Jean-Christophe Peuch

Also by Jean-Christophe Peuch

• December 17, 2004

  Georgia: Saakashvili Blows Hot And Cold On Separatist Issue

  The president of Georgia has sent mixed signals this week to the breakaway republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Following a government reshuffle aimed at enhancing Georgian defense and security capabilities, Mikheil Saakashvili on 15 December suggested he might resort to force to bring the rebellious provinces back into the fold. The next day, however, he reiterated a previous commitment to restore Georgia's territorial integrity through peaceful means.

• December 17, 2004

  Georgia: Education Minister Determined To Proceed With Controversial Reforms

  Like other CIS countries, Georgia inherited a well-developed education system from the Soviet Union. Since 1991, however, economic hardship and corruption have progressively eroded the quality of its education sector. According to the European Training Foundation, a European Union agency specializing in education assistance to developing countries, the skills and knowledge being offered to Georgian students have become obsolete on the labor market. Earlier this year, the Georgian government said it would remedy the situation by reforming the entire education system.

• December 14, 2004

  EU: France Says Turkey Must Recognize Armenian Atrocities Before Joining EU

  Three days before a key European Union summit that is likely to give Turkey a date for starting formal entry talks, French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier has said that Ankara must reassess its past. Barnier said yesterday that Turkey must come to terms with the mass killing of Armenians in the late years of the Ottoman Empire before it can enter the EU. The remarks have already provoked reactions in Turkey. Ankara has long denied charges that Turks committed genocide against Armenians.

• December 10, 2004

  Chechnya: Ten Years After -- The Logic Behind The First Chechen War

  On 11 December 1994, Russian troops entered Chechnya. Officially, their mission was to restore Moscow's authority over the secessionist republic. The Russian defense minister at the time, Pavel Grachev, assured then President Boris Yeltsin that the Chechen capital Grozny could be seized in two hours by a regiment of paratroopers. Ten years and two military campaigns later, the war rages on, with no end in sight. RFE/RL takes a look back at the events that led Russia and Chechnya into the most brutal conflict of the late 20th century.

• December 07, 2004

  Georgia: Could Abkhaz Election Deal Prove A Pyrrhic Victory For Russia?

  Abkhaz Prime Minister Raul Khajimba has agreed to run as the junior partner on the new ticket (file photo) The two rivals in Abkhazia's disputed presidential election agreed yesterday to stand together in a new poll in early January. Russia, which has been maintaining close political and economic ties with Abkhazia since it won de facto independence from Georgia in the early 1990s, was instrumental in helping secure the last-minute compromise. Supporters in both camps seem unhappy with the deal, which they see as being imposed upon them by Moscow.

• December 06, 2004

  Georgia: Abkhazia Presidential Rivals Strike Tentative Last-Minute Deal

  Government presidential candidate Raul Khajimba Averting the threat of an economic blockade from Russia, Abkhazia's presidential rivals announced late yesterday that they had reached an agreement that could defuse tensions in the Black Sea province. Under the deal, opposition leader Sergei Bagapsh and former prime minister Raul Khajimba are expected to run together on a joint ticket in new presidential elections. Meanwhile, reports say the situation in the Georgian separatist republic remains tense. Early today, a series of blasts shook the regional capital Sukhum.

• December 03, 2004

  Abkhazia: Declared Presidential Victor Gears Up For Inauguration Amid Russian Threats

  Tensions are running high between Russia and Sergei Bagapsh, the official winner of October's presidential election in Abkhazia. Russia this week announced a string of economic sanctions against Abkhazia that are obviously aimed at forcing Bagapsh to drop plans for his inauguration. But the Abkhaz opposition leader insists he will be sworn in on 6 December as scheduled.

• December 02, 2004

  Ukraine: Eastern Regions Enter Intricate Political Game

  Yanukovych supporters demonstrating last week in Donetsk As the political crisis in Ukraine continues to unfold, the focus is shifting to the traditional divide -- economic, linguistic, and cultural -- that exists between the country's largely Russian-speaking eastern regions and the rest of the country. In the east, local governors and parliaments have threatened to press for a new relationship with Kyiv if the opposition assumes power. The adversaries of outgoing President Leonid Kuchma have denounced what they call a government-sponsored political maneuver that they say threatens Ukraine's territorial integrity.

• December 01, 2004

  Georgia: Russia Steps Up Pressure On Abkhaz Opposition

  Tensions have been heightening between Russia and the declared winner of October's presidential election in Abkhazia. Moscow has refused to recognize the results of the poll, which signaled the defeat of the current pro-Moscow administration. Today, a Russian government official announced a series of measures aimed at forcing the hand of the Abkhaz opposition.

• November 30, 2004

  Ukraine: Is Kuchma's Proposal For New Vote A Bid To Sideline Yushchenko?

  President Kuchma (file photo) In comments broadcast on national television, Ukraine's outgoing President Leonid Kuchma suggested yesterday that a new vote be held as the best possible way to extricate the country from the acute political crisis triggered by the disputed 21 November presidential runoff. What could Kuchma's motives possibly be in supporting a new vote?

