Kazakhstan: President Stamps His Personality on the Nation
A PHOTO SLIDESHOW BY JOANNA LILLIS
Visitors to Astana, Kazakhstan’s glittery capital, love to zoom up to the top of the Bayterek Tower in an elevator for a panoramic view over the new city that has sprung up on the steppe over the last decade or so.

How Could Hard-Liners Choose The Next Supreme Leader?
BY MAZYAR MOKTI, CHARLES RECKNAGEL
The Islamic Republic of Iran has only had two supreme leaders in its 30-year history.
A EurasiaNet Partner Post from RFE/RL

Russia: Foreshadowing the Obama-Medvedev Summit
A EURASIANET COMMENTARY BY RICHARD WEITZ
The main topic of the July 6-8 summit meeting in Moscow between US President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will be settling the main elements of an agreement to replace the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START). The current arms control pact expires in early December.

Armenia: Return of Fugitive Journalist Puts Amnesty to Test
BY MARIANNA GRIGORYAN
Armenia's amnesty will meet its first serious political test on July 3 with the hearing of the government's case against Nikol Pashinian, a confidante of ex-President Levon Ter Petrosian and pro-opposition journalist, who came out of hiding on July 1.

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Another Russian Soldier Deserts to Georgia

Uzbekistan: Utility Price Hike Forcing Families into Debt

Uzbekistan: HIV Rate Grows Rapidly in Two Years

Turkmenistan: Candidates Prepare for Local Elections

Georgia: Burjanadze Balks at $907,167 Tax Fine

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Turkey: IMF Talks Provide Way to Gauge Ankara’s Fiscal Discipline
BY NICHOLAS BIRCH
Turkey and the International Monetary Fund will be making a final push in the coming weeks to see whether they can conclude a loan agreement, according to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkish analysts say the Turkish-IMF wrangling is masking a more important question: is Ankara committed to sustaining fiscally prudent policies that have made it an attractive foreign investment destination during this decade?

Russia: Obama Trip to Moscow Offers Chance for Better US-Russian Cooperation on Iran
A EURASIANET COMMENTARY BY STEPHEN BLANK
In advance of US President Barack Obama’s July 6 trip to Moscow, Russian officials have made some interesting gestures concerning the Kremlin’s Iran policy. Some of these signals might offer the possibility of new movement on international efforts to address the issue of Iran’s nuclear program.

Azerbaijan Abandons Controversial NGO Amendments
BY JESSICA POWLEY HAYDEN
Azerbaijani rights activists are hailing as a rare victory the passage of amendments to a law on non-governmental organizations after a fierce fight with the government over earlier, more restrictive proposed changes. Worries nonetheless persist about the bill’s long-term implications for civil liberties within Azerbaijan.

Central Asia and Caucasus: Dark Days for Democratization - Report
BY JOSHUA KUCERA
The countries of the Caucasus and Central Asia experienced a decline in their democratic development in 2008, according to a report issued June 30 by the American watchdog group Freedom House.

Georgia: OSCE Terminates Its 17-Year Georgian Mission
BY JEAN-CHRISTOPHE PEUCH
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) is effectively affixing the seals on the door of its Tbilisi field office on June 30 and wrapping up its 17-year monitoring operation in the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict zone.

Russia Scores Double Match Point with Azerbaijani Gas Deal
BY SHAHIN ABBASOV
Russian President Dmitri Medvedev only visited Baku for a day, but walked away with a gas deal likely to bring Moscow benefits for years to come.

Kazakhstan: Team Astana Gets New Backing Just in Time for Tour de France
After several months of high-profile financial problems, the Astana Cycling Team has secured funding to keep the wheels turning, just before this year’s Tour de France kicks off in Monaco on July 4. Kazakhstan’s state assets holding company will become the national team’s premier benefactor.

Azerbaijan: Peres Baku Visit Highlights Possibilities of Israeli-Azerbaijani Cooperation
BY SHAHIN ABBASOV
Israel’s president, Shimon Peres, wrapped up a landmark visit to Azerbaijan on June 29, during which he endorsed Baku’s efforts to retain control of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Armenia: Crackdown Victims’ Families Have Little Hope for Justice
BY GAYANE ABRAHAMYAN
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan’s decision to shut down the commission investigating the deaths of the 10 people killed during March 2008 clashes between police and protesters has prompted families of the deceased to fear that those responsible for the deaths will escape punishment.

Kyrgyzstan: Bakiyev Courts Support of Believers
BY ALISHER KHAMIDOV
With Kyrgyzstan’s July 23 presidential election fast approaching, President Kurmanbek Bakiyev’s administration is trying to court the support of Muslims, while cracking down on suspected members of radical Islamic groups.

Turkey: Football Referee, Barred for Being Homosexual, Fights for Rights
BY NICHOLAS BIRCH
Turkey’s football authorities are at the center of a developing scandal, in which the dropping of a referee is turning into a civil rights test case. The referee at the center of the case, Halil Ibrahim Dincdag, maintains he was let go because of his homosexuality, and he is challenging the Turkish Football Federation’s decision in a local court.