Letter From the Editors
Move Over, Miss Universe – Putin, Poroshenko and Kadyrov Vie for the Spotlight.
FEATURED NEWS STORIES
West, Russia Step Up Confrontation
Kiev Political Crisis Goes From Bad to Worse
New Players Emerge in 2016 Duma Campaign
THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
State and Law
The Long Arm of the State
New Laws Allow Russians, Foreigners to Sue Other Countries in Russian Courts
North Caucasus
A Deceptive Lull: Why Radicalization of the North Caucasus Continues
Old Problems in the Caucasus Have Not Gone Away but Merely Taken on Different Forms
Chechnya
Kept for a Third Term
Putin Appoints Ramzan Kadyrov Acting Head of Chechnya Until September Elections
The Economy
The Country Is In for Difficult Five-Year Plan
Higher School of Economics: Russian Economy Will Continue to Decline Over Next Four Years
OTHER POST-SOVIET STATES
Azerbaijan
Ilkham Aliyev Headed to Summit in the U.S.
President Aliyev Invited to Attend Nuclear Security Summit in Washington
Belarus
Moscow Backs Minsk
NG: Minsk Gets $2 Billion Loan From Moscow; Will Funds Go Toward Necessary Structural Reforms?
Georgia
Tbilisi Again Feels Threatened by Moscow
Russia’s NATO Representative Warns That Georgia’s Accession to Alliance Would Trigger Crisis
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
Foreign Economic Relations
Nord Stream 2: Central and Eastern Europe VS
Iskenderov: Eastern Europe’s Opposition to Nord Stream 2 Could Upset European Energy Security
Europe
Covering Old Ground
Privalov: Right Response to Terrorist Acts Should Be to Protect the State, not Principle of Tolerance
United States
“U.S. Presidential Candidates Are Behaving Like Cold War Soldiers”
Ryabkov: Russia Wants Healthy Relations With US, but Ball Is in Washington’s Court
The Spy Game: What Moscow Really Wants From Savchenko Exchange
Frolov: Moscow Using Proposed Savchenko Swap to Score Political Points