Is Kyrgyzstan’s New Political System Sustainable?
Speaking in July 2011 on the occasion of the one-year anniversary of Kyrgyzstan’s new constitution, then-President Roza Otunbaeva declared that the key task for the Kyrgyz citizenry was “to make…
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615 posts
Bolstering Exchange Programs to Link University Education with Liberal Views in Russia: A Different Perspective on “Democracy Assistance”
Efforts by the United States to promote democracy and civil society in Russia by directly supporting institutions such as political parties, nongovernmental organizations, alternative media outlets, and opposition groups have…
Sochi Surprise: Imagining Change in Moscow’s Caucasus Policy
Let us imagine… at the opening ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, the United Nations Secretary General announces a new peace deal for the Caucasus, surprising everyone. The…
Iran and Georgia: Genuine Partnership or Marriage of Convenience?
Since regaining its independence two decades ago, Georgia, a small weak state, has developed close relations with both regional and great powers and aligned with them in order to compensate…
Georgia’s Foreign Policy Impasse: Is Consensus Crumbling?
A broad, pro-Western consensus over foreign policy goals has existed in Georgia since the late 1990s, but it is not certain whether this will be sustained in the future. The…
An Interactive Planning Approach to Shaping U.S.-Russia Relations
U.S. policy toward Russia, as toward the rest of the world, tends to be highly reactive. Analysts and policy-makers usually spend their time discussing what the Russian government might do…
Turkish Foreign Policy in the AKP’s Third Term
On July 12, 2011, the Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi or AKP) claimed victory for a third time in Turkish parliamentary elections since 2002. The AKP received…
No Enemy at the Gate: An Unusual Election Cycle in Russia
A few weeks after the September 2004 hostage crisis in Beslan, North Ossetia, the leading propaganda man of the Putin regime, Vladislav Surkov, declared: "We must all realize—the enemy is…
The Path to a Political Solution in Afghanistan
The gradual withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan, announced by President Barack Obama on June 22, 2011, has made the problem of achieving a political settlement in Afghanistan more urgent…
Lost in Translation: Is there a Way to Overcome the Different Political Languages of Russia and the West?
Between Russia and the West, differences in terminology are perceived to signify irreconcilable differences in values, leading to a mutual lack of trust. Observe the language used by these former…
Violence, Politics, and Ethnicity in the “Russian Riviera”
The Krasnodar region is a wealthy province in southern Russia with a population of over five million. Located on the Black Sea coast, it borders Ukraine, Georgia (the breakaway region…
Extending the ‘Reset’ in U.S.-Russia Relations
Was the ratification of the New START treaty the one and only sign of the reset between the United States and Russia? What is the direction for their new relationship?…