The Rise of Female Infanticide in the South Caucasus Prenatal sex selection has been a growing phenomenon over the last 30 years, most famously in developing nations like China and India. Yet, parts of the Former Soviet Union also have high levels of female infanticide, an issue explored in this post by Molly McParland. Aid … Continue reading
Vladimir Sarkisyants explains why Azerbaijani and Armenian officials couldn’t even agree to meet again over a protracted conflict. In the shadow of the unbaiting protests in Ukraine that stole the headlines, another event in the former Soviet space took place last month. On January 24, the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan – accompanied by … Continue reading
Vladimir Sarkisyants examines the Russo-Ukrainian trade deal and asks whether Russia is making a rod for its own back with the creation of a Eurasian trade bloc to rival the EU. On 17 December, Russia threw a ‘lifeline’ to the embattled Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych. The ongoing social unrest in Kiev notwithstanding, Yanukovych’s efforts to … Continue reading
The EU’s Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius saw Georgia and Moldova initial Association Agreements, but Ukraine and Armenia have leant towards a Russian alternative. Giovanni Cadioli asks why the Eurasian Union has made an unlikely comeback, and whether it is sustainable. As shown in a post published last week, Russia has not been entirely successful … Continue reading
The recent move by the Armenian government to bring its negotiations on free trade agreement with the EU to an abrupt end surprised many. But should it have really been that unexpected? Vladimir Sarkisyants says that, in retrospect, the possibility of signing a promising agreement with the EU when Russia was advancing its own regional … Continue reading
The news to 10 November 2013. As the 19th United Nations Climate Change Conference gets underway in Warsaw, Poland will also host a coal industry summit. The Guardian reports that the International Coal and Climate Summit will discuss the role of the fossil fuel in the global economy within the framework of the climate change … Continue reading
The news to September 23 Russian border guards are towing a Greenpeace ship to an Arctic port, where its activists could face charges for a protest on an oil rig owned by the Gazprom energy giant. The Arctic Sunrise ship, which Russian security forces have controlled since storming the vessel in a dramatic helicopter operation … Continue reading
Much coverage of relations between the CIS states and Russia or Europe has suggested a battle for political supremacy in the region. While politics explains much about what is possible, Josh Black argues that it is trade that determines what is desirable. Perish the thought, but Armenia’s decision to join Russia’s Eurasian Union might not … Continue reading
In November 2013, the European Union and the Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries will hold a biennial summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. Expected to be a major milestone in EU’s relations with EaP countries, Levan Kakhishvili explains why the Vilnius summit has been challenged by recent developments. Recently, Armenia’s President, Serzh Sargsyan, had a meeting with his … Continue reading
The news to 28 July 2013. Ukraine celebrates the 1,025th anniversary of the conversion of Kyivan Rus’ to Christianity. The leaders of prominent Orthodox societies have arrived in Kyiv, and Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych will use the occasion to hold a succession of bilateral talks. Source: RFE/RL The two jailed members of Pussy Riot have … Continue reading
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