Andijan: Three Years After Tragedy, Congressional Hearing Examines Uzbek Openings
BY JOSHUA KUCERA
The government of Uzbekistan is carrying out a systematic policy of repression against people involved in the Andijan protests of three years ago, witnesses told a US congressional hearing on May 13.

Is Bigger Better for Azerbaijan’s Budget?
BY ROVSHAN ISMAYILOV
It’s a question that other countries in the South Caucasus would love to ask: How best to use a 42-percent increase in state revenues? Surging oil prices have kicked off a debate in cash-rich Azerbaijan about spending practices and inflation that analysts say highlights dangerous pitfalls in the country’s budget planning.

Media Part of the Debate in Georgian Election
BY NINA AKHMETELI
With just over a week to go before Georgia’s parliamentary vote, attention is increasingly focusing on how the country’s television reporters are affecting voter sympathies.

Afghanistan: A Critical Battle in the Country’s Culture War Looms
BY DEIRDRE TYNAN
On the battlefields of southern and eastern Afghanistan, Islamic insurgents are struggling to persevere in the face of the formidable firepower of NATO and American forces. In the country’s culture war, however, religious radicals are poised to achieve a spectacular victory, according to two self-styled free speech advocates.

Georgia: US and EU support for Tbilisi Grows amid Escalating Tension with Russia
BY NINA AKHMETELI
With Georgian-Russian tension over the break-away territory of Abkhazia continuing to rise, the United States and European Union are stepping up diplomatic intervention efforts.