CESRAN Int.

Sean Maroney    Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission says it has canceled the presidential runoff, originally scheduled for this Saturday. The announcement came a day after President Hamid Karzai's challenger, former foreign...

The military said that the explosion in Bajaur was caused by a vehicle packed with explosives [AFP]   Pakistan's military has denied that a US drone attack was behind the deaths of as...

Karzai agreed to take part in a second and decisive round of voting after talks with US officials [AFP]   The senior US envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan has said...

Deirdre Tynan   The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) is undergoing a metamorphosis that could transform the Islamic militant group into a far more dynamic foe for Central Asian governments, as...

Shahin Abbasov   On the eve of the October 10 signing of protocols for reconciliation between Turkey and Armenia, Azerbaijani officials have muted expectations that a rapprochement between Yerevan and Ankara...

Alexei Bayer The footage from the sprawling Cherkizovsky Market that inundated Russian television after the authorities shut it down makes hair-raising viewing. But it is also part of a distressing...

Deirdre Tynan   A US Defense Department Internet initiative is stoking a debate among experts about whether the Pentagon is overreaching.   The $10.1 million Trans Regional Web Initiative (TRWI) aims...

Deirdre Tynan   The US military is preparing for a worst-case scenario in Central Asia. The Pentagon is presently developing plans covering the potential deployment of elite Special Forces to Central...

Presidents Dmitry Medvedev and Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov failed Sunday to set a time frame for the return of Turkmen gas flows to Russia, halted since April after a pipeline blast that...

Maria Antonova and Anna Malpas   President Dmitry Medvedev on Friday gave teeth to his calls for a crackdown on alcoholism, ordering the government to limit the can sizes of...

Deirdre Tynan   The escalating insurgency in northern Afghanistan is threatening American and NATO efforts to develop the Northern Distribution Network (NDN). As the NDN gains greater strategic importance, observers warn...

Paul Rimple   Abkhazia celebrated the first anniversary of Russia’s 2008 recognition of its independence with its borders guarded by Russian soldiers and its seaside resorts packed with Russian tourists. Abkhaz...

Alexei Bayer This year’s accidents and terrorist attacks confirm what has by now become a cliche: August is indeed Russia’s cruelest month. But its original August disaster dates back almost...

One year after Russia and Georgia fought a five-day war over the Georgian breakaway region of South Ossetia, much of the debate has focused on who was to blame. But...

Konstantin Parshin   Over a month after President Imomali Rahmon introduced legislation that would abolish Russian as a language of "interethnic communication," Tajikistan remains abuzz with hype and fear about the...