Georgia: Examining Possible Sovereign Futures and the Internationalization Option
A EURASIANET COMMENTARY BY ALEXANDER COOLEY
At a recent special panel on the Georgian crisis convened at the Bled Strategic Forum, European foreign ministers and representatives of international organizations lamented that they had failed to adequately engage Georgia’s unresolved or "frozen conflicts." Since the early 1990s, the international community effectively ignored the disputes between Tbilisi and Abkhazia and South Ossetia, allowing tensions to fester until in early August the disputes escalated into a six-day war between Georgia and Russia. Russia’s subsequent recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia independence has legally challenged Georgia’s very territorial integrity and sovereign boundaries.

Details About Shooting In Turkmen Capital Remain Unclear
BY VALENTINAS MITE
The authorities in Turkmenistan say an outbreak of shooting on September 13 in Ashgabat was related to the police neutralizing a gang of drug traffickers in a security operation.
A EurasiaNet Partner Post from RFE/RL

Lousy Timing Could Overshadow Turkey's Logical Caucasus Solution
BY LIZ FULLER
Within days of the start of full-scale hostilities last month between Georgia and Russia, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan floated the idea of a Caucasus stability pact modeled on a 1999 Balkan agreement.
A EurasiaNet Partner Post from RFE/RL

EU Scrambling to Meet Observer Deployment Deadline for Georgia
The planned European Union observer mission in Georgia appears to be having difficulties recruiting enough observers in time to meet an October 1 deadline, according to the German news agency Deutsche Welle. The EU is slated to send 200 unarmed observers to Georgian territory, where they will monitor a September 8 accord mandating the withdrawal of the Russian military from Georgia proper.

U.S. Commander Calls For Operations In Pakistani Tribal Regions
BY ABUBAKAR SIDDIQUE, RON SYNOVITZ
The chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, U.S. Admiral Michael Mullen, has announced that he is commissioning a new military strategy that will cover both sides of the Afghan-Pakistan border.
A EurasiaNet Partner Post from RFE/RL

Georgia: Coping with a Credit Crunch
BY NINO PATSURIA
As international attention focuses on Georgia’s post-war economic recovery, questions are being raised about the impact of a potential domestic credit crunch on business growth.

Cartoon Dispatches from Central Asia Political cartoonist and columnist Ted Rall has travelled extensively in Central Asia. Here, EurasiaNet features his irreverent take on the region.

Turkey: Caucasus Crisis Leaves Ankara Torn Between US and Russia
The simmering crisis brought about by Russia’s recent incursion into Georgia is putting Turkey on the spot, presenting Ankara with an undesirable choice between backing its traditional western allies and preserving its growing trade relations with Russia.

Georgia: World Court Provides Second Battleground for Tbilisi and Moscow
BY NINA AKHMETELI
After three days of arguments at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Georgian officials are feeling confident that their ethnic cleansing accusations against Russia will be found to have merit. Moscow has dismissed the allegations as groundless.

Afghanistan: Remembering Afghan Refugees
BY M. ASHRAF HAIDARI
As Americans reflect on the tragic events of seven years ago, they should also recall that the September 11 terrorist attacks caused the international spotlight to refocus on Afghanistan. The US-led invasion in late 2001 succeeded in driving the Taliban from power, and paved the way for a humanitarian success story. Of late, however, the international commitment to Afghanistan seems to have lost traction. One way that Americans can honor the September 11 victims is by keeping Afghan reconstruction efforts on course, and doing their part to ensure that millions of Afghan refugees feel secure enough to return home.