By Richard Weitz (3/5/2008 issue of the CACI Analyst)

The crisis initiated by last month’s disputed elections in Armenia and the violence of March 1 has confronted the international community with hard choices. On the one hand, the elections were imperfect. On the other hand, the opposition is led by a flawed man whose supporters contributed to the violence.

By Richard Pomfret (2/21/2008 issue of the CACI Analyst)

Kazakhstan’s banks have been considered one of the country’s major successes, but are currently facing serious difficulties. Foreign loans have to be repaid, but bank assets are tied up in loans with longer maturities.  The government has begun to help the banks, but at the cost of fuelling inflation.

By Richard Weitz (2/21/2008 issue of the CACI Analyst)

The military conflict in Afghanistan dominated the informal NATO Defense Ministers meeting in Vilnius on February 7-8. Although the ministers sought to downplay their differences and highlight their achievements, it quickly became apparent that their governments disagree sharply over how best to promote peace and prosperity in the country. The chaos in neighboring Pakistan has reinforced the urgency of shoring up NATO’s commitment to Afghanistan at a time when the Kabul government is losing support among Afghan citizens frustrated by decades or war and poverty.