Residents return to Gori. (Photo by Giorgi Lomsadze)

Georgia: Displaced Persons Start Trying to Rebuild
A EURASIANET PHOTO ESSAY BY GIORGI LOMSADZE
Three weeks after the outbreak of fighting between Russia and Georgia, thousands of displaced Georgians are starting to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives. Some have returned to the city of Gori, which was the focal point of the Russian incursion. What they are finding is that the restoration of a semblance of normalcy is likely to take longer than they might have hoped.

Uzbekistan: Putin Visit Hopes to Arrest Russia’s Diplomatic Slide in Central Asia
After experiencing an embarrassing denouement at the Dushanbe summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Russia seems increasingly concerned about the possibility of diplomatic encirclement. Russia’s political supremo, Vladimir Putin, will try to prevent Russia’s further diplomatic slippage when makes an early September visit to Tashkent, where he will try to dissuade Uzbek leaders from pursuing closer ties with the United States.

Georgia: Tbilisi Feels Buoyed By US Aid Shipments
BY MOLLY CORSO
Georgians are welcoming the arrival of American aid shipments, interpreting them as a get-tough message to Moscow, and as a gesture of enduring support.

EURASIANET AUDIO-VISUAL FEATURE

Conflict in Georgia: Akhalgori, Tskhinvali and Hetagurovo

Russia on August 27 dismissed Western criticism of its move to recognize the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Georgia’s two separatist territories. EurasiaNet Sophia Mizante recently returned from a Russian government-sponsored tour of South Ossetia. A selection of her images are contained in this photo slideshow.

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Azerbaijan: Terror Attack on Baku Mosque Stirs Anxiety
BY SHAHIN ABBASOV
The mid-August bombing of a Baku mosque is heightening an already anxious mood in Azerbaijan. Reflecting the government’s alarm over the terrorist incident, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev is personally leading the ongoing investigation. Some opposition politicians have openly wondered whether Russia is trying to stir instability in Azerbaijan in order to extend the Kremlin’s influence in the Caucasus.

Russia: The Kremlin Tries to Put on Brave Face Following Diplomatic Slap over Georgia
The Kremlin received a rude diplomatic surprise on August 28, when some of its closest allies offered only a tepid endorsement for Russia’s incursion into Georgia, while reaffirming the principle