Patrice Hill is a senior correspondent for RFE/RL based in Washington.
The head of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has said there are still "significant" violations of the cease-fire in Ukraine and "no evidence" that either side is withdrawing heavy weapons from the front line as agreed last week.
U.S. President Barack Obama, in a farewell address on January 10, said he leaves the nation stronger than before, but that Americans must work to overcome deep divisions that threaten to unravel America's unity of purpose and power.
Global stock markets and the U.S. dollar took a dive on signs the U.S. presidential election is becoming an increasingly tight race between Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump.
Moody's Investors Service placed Russia's credit rating under review for a possible downgrade late on March 4, citing the "structural shock" from a prolonged drop in oil prices.
U.S. House Republican leaders changed their plans for voting on the Iran nuclear agreement September 9 under intense pressure from conservative lawmakers who adamantly oppose the deal.
Moody's Investors Service is forecasting that the deep recession in Russia this year will extend into 2016 as a result of the big drop in commodity prices and currencies caused by China's economic slowdown.
A nearly 9 percent dive in China shares sent world stocks and commodity prices plummeting on August 24, with Wall Street suffering its worst day in four years.
U.S. President Barack Obama told supporters July 30 that Democratic support in Congress for the Iran nuclear deal is "squishy" and they must work hard to counter an aggressive lobbying campaign against it.
U.S. candidates for the 2016 presidential election strived to outdo each other July 14 in being tough on Iran in the wake of a landmark nuclear deal sealed by President Barack Obama.
Greece cleared two hurdles July 11 on its way to getting another European bailout: it won tentative approval for a sweeping budget reform plan from top European lenders while Greece's own parliament resoundingly endorsed the plan.
Fitch Ratings agency maintained its relatively high rating for Russia on July 3 but said worsening tensions with the West darken the outlook for its economy.
Russia saw its biggest loss of democracy in a decade last year, while it and other authoritarian states took aggressive action to block efforts to form new democracies elsewhere in Europe and Eurasia, a new report by Freedom House finds.
