Following the June violence, Kyrgyzstan remains gripped by uncertainty surrounding rebuilding in the South and the upcoming parliamentary election. There is a strong potential for continued conflict in the country if these issues are not addressed.
Central Asia has significant importance to U.S. national interests and the Obama administration has a role to play in promoting human rights in the region.
Through business connections, Georgia and Abkhazia can discover opportunities for mutually beneficial engagement that could improve socio-economic conditions in Abkhazia, build confidence on both sides, and eventually help resolve the conflict there.
Europe encompasses more than just the European Union; Russians are Europeans as well. As Russia continues to evolve, it needs wide-ranging efforts at modernization, and the European Union can certainly help. Yet Russia needs to work with the entirety of the EU, not only its larger members.
July marks the one-year anniversary of the U.S.–Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission, launched by Presidents Obama and Medvedev in their July 2009 summit meeting with the goal of advancing bilateral cooperation on a wide range of issues, including business development and economic relations.
The future for Kyrgyzstan remains unclear and the nature of the political systems in other Central Asian states creates the risk that conflicts such as those recently seen in Kyrgyzstan could break out in neighboring countries.
U.S.-Russian security relations extend beyond the crucial New START Treaty; both the United States and Russia recognize the need for engaging in broader security cooperation.
After the New START Treaty was signed on April 8, 2010, U.S. and Russian authorities turned their attention from nuclear disarmament to other matters. However, crises in the nonproliferation regime and U.S.-Russian relations could arise all too soon, if the two governments do not continue to address bilateral nuclear disarmament.
Following the 2008 war, the United States has struggled to redefine its relationship with Georgia. Questions remain concerning the situation in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, as well as the remaining democratic weaknesses in the Georgian government.
The mood surrounding Dmitry Medvedev’s trip to Silicon Valley and to Washington, D.C., is noticeably more positive than during previous visits, as a result of the reset in U.S.-Russian relations.
The euro crisis is driven primarily by two elements – problematic sovereign debt in Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, and Spain, and fragile European banks. While ballooning public debt may be the clearest manifestation of the euro crisis, its roots go much deeper.
The effects of globalization have spread to every corner of the world, but its manifestations can differ significantly. Le Monde Diplomatique's Atlas 2010 contains information on how globalization is affecting different parts of the world.
The financial crisis has exposed the weaknesses in a number of national and international financial institutions. It has also created the opportunity to develop an integrated regulatory framework for the global financial sector.
The circumstances surrounding the exodus of the Russian population of Chechnya and the deterioration of bilateral relations must be better understood if Moscow wishes to cultivate positive relations between Chechens and Russians and to avoid similar developments in other parts of Russia.
The role and importance of Orthodoxy in the Russian media is growing, but journalists and clergy alike have become overly focused on promoting their preferred image of Orthodoxy and demonstrating how they think Orthodoxy should be perceived by the public and portrayed in the media.
Despite its decrease in transparency and limited reductions, the new START Treaty is nonetheless a major achievement. Above all, it is an important political accomplishment, and a significant result of the reset in Russian-U.S. cooperation.
Moldova is Europe's poorest country, and it faces the difficult task of creating the conditions necessary for sustainable development and modernization. The nation's foreign policy is focused on the realization of this aim.
European and Russian experts discuss the key issues affecting Russia-Europe relations.
Civil society development in Russia faces a great number of problems. Civil society exists, but it is fragmentary and divided and existing spaces for dialogue with the state have notable limits.
The institution of parenthood is undergoing a transformation in Russia today as parents, bypassing the state and cooperating independently amongst themselves, are quietly helping to undermine statist paternalism.