Azerbaijan: Presidential Election Offers Seven Candidates, but Only One Choice
BY MINA MURADOVA
The posters hanging throughout Baku for seven presidential candidates are one of the few reminders that October 15 is election day in Azerbaijan. The victor, many voters believe, is a foregone conclusion: incumbent President Ilham Aliyev.

Kyrgyzstan: Lack of Results Again Raises Questions About the Future of the CIS
BY JOANNA LILLIS
The troika of recent summits in Bishkek turned out to be long on fanfare and short on results. The key meeting, the CIS summit on October 10, failed to clinch a deal on the keynote document, while gatherings of Eurasian Economic Community members and the heads of the five Central Asian states fizzled out without major agreements.

Kazakhstan: Rakhatgate Scandal Continues to Haunt Astana
BY JOANNA LILLIS
When Kazakhstan’s president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, moved to destroy the political ambitions of his then son-in-law, he aimed to promote stability by bringing an end to political clan infighting and snuff out speculation about presidential succession. However, a year and a half later, the Rakhat Aliyev case refuses to go away, and political maneuvering remains rife in Astana.

Islam Not an Issue in Azerbaijan’s Presidential Campaign
BY MINA MURADOVA
Azerbaijan’s active Islamic community may have grown since Soviet times, but most presidential candidates in the upcoming October 15 elections are still sidestepping Muslim believers as a target group of voters.

Pursuit Of Elusive Peace Could Drive Afghan Government, Taliban To The Table
BY ABUBAKAR SIDDIQUE AND RON SYNOVITZ
The brother of Afghan President Hamid Karzai has returned from a visit to Saudi Arabia in which he met with Taliban leaders in a gathering brokered by King Abdullah.
A EurasiaNet Partner Post from RFE/RL

EURASIANET PHOTOJOURNALIST DIGEST

Russian Troop Withdrawal

In this new photo commentary, photojournalist Temo Bardzimashvili covers the Oct. 8 withdrawal of Russian troops and armor from the Georgian village of Karaleti across the border back to South Ossetia. Monitored by OSCE and EU representatives, about a dozen Russian armored vehicles and trucks filled with troops evacuate a checkpoint in Georgia proper for a short drive back to the breakaway region.

Watch

With Russians Gone, Georgians Start to Rebuild
BY MOLLY CORSO
Georgian villagers are slowly returning home in the wake of the Russian army’s withdrawal from checkpoints in the so-called "buffer zone" outside breakaway South Ossetia. While most are happy to be back, the hard reality of rebuilding their lives in time for winter is daunting.

Diplomat Says US Not Aiming For 'Military Victory' In Afghanistan
The chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff warned this week that an already troubling situation in Afghanistan is almost certain to worsen. Admiral Mike Mullen said that "the trends across the board are not going in the right direction" and the country is likely to continue what a new intelligence report calls "a downward spiral."
A EurasiaNet Partner Post from RFE/RL

Georgian Transit Ban Hinders Russian Military Presence in Armenia
BY EMIL DANIELYAN
Raising a serious obstacle to Russia’s military presence in Armenia, Georgia appears to have closed its airspace to transport planes making vital shipments to Russian troops stationed in the neighboring South Caucasus state.