Brian Whitmore is the author of RFE/RL's popular Power Vertical blog, written especially for Russia wonks and obsessive Kremlin watchers, and the host of the weekly Power Vertical Podcast.
It was past midnight and we were relaxing in the hotel bar. The mood was jovial, the requisite stories were filed, and the Georgian wine was flowing. Overflowing, perhaps.
Georgia and Ukraine are hoping for a milestone at this week's NATO summit in Bucharest -- one that will edge them away from Moscow's orbit and closer to membership of an exclusive Western club.
Russia and China are the two biggest players in the neighborhood. But what recently looked like a powerful emerging alliance is showing signs of strain as Moscow and Beijing compete for access to the region's energy reserves.
One new bill proposes tighter state control over Russian online news sites. Another restricts foreign ownership of Internet service providers (ISPs). And a new government decree compels ISPs to allow the authorities to read their clients' e-mails.
Critics accuse outgoing President Kocharian and President-elect Sarkisian of promoting a tight-knit clan from their native Nagorno-Karabakh while the rest of the country suffers.
Russia is about to begin an unpredictable experiment -- having two rulers: Dmitry Medvedev as president, and current President Vladimir Putin as prime minister. From the Time of Troubles to the post-Soviet period, history has shown that such arrangements have tended to lead to instability. Will the Putin-Medvedev tandem be different?
Separatist leaders in Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Transdniester, and elsewhere are pointing to Western approval of Kosovo's independence declaration and asking: "Why not us?" Do they have a point?
They will have a new flag to fly, a new anthem to sing, and the support of much of the West. But when Kosovo finally becomes Europe's newest state, that hard-won status will have a huge asterisk attached.
Three weeks ahead of presidential elections to elect his successor, Russian President Vladimir Putin today addressed the country's top officials to outline his vision for Russia through the year 2020.
Serbian ultranationalist Tomislav Nikolic adopted a shiny new image in pursuit of the presidency. The old rabble-rousing troublemaker was out. The wise and kindly uncle was in. But even in defeat, his new brand of politics could leave its mark on Serbia.
In a dwindling presidential field, candidate Andrei Bogdanov presents himself as a pro-Western figure who wants to lead Russia into the EU. But as is frequently the case in Russian politics, all is not as it appears.
Another day, another energy coup for Russia's state gas giant. Gazprom has been cutting deals and buying up infrastructure in Europe at a furious pace. Is Russia's total dominance of the European energy market a fait accompli?
A looming low-intensity struggle for influence between Russia and the West is casting a long shadow over Serbia's election. What's at stake? Who has the upper hand?
Mikheil Saakashvili's narrow victory in this month's presidential election means he must work with an opposition that he previously shunned. That's good news for Georgian democracy. But what will it mean for Saakashvili's dream of NATO membership?
Russians are getting stronger, richer, more confident -- and more aggressive. Moscow's relations with the West sank to a new low in 2007, continuing a downward trend that is escalating as the decade progresses. Are we heading for a 21st-century version of the Cold War?
Russian President Vladimir Putin ended months of speculation about his political future on December 17 when he agreed to serve as prime minister in the event that voters elect his chosen successor, Dmitry Medvedev, as president.
He's loyal. He's weak. And he's Vladimir Putin's anointed successor. Dmitry Medvedev is arguably the perfect figure to solve the Kremlin's 2008 riddle -- keeping Putin in power after he leaves office.
Russia's parliamentary elections are the first step in assuring that Vladimir Putin stays in power -- one way or the other. The big question is whether that means Russia is headed for one-party rule.
One year ago, Aleksandr Litvinenko, a former Russian security officer and fierce Kremlin critic, died from a lethal dose of polonium-210. His death has deepened the West's suspicion of Moscow and led to a climate of fear among Kremlin critics.
With the apparent victory of former guerrilla leader Hashim Thaci in Kosovo's parliamentary elections, a unilateral declaration of independence by the breakaway province looks likely. The European Union, meanwhile, is trying to give diplomacy one last chance.
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