concessions. The question is whether he will change course or resort to mere window-dressing .
26 February 2012 - Full text...

All against One - 'Anti' candidates in Russia’s election
We assess the roles of anti-Putin candidates in the 4th March vote for a new Russian president.
25 February 2012 - Full text...

Latvia edges towards the future - Language referendum was a test
The results of the 18 February referendum on the possible use of Russian as a second national language show that 20 years after independence, Latvia’s inhabitants remain ethnically divided. But there are signs of a change.
24 February 2012 - Full text...

Russia, Syria, Iran and Afghanistan - Moscow’s superior but uncomfortable view
Russia possesses all the expertise necessary to judge the direction of current events in the Islamic and Arab world, but lacks the means to influence them.
19 February 2012 - Full text...

After the ‘demos’ - Putin at a divide
After the 50,000 turn-out for Saturday’s ‘opposition’ march President-in-waiting Vladimir Putin has a choice between adopting constitutional reforms or ignoring popular grievances at his peril. But the opposition is still in no state to offer an alternative regime.
8 February 2012 - Full text...

Russia braced for 4th February - Opposition’s defiant diversity
Demonstrations on 4 February will underline divisions among both pro- and anti-Putin forces, but may also stimulate efforts by the opposition to create a structure, and hopefully a recognition by the authorities that the mood of many urban Russians is too strong to ignore.
31 January 2012 - Full text...

Kazakhstan elections - Problems and discontents
The 18 January parliamentary elections in Kazakhstan involve more than the question of a few opposition seats.
12 January 2012 - Full text...

Afghanistan and after - Central Asian states ‘on edge’
Former Soviet republics are bracing themselves for possible destabilisation as the date approaches for the withdrawal of NATO forces from Afghanistan.
5 January 2012 - Full text...

Sixty-one Days - November-December, 2011
Chronology and Internet guide to Russ/Eurasia-related events in November and Dec ember 2011
1 January 2012 - Full text...