By Marlène Laruelle (2/25/2009 issue of the CACI Analyst)

Russia’s increasingly assertive foreign policy in the former Soviet Union after the war with Georgia has manifested itself in the CSTO’s decision to create a Rapid Reaction Force (RRF), seeking to enhance security in Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus and Central Asia. The creation of the RRF signals not only Russia’s intentions to bolster regional stability, but also its plans to halt NATO’s advance in its traditional “backyard,” bind the CSTO states to stronger commitments, and provide additional guarantees for security in the South Caucasus, especially in Nagorno-Karabakh, following Georgia’s failed blitzkrieg in South Ossetia.

By Vladimer Papava (11/26/2008 issue of the CACI Analyst)

After the five-day Russian-Georgian war in August 2008, and in consideration of the global financial crisis, Georgia has come to face new economic challenges. These include, in particular, undoing the economic damage caused by the war, avoiding a crisis in the banking sector, preventing further growth of an already high inflation rate, and preserving the stability of the national currency’s – the Georgian Lari (GEL) – exchange rate.

By Gregory Gleason (11/26/2008 issue of the CACI Analyst)

The Uzbek government’s notification on October 15, 2008, that Uzbekistan is suspending participation in the Eurasian Economic Community raises as many questions regarding the resilience of traditional political alignment in the “post-Soviet” region as it does regarding the Uzbek government’s assessment of the “neo-Uzbek” future. While many analysts in the post-Soviet regions continue to look at political dynamics in terms of the legacy of the Soviet past and the requirements of the restoration of traditional security and economic linkages, the Uzbek leadership’s bold move is an indication of the growing willingness to look at tomorrow’s policy challenges in innovative terms.