Stories about Eastern & Central Europe from January, 2006
Albania: Whiskey
Our Man in Tirana cautions that if one finds what appears to high-quality whiskey, it very well may be local rotgut in a good bottle.
Kazakhstan: Opposition Leader Freed
James of neweurasia reports that Kazakhstan has freed a major opposition leader halfway through his jail term.
Tajikistan: Fraternizing with Iran
neweurasia reports that Tajikistan has picked on odd time to be fraternizing with Iran..
Tajikistan: Wedding
Tajikistan Travels reports on a Tajik wedding.
Mongolia: New Agenda
…yuu bna? reports on the MPRP's (Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party) new agenda.
Hungary: Nationalizing Organs
Pestiside.hu reports that Hungary's health minister opposes the country joining Europe's organ transplant matching service, saying that he thinks Hungarian organs, “national assets” as he calls them, should only go to other countries in the rarest circumstances.
Turkmenistan: Pensions Cut
Peter of neweurasia relays some disturbing Russian language reports of severe pension cuts or cancellations in Turkmenistan.
Tajikistan: Kurgan Teppa
Tajikistan Travels reports on a visit to the Kurgan Teppa Women's Center, the only center of its kind in the country, and tells the story of one of the women there.
Mongolia: Thoughts on Politics
Chris Miller has some thoughts about Mongolia's political turbulence, including some observations that the situation is less dramatic than it is being portrayed by the foreign media.
Russia: Day Watch
Russia Marketing Blog reports that a new movie, Dnevnoy Dozor (Day Watch), is smashing Russian box office records and raking in lots of profit.
Albania: Roads
Our Man in Tirana reports that the roads in Albania are a nightmare and that there are no signs that things will improve in the near future.
Afghanistan: Kabul & Security Barriers
Afghan Warrior writes that the people of Kabul support the decision of their government regarding the removal of the security barriers from the streets of the capital. These barriers create a huge traffic congestion in Kabul, a longtime complaint of the city's residents. He also adds that in some parts...
Afghanistan:Ambassador Speaking
Accroding to webgardian, Mr.Tandar, the Afghanistan ambassador in Belgium responsible for the Afghan delegation to the European Union, in an interview with WashingtonPrism said the main problem for our Afghanistan's new democracy is drugs and that pressure must be put upon the demand and production at the same time.
Central Asia: Internet Usage
neweurasia reports on internet usage in Central Asia.
Turkmenistan: Democratic Turkmenistan?
What do different theories about political revolutions tell us about the prospects for a democratic revolution in Turkmenistan? neweurasia explores the question. (For a discussion of these theories across Central Asia, see Registan.net.)
Armenia: Bid for Power
Oneworld Multimedia reports on an Armenian oligarch's bid for power.
Afghan Whispers
Afghan Reality says that according to a poll released by WorldPublicOpinion.org, 83 per cent of respondents think things in the country are going in the right direction. The blogger adds: “Two imporant considerations must be taken into stock: a greater need for labour intensive programs to tackle the ‘opium economy’...
Ukraine: Gas Pains
foreign notes says that Ukraine's natural gas problems are politically hurting the president's bloc.
Hungary: Chinese Cooperation
Central Budapest Blog reports an encouraging sign of Chinese-Hungarian business cooperation.
Albania: Dream On
Our Man in Tirana says that Albanians are incredibly optimistic about when their country will enter the EU.
Mongolia: Government Crisis
Mongolia's government has been formally dissolved and the protesters have packed it up. Thomas Terry has blog coverage from the ground, and the other posts on his blog are as good a place to visit as any to understand the situation.
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