Central Asia’s Stability and Russia’s Security
In August 2000, as in 1999, Islamic rebels tested the strength of Central Asian government forces. Kyrgyzstan was badly hit again; what is more, Uzbek soldiers struggled to battle the…
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North Caucasus
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What Drives Russia Coverage in the Mainstream American Press?
Foreign affairs coverage in the mainstream media in the United States–centering on the wire services, the newspapers of record (The New York Times, The Washington Post), and the major television…
Islam in Russian Society and Politics: Survival and Expansion
In modern times, whether "healthy" or "sick" from an economic and political standpoint, Russia has managed to preoccupy outside observers with the changing condition of its psyche. What was known…
Putin and the Military: How Long Will the Honeymoon Last?
Russian President Vladimir Putin aggressively wooed the man in uniform during his victorious campaign for the Kremlin, from the time of his appointment as prime minister in August 1999 until…
Southern Russia: The Heartland or Russia’s Soft Underbelly?
Southern Russia is undoubtedly of strategic importance. Its figures are not too impressive: with about 13% of Russia's total population, the region produces 15.5% of the country's agriculture and just…
Russia’s Nationalist Consolidation: Love it or Leave it?
More than sixty years ago, Russia experienced a radical ideological transition that in some respects strikingly resembles the processes taking place today. In the late twenties, Communist ideology in Russia…
Human Rights Violations in Chechnya: Implications for Western Assistance to Russia
Complaints of human rights violations by Russian authorities in Chechnya are now rampant. In early March 2000, Human Rights Watch representative Peter Bouckaert testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee…
Foreign Policy Under Putin: Pro-Western Pragmatism Might Be a Greater Challenge to the West
As Russia prepares for early presidential elections, the foreign policy strategy of the most likely winner–acting President Vladimir Putin–is the subject of much speculation. Will he be pro- or anti-Western?…
Explaining the International Community’s Response to the War in Chechnya
In between his night at the opera with Tony Blair and his tea with Queen Elizabeth, Vladimir Putin refused to see Mary Robinson, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights,…
Russian National Security Policy in 2000
Although signing a decree granting the new National Security Concept the status of law in January 2000 was one of acting president Vladimir V. Putin's first official decisions in the…