Stories about Eastern & Central Europe from December, 2005
Armenia: Admitting Fraud
Onnik Krikorian reports that one of Armenia's ruling parties has admitted that the recent constitutional referendum was falsified.
Turkmenistan: 20 Years of Turkmenbashi
neweurasia reports on the 20th anniversary of Turkmenistan's eccentric leader, Turkmenbashi, coming to power, and looks back at his history at the helm.
Russia: NGO Bill
Sean Guillory notes that Russia's controversial new bill on NGOs has passed a second reading in the State Duma. It has undergone minor technical changes, but it is still set to enormously impact relations between the state and civil society.
Ukraine: Gas & Politics
Orange Ukraine argues that Ukraine's current gas crisis will not ultimately help Yanukovich or other pro-Russia candidates in upcoming elections.
Bulgaria: Miner-Proofing ATM Cards
If necessity is the mother of invention, then Bulgarian banks may soon come up with miner-proof ATM cards according to a report from Nomad Notes.
Ukraine: Let the CIS Come
Orange Ukraine argues that Ukraine should allow CIS election observers into the country during the March elections. (They may be barred for their negative assessment of the 2004 elections–the only time they have given such an assessment despite having observed numerous elections in the former Soviet Union.)
Belarus: Pessimism on Elections
br23 blog comments on the upcoming presidential election in Belarus. That they are earlier than expected, the author says, matters not for the outcome.
Russia: Heavy Traffic
Cyber-Generation reports that it's the busiest time of year in Moscow as people prepare for the holidays and has photos of some of the horrible traffic.
Turkmenistan: Turkmen Gambit
neweurasia reports on a Russian film festival in Turkmenistan that appears to be a gift of gratitude related to a recent Russian parliamentary by-election in which voters in Turkmenistan played an important part.
Poland: Ranking the US
the beatroot reports on a new opinion poll showing that Polish opinion of the United States has decreased over the past year and discusses why this has happened.
Slovenia: The Formula
Michael Manske says there is a formula for American newspaper travel coverage of Slovenia.
Armenia: Developing the Blogosphere
Onnik Krikorian writes about developing the Armenian blogosphere and says he hopes 2006 will see the emergence of more Armenian blogs written by those with a stake in the country's future.
Kazakhstan: Post-independence Islam
Baktygul of neweurasia discusses Islam in Kazakhstan and Central Asia since independence.
Uzbekistan: Few Options Left
Registan.net carries a guest essay from an Uzbek professor who argues that so long as Islam Karimov rules the country, there is no hope for for a better life.
Russia: Domestic Violence
Sean Guillory discusses domestic violence in Russia.
Russia: Ded Moroz
Russia's Ded Moroz (Old Man Frost) is often mistaken for a Russian version of Santa Claus who brings gifts on New Year's. And while the comparison more or less works now, Konstantin of Russian Marketing Blog points out his history is quite different.
Tajikistan: Yaldo
TojikYor of Sogdiana writes about Yaldo or Shabi Chila (Yalda in Farsi), the winter solstice holiday of Iranian peoples that celebrates the birth of light and its victory over darkness.
Armenia: Living in a Mosque
Onnik Krikorian has photos from one of the last remaining mosques in Kond (which is all that remains of 19th century Yerevan, a Muslim village at the time). After the last Muslim Azeris left in the 1920s, it has been used as housing by Armenians.
Afghanistan: AfghaniStar
Q. A. Shah of Kabulog writes that seeing AfghaniStar (think American Idol, Pop Idol, or Eurovision) makes him wonder that if Afghanistan is to have this type of pop culture, whether or not it could use a cynical hipster culture to go along with it.
Afghan Blogs: Justice & War Crimes, Fighting Drugs and Parliament
Afghanistan's government recently announced it plans to address war crimes and other abuses that took place during the decades of conflict in the country. Afghan Reality writes about the importance of such a plan and problems that can block it. It is clear that an ambitious plan dealing with such...
Armenia: Hunger Strike
Onnik Krikorian reports on a hunger strike in Yerevan to protest the seizure and destruction of homes in the center of the city.