The latest forecasts show that central Asia and the Caucasus are the fastest-growing economies in the former Communist bloc, writes a leading analyst.
“Yet, given the low level of income and relatively high population growth of these countries, the numbers …
Afghanistan’s parliament has rejected a law banning violence against women in “a severe blow to progress made in women’s rights in the conservative Muslim country since the Islamist Taliban was toppled over a decade ago,” Reuters reports:
President Hamid …
Iranian hard-liners are pressing for two prominent candidates to be barred from contesting next month’s presidential election “in a further sign of intense political jockeying over the final ballot list,” AP reports:
The appeal by nearly 100 parliament …
State-controlled media reveled in embarrassing the U.S. over an alleged attempt to recruit a Russian intelligence agent, highlighting the summoning of U.S. Ambassador Michael McFaul (right) to the Russian Foreign Ministry to receive a formal protest.
“In the Russian elite …
“The most striking attribute of the ‘Arab regional order’ today is that it is not an order at all, but rather is experiencing total change in all dimensions,” says a prominent analyst:
“Today,…. every single element of the regional Arab …
The theory of inclusion/moderation posits that the more ideologically fanatical parties are included in the political process, the more realistic, pragmatic and respectful of democratic rules they become. But this has not been the case with Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, writes …
Russia should revise a law that is having “obstructive, intimidating and stigmatizing effects” on the country’s non-governmental organizations, three United Nations experts said today. The report coincides with growing concern that a former Kremlin ideologue’s resignation signals that the regime …
“Syria’s main opposition bloc wants to consult its allies before deciding on joining a U.S.-Russia initiative to negotiate a peaceful transition, Associated Press reports:
The time, venue and agenda of the conference have not been set, reflecting disagreements between …
Tunisia’s Islamist-majority government has cracked down on the operations of Ansar al-sharia, the hardline Salafist group suspected of involvement in the attack on the US embassy in Tunis last year.
The initiative coincides with expressions of concern by international and …
“Pakistan is about to cross an important threshold: this weekend’s elections, if all goes to plan, will mark the country’s first transition between elected governments. But this is not a moment for triumphalism,” writes a prominent analyst.
Opinion surveys …