JUNE 2007

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

East: 'If Countries Don’t Act Now, It’s Going To Be Too Late'

Russia -- Elderly protesters rally in support of pensioners' rights in Pushkinskaya Square, central Moscow, 03Mar2007
A March rally for pensioners' rights in Moscow
(TASS)
WASHINGTON, June 20, 2007 (RFE/RL) --  Countries in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union are facing an economic crisis of unprecedented proportion because their populations are rapidly aging and shrinking at the same time.





The World Bank has issued a new report that warns that the entire region's economic progress could come to a grinding halt by 2025, unless governments act quickly to institute reforms. RFE/RL correspondent Heather Maher interviewed Gordon Betcherman, one of the World Bank economists who authored the report, “From Red To Grey: ‘The Third Transition’ of Aging Populations In Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union.”

RFE/RL: This report paints a very dismal picture indeed of the situation in many countries in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, some of which are still struggling to ...
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From: MSN Nicknamesataney_b1  (Original Message)    Sent: 6/22/2007 4:30 PM
Der Spiegel June 21, 2007
 
PUTIN'S MAN IN THE CAUCASUS

Kadyrov Struggles to Rebuild Chechnya -- And Stay Alive
By Uwe Klussmann in Moscow
Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov, installed by Moscow, is establishing
a police state in Chechnya based on a bizarre cult of personality. But
will he meet his father's fate and be assassinated?
Ramzan Kadyrov dances to celebrate his approval as president of
Chechnya in Grozny in March 2007.
Zoom
DPA
Ramzan Kadyrov dances to celebrate his approval as president of
Chechnya in Grozny in March 2007.
Young women stroll along streets lined with pizzerias, cafés and
fashion boutiques that have only been open for a few days. Grozny, a
city that was long synonymous with the horrors of war, is beginning to
look like any other European city, at least in places. Only two years
ago, the Chechen capital looked more like Berlin at the end of World
War II.
Rasambek Sakajev, 37, is about to begin his evening stroll along
Victory Avenue, the city's main thoroughfare. "It's like we've woken
up from a nightmare," ...
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From: MSN NicknameEagle_wng  (Original Message)    Sent: 6/23/2007 4:45 AM
Sun, Jun. 17, 2007
Renko shadows a killer in 'Stalin's Ghost'
By CATHY FRISINGER
SPECIAL TO THE STAR-TELEGRAM
Book cover
Book cover

When Martin Cruz Smith introduced readers to Arkady Renko in Gorky Park 26 years ago, the Cold War had been going on for decades. Americans were so used to thinking of communist corruption as dominating every aspect of Soviet life that the idea of a Moscow police detective investigating murders in much the same way as a New York City detective might seemed a revelation.

Arkady was honorable, he was smart, he was pig-headed, and he was a hit.

Two and a half decades later, Russian-American relations seem suddenly to be moving toward a second ice age. What a perfect time for the upright Arkady Renko to make his sixth appearance.

In Stalin's Ghost, Arkady and longtime partner Victor have taken it upon themselves to investigate a potential case of police corruption. The two men they suspect of a murder-for-hire scheme are Nikolai Isakov, ...
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From: MSN NicknameEagle_wng  (Original Message)    Sent: 6/25/2007 8:56 PM
Protesters to target both Bush, Putin

June 25, 2007

KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine --A year ago, demonstrators gathered to call for President Bush to bring the troops home from Iraq. This year, Russian President Vladimir Putin will be an object of demonstrators' ire, as well.

Protesters will take Bush and Putin to task for invading and occupying Muslim countries -- Chechnya and Iraq, said Jamilla El-Shafei, one of the organizers.

"Both have invaded small, oil-rich Muslim countries," she said Monday. "We need to bring that to the attention of the world because they're equally detestable. They're breeding terrorism in a Muslim world that's already outraged."

The demonstration is scheduled for Kennebunkport's Village Green on Sunday to coincide with the arrival of Putin to meet with President George W. Bush at the seaside home of Bush's father, former President George H.W. Bush.

Demonstrators from as far away as Texas and Wisconsin will march from the Village Green down Ocean Avenue to make their point, said El-Shafei, ...
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From: MSN NicknameEagle_wng  (Original Message)    Sent: 6/29/2007 1:41 PM
Friday, June 29, 2007

Russia: Observer Says Bush-Putin Friendship 'A Myth'

Russia -- President Vladimir Putin (R) with President George W. Bush during the G-8 summit in St. Petersburg, 16Jul2006
Will friendship overcome all obstacles? Not likely, according to David Satter (file photo)
(official site)
WASHINGTON, July 29, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- As the July 1-2 summit of Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President George W. Bush approaches, RFE/RL Washington correspondent Vladimir Abarinov asks former "The New York Times" Moscow correspondent and author David Satter what he believes will be accomplished at the Bush family estate in Kennebunkport.





RFE/RL: What do you think will be the main topics of discussion when Presidents Bush and Putin meet in Kennebunkport?
 
David Satter: Well, the agenda is likely to consist of two questions. One is the American radar in Eastern Europe -- the radar and antimissile installation in Eastern Europe. And the other is the question of Russia's relations with Iran. And it doesn't appear that there ...
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