Since the start of their gas dispute, Ukraine and Russia have each been eager to enlist the support of the EU. But with shipments dwindling to a cold and angry Europe, analysts say the feud is discrediting both parties. Have Moscow and Kyiv both lost?
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Iran says that there was no need for any international concern over Shirin Ebadi's safety and that the government will protect her, as it protects each and every Iranian citizen. This followed widespread international concern over Ebadi's safety following several incidents -- including the closure of her center in Tehran and accusations by hard-liners that she has an Israeli bias regarding the Gaza crisis. Fellow Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jody Williams, who along with Ebadi and several other Nobel Peace laureates established the Nobel Women's Initiative, tells RFE/RL's Golnaz Esfandiari that she remains concerned about the safety of her Iranian colleague.
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Uzbekistan has increased the gas prices it charges neighboring Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan by 60 percent. The two customers say households will no longer be able to afford their gas bills, but there is little they can do as Uzbekistan courts more affluent customers like Russia and China.
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Residents of Pakistan's western Pashtun border regions are suddenly facing the threat of severe punishment, including the death penalty, for acts ranging from drinking alcohol to sending their daughters to school. The new restrictions are the work of the Taliban, which has established Shari'a law in territory under its control. Local political leaders say the Taliban's moves are an attempt to establish a parallel government in the region.
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Kyiv and Moscow are locked in a gas spat, but much of Europe could be left out in the cold as a result. Russia has vowed to re-route some of its European gas supplies through Belarus and the Blue Stream pipeline to Turkey. But to what extent is this technically feasible? How much leverage does Moscow have? RFE/RL correspondent Bruce Pannier puts those questions to Jonathan Stern, director for gas research at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies (OIES).
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As the Bush administration comes to an end, there is bloodshed in Gaza. Since December 27, when Israel began its effort to end rocket attacks from the besieged Palestinian territory, the United States has called on both sides to show restraint. With a very few exceptions, that's been the extent of the Bush effort for Middle East peace, and critics say he's squandered eight years by not being more fully engaged in the process. James Lindsay, a former member of the White House's National Security Council under President Bill Clinton, says he expects more engagement from Bush's successor, fellow Democrat Barack Obama. But Lindsay says it's too early to say how Obama and his designated secretary of state, Senator Hillary Clinton, will approach the problem.
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As disenchantment grows with the former darling of Georgia's Rose Revolution, President Saakashvili's most strident critics are already on the lookout for a possible counterweight. Could 35-year-old Irakli Alasania be their man?
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Irakli Alasania spoke to RFE/RL's Tbilisi bureau chief Marina Vashakmadze on December 25. This is an edited transcript of that interview.
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The year 2008 began with Russia continuing its upward trajectory. Oil prices were high, foreign policy unaccommodating, and a critical political transition passed without incident. But after years of walking tall, Russia now appears to be falling hard under the weight of the global economic crisis.
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After five years of fighting and with Iraqi authority now at unprecedented levels since the launch of the U.S.-led invasion to oust Saddam Hussein, the level of violence appears to have finally eased to the point that citizens can again plan for the future.
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