During the cold war, Russian dissidents tended to be intellectuals: poets, artists, scientists. Mikhail Khodorkovsky does not fit that pattern. He is one of a post-Soviet generation of businessmen who acquired lucrative shareholdings in state enterprises in exchange for supporting the former president, Boris Yeltsin.

• September 19, 2010

he world's center of gravity is heading eastward so fast that we Europeans can almost feel the ground moving beneath our feet. Because almost all major actors on the international stage are redefining their roles in response to this tectonic shift, Europe must do the same. So it is right that the EU Council of Ministers is meeting to grapple with this challenge.

• September 19, 2010

Violence in Russia's conflict-ridden North Caucasus has risen significantly this year despite the increased deployment of troops loyal to Moscow, the Interfax news agency reported Thursday.

• September 17, 2010

yrgyzstan may drastically raise the amount of rent Russia pays to use crucial military facilities in the Central Asian nation, the government said

• September 17, 2010

Chechen independence leader Akhmed Zakayev, wanted by Russia for alleged terrorism, is in Poland where he could face arrest under an international warrant, organisers said Thursday.

• September 17, 2010

At September 16 sitting, the Armenian government approved Armenia-Croatia contract to promote bilateral cooperation in the sectors of economy, science and engineering as well as stimulation and protection of investments.

• September 17, 2010

The United States and its allies in Northeast Asia are trying to fashion an opening to North Korea out of concern that the current policy toward the isolated nuclear-armed nation could lead to war, U.S. and Asian officials said

• September 17, 2010

Trade tensions between the United States and China ratcheted up another notch Wednesday, as Washington called on the WTO to probe unfair Chinese trade practices.

• September 16, 2010