• November 25, 2004

  Ukraine: Could Crisis Strain U.S.-Russian Ties?

  Putin and Bush The United States has strongly rejected the official results of Ukraine's disputed presidential polls that confirmed the victory of Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych against opposition candidate Viktor Yushchenko. The vehemence of Washington's reaction risks putting it at odds with Moscow, which has lent full support to Yanukovych. How seriously might the Ukrainian crisis affect U.S.-Russian ties?

• November 24, 2004

  Ukraine: What Legal Recourse Is Open To The Opposition?

  The symbolic oath wasn't enough One of Ukraine's top magistrates yesterday has advised opposition presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko to file a legal appeal against the 21 November disputed election results with the Supreme Court. The magistrate said the current political standoff could only be resolved through the judiciary. Analysts say indeed the courts might be the opposition's only recourse for overturning the results.

• November 23, 2004

  Ukraine: Experts Ponder Possible Outcome Of Election Dispute

  Despite government warnings that any lawlessness will be quickly suppressed, Ukraine's liberal opposition has vowed a campaign of mass street protests and civil disobedience to overturn the results of the controversial 21 November presidential runoff. Regional experts, however, do not anticipate violence. They believe both the government and the opposition will try to seek a peaceful solution to their dispute.

• November 19, 2004

  Georgia: One Year Later, Bloom Fading On 'Rose Revolution' Despite Achievements

  Mikheil Saakashvili (file photo) One year ago, former Soviet Politburo member Eduard Shevardnadze stepped down as president of Georgia. Shevardnadze's resignation ended a three-week political crisis triggered by disputed legislative polls and paved the way for the rise to power of young opposition leader Mikheil Saakashvili. During the election campaign that followed the so-called "Rose Revolution," Saakashvili pledged to impose the rule of law and enhance democratic standards in Georgia. If the new Georgian president has succeeded in restoring order and combating economic crime, his critics say he has yet to implement the second part of his electoral program.

• November 18, 2004

  Georgia: Abkhaz Crisis Deepens As Police Reportedly Desert The Government

  The political crisis over the disputed presidential poll in Georgia's separatist Republic of Abkhazia intensified yesterday, with all regional police chiefs saying they can no longer obey government orders. In a statement, the signatories accused the authorities of misinforming the Abkhaz population and blamed Prime Minister Nodar Khashba for encouraging chaos and disorder in the Black Sea province. Hours later, outgoing President Vladislav Ardzinba fired one of his top aides for allegedly siding with the opposition.

• November 09, 2004

  Russia: Protesters Ransack Government Building In Karachaevo-Cherkessia

  Hundreds of angry protesters today forced their way into the government headquarters of Russia's southern republic of Karachaevo-Cherkessia to demand the resignation of President Mustafa Batdyev and his cabinet. Clashes with police reportedly left several wounded. The incident follows the recent disappearance and suspected murder of a regional lawmaker and six other men.

• November 05, 2004

  Georgia: South Ossetian Leaders Hold Direct Talks With Government Amid Unabated Tensions

  Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania and South Ossetian separatist leader Eduard Kokoity discussed ways to ease tensions between Tbilisi and Tskhinvali today. The talks, which took place in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi, were the first high-level contacts between the two sides since the deadly armed clashes that pitted Georgian troops against South Ossetian armed forces last August. Yet, they are being overshadowed by new flare-ups in the separatist region.

• November 04, 2004

  Georgia: Failure Of Abkhaz Mediation Talks Deepens Moscow's Quandary

  Earlier this week, the two main contenders for the presidency in Georgia's breakaway republic of Abkhazia went to Moscow for emergency talks aimed at settling their postelection dispute. The consultations ended inconclusively, with both men looking more than ever entrenched in their positions. As prospects for a solution to the Abkhaz political stalemate look dimmer, the apparent failure of Moscow's mediation efforts raises many questions.

• November 02, 2004

  Georgia: Abkhaz Presidential Rivals Hold Emergency Talks In Moscow

  The main two rivals for the presidency in Georgia's secessionist republic of Abkhazia were in Moscow today for consultations reportedly aimed at defusing tension in the Black Sea province. Meanwhile, in the regional capital, Sukhum, the political situation remains deadlocked, with supporters of both candidates vying for control over Abkhazia's main television station.

• October 27, 2004

  Azerbaijan: Ilham Aliyev Ends Checkered Year As President

  On 31 October 2003, 41-year-old Ilham Aliyev formally succeeded his ailing father as president of the oil-rich Caspian republic of Azerbaijan. While taking the oath on the Koran and Azerbaijan's Constitution, Aliyev pledged to bring his country "peace, order, progress, stability, and economic prosperity" and to pursue a path toward democratic reforms. While Aliyev's first year in power has brought some positive changes, he seems unable -- or unwilling -- to make a clean break with his father's controversial legacy.

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