THE AFGHANISTAN-RUSSIA RAPPROCHEMENT AND ITS GEOPOLITICAL IMPLICATIONS
By Dmitry Shlapentokh (5/30/2007 issue of the CACI Analyst)
In the last month or so, two striking events have taken place: the shooting down of a Russian helicopter in Chechnya, and the increasing signs of assertiveness of the Taliban in Afghanistan and the creation of a Taliban quasi-state in the tribal areas of Pakistan. While these events can be seen as disconnected, they actually identify the increasing force of radical Islamists; in this context, one should look at the recent improvement in military cooperation between Karzai’s government and Russia’s leaders. In a spring 2007 visit, the Afghan government expressed the desire to buy Russian weapons and see their personnel trained in Russia, implicitly seeing Russia’s direct involvement in the conflict in some way.
CHANGES IN ARMENIA’S POLITICAL LANDSCAPE SET SCENE FOR PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS
By Niklas Nilsson (5/30/2007 issue of the CACI Analyst)
Results of the parliamentary elections in Armenia strengthened the position of the Republican Party of Armenia, in all likelihood providing for Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian replacing Robert Kocharyan as President in the 2008 presidential elections. The elections also introduced the newly formed Prosperous Armenia Party in parliament, a party widely seen as supported by President Kocharyan. Raffi Hovannisian’s Heritage Party represents a new opposition force and will, along with Artur Baghdasarian’s Country of Law Party, constitute the only opposition in parliament.
TURKISH INITIATIVE FOR PAKISTANI-AFGHAN DIALOGUE
By Haroun Mir (5/30/2007 issue of the CACI Analyst)
The Turkish effort to reinvigorate negotiations between the leaders of Afghanistan and Pakistan, after talks under the auspices of George W. Bush last October had failed, provides hope for building a constructive dialogue between the two nations. A further deterioration of relations between the two countries would only embolden religious extremists who threaten the stability of both countries.
NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT: TIME-OUT UNTIL 2009
By Fariz Ismailzade (5/30/2007 issue of the CACI Analyst)
As Armenia’s parliamentary elections were held, a period dating back to late 2005 ended without the much-expected achievements in the peace process in the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh. Both Presidents continue to remain hostage to their nationalistic crowds at home, which refuse to accept any serious concessions. The public is unprepared for the compromises that will be actualized in 2009, when the peace process is likely to pick up speed after presidential elections are held in both countries.
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Staff Publications
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Analysis Svante E. Cornell, "Promise and Peril in the Caucasus," AFPC Insights, March 30, 2023.
Oped S. Frederick Starr, Putin's War In Ukraine and the Crimean War), 19fourtyfive, January 2, 2023
Oped S. Frederick Starr, Russia Needs Its Own Charles de Gaulle, Foreign Policy, July 21, 2022.
Silk Road Paper S. Frederick Starr, Rethinking Greater Central Asia: American and Western Stakes in the Region and How to Advance Them, June 2022
Oped Svante E. Cornell & Albert Barro, With referendum, Kazakh President pushes for reforms, Euractiv, June 3, 2022.
Oped Svante E. Cornell Russia's Southern Neighbors Take a Stand, The Hill, May 6, 2022.
Silk Road Paper Johan Engvall, Between Bandits and Bureaucrats: 30 Years of Parliamentary Development in Kyrgyzstan, January 2022.
Oped Svante E. Cornell, No, The War in Ukraine is not about NATO, The Hill, March 9, 2022.
Analysis Svante E. Cornell, Kazakhstan’s Crisis Calls for a Central Asia Policy Reboot, The National Interest, January 34, 2022.
Book S. Frederick Starr and Svante E. Cornell, Strong and Unique: Three Decades of U.S.-Kazakhstan Partnership, Central Asia-Caucasus Institute, December 2021.
Silk Road Paper Svante E. Cornell, S. Frederick Starr & Albert Barro, Political and Economic Reforms in Kazakhstan Under President Tokayev, November 2021.