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Thursday, May 7, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
Baltic States Faulted for Discriminating Against Minorities
A large ethnic Russian minority population in Latvia and Estonia, which joined the European Union (EU) along with Lithuania in 2004, has repeatedly complained of discrimination and denial of political and social rights by the three Baltic governments.DISARMAMENT: Bridges Could Become Barricades
Although the ratification of a new strategic arms reduction treaty (START) with the United States is considered a top priority for the Medvedev administration, experts are debating whether such an agreement could threaten to reduce Russian military power in the future.Soviet Shadow Over Russia
With less than a year remaining for parliamentary and presidential elections in Russia, human rights activists and opposition forces have become targets of political intimidation and frequent harassment by law enforcement agencies. They see an effort to exclude them from the country’s democratic process.Russia Struggles to Get a Grip on Corruption
A government initiative aimed at rooting out deep-seated corruption in Russia has hit a number of stumbling blocks since its implementation. According to experts, the initiative, adopted by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev at the beginning of his term, has been unsuccessful in combating the pervasive issue of corruption, particularly in regional administrations and offices, in this eastern European country.CENTRAL ASIA: Remittances on the Rise
Financial remittances to the Central Asian Republics by millions of both undocumented and legal migrants working in Russia have increased substantially, labour experts say.RUSSIA: New START May End With a Whimper
Efforts by the U.S. and Russian governments to move speedily towards the abolition of strategic nuclear weapons have hit stumbling blocks and continue to generate debates among experts about the practicality of achieving a nuclear- free world in the near future.
ENVIRONMENT-RUSSIA: Threat To Polar Bears Worries Russian Experts
- Environmental experts in Russia have warned that unless urgent steps are taken internationally, climatic changes combined with man-made factors could reduce the world's population of polar bears by as much as 70 percent by 2060.CENTRAL ASIA: Kyrgyzstan – Wakeup Call For EU, US
The popular revolt in Kyrgystan this month should "serve as a wakeup call to the European Union and the United States, prompting some serious rethinking of their policy priorities in Central Asia," says a leading area expert.
Q&A: ‘Kyrgyzstan Has Undergone a Grassroots Revolution’
Apas Kubanychbek, who hails from the high mountainous area of Ysyk-Ata in the Chuyskaya province of Kyrgyzstan, was involved in the political movements and democratic struggles of the former Soviet republic in the early 1990s.RIGHTS: Death Penalty Lingers in Former Soviet Republics
The executions of two Belarus citizens in March and calls by Russian senators to reintroduce capital punishment for terrorists are being seen as indications that the death penalty is not about to fade out soon in the former Soviet republics.RUSSIA: Outpaced by China in Africa
Russian efforts to acquire oil and gas fields in Africa and prospect for minerals on the resource-rich continent have yielded little success over the past decade due to lack of a coherent national strategy, experts say.
Q&A: Heavy Vehicle Market Taking Off in Africa
Russian president Dmitry Medvedev’s recent official visit to a handful of African countries has provided new impetus to Russian business’s interest in the region.TRADE-AFRICA: Russia “Could be Left Behind”
Russia should reconsider its trade policy towards African states if it wants to keep up with the likes of China, the European Union (EU) and the U.S., say experts.RUSSIA: The Language of Influence Weakens
Nearly all of the former Soviet republics have adopted native languages that were suppressed during the communist era at the expense of Russian. This is affecting Russia's influence over the commonwealth of independent states.RUSSIA: Some Partial Resetting at Last
Russia and the United States have made a breakthrough by signing a new strategic arms reduction agreement after several months of diplomatic negotiations, closing some of the pages of the past and opening a new chapter for the future.
TRADE: Crisis Pushing Emerging Markets to Move Beyond the Dollar
The global economic crisis is pushing countries in regions with emerging markets, such as Russia and South Africa, to together move beyond the dollar-based economic model. Given their politico-economic similarities, these two countries should build on opportunities to share expertise and technology.RUSSIA: Hoping for Much, Expecting Little
U.S. President Barack Obama's visit to Russia next week is expected to bring significant but limited improvement in troubled relations between the two giants.TRADE: Russia Joining, Joining…
After years of negotiations on joining the WTO, Russia is still far from meeting the requirements set forth by the organisation.
TRADE-RUSSIA: ‘‘Africa Should Shake off Mineral Dependency’’
A group of Russian executives from industry, investment banks and commercial enterprises are seeking Russian government support for a five billion dollar investment in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) under the auspices of the Russia-South Africa Business Council.EUROPE: Democracy Failing Under Russian Shadow
Eighteen years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, many of the newly created republics are still struggling to find a working democracy amidst failing economies.
Q&A: Russian Company Is Ready to Excavate African Potential
At a glance, trade between Russia and African states is still at low levels, which experts attribute to an inadequate flow of information and lack of interaction.« Previous Page — Next Page »
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