Lukashenka uses the elections to gain leverage in his dealings with the EU.

Russian writers are saying in books what journalists cannot say in print or on television.

Georgia must take immediate steps to show it is serious about accommodation with Abkhazia.

Tajiks suffered deadly hardships this winter, and might again this year. But there's no revolt in sight.

A few recent flare-ups in Tajikistan raise the question of which is stronger: the people's sense of local identity or their fear of civil war.

Efforts to market the Baltic Sea region are so far coming up dry.

Filmmaker Danis Tanovic has a vision for his country, and he's not waiting for anyone else to make it happen.

Public concerns aside, two commentators see merits in the American missile system.

Kazakhstan isn't quite as ham-handed as Russia when it comes to energy - but give it time.

Taking a lesson from history, the Kosovo government must start giving more than lip service to minority rights.

Loneliness is not the only hard part of being a widow in Russia.

The 2010 OSCE chair seems to be retreating from commitments to foster democracy at home. From EurasiaNet.

Formal institutions and rules in the post-Soviet world do matter. But informal arrangements matter much more.

Не все румынские студенты убеждены, что европейские стандарты улучшают образование. Некоторые профессора с ними согласны.

The world's newest country eyes its far-flung emigrants for much-needed business investment.

Milosevic's old party is back in government with new, younger leadership eager for an EU future.

Amid reports of weapon shipments, a Georgian analyst says Russia wants to escalate the Abkhazia conflict.

Moscow slowly opens its wallet to nations in need.

Two U.S. lawmakers say the Kazakh leader deserves a Nobel Prize for giving up Soviet-era atomic weapons. From EurasiaNet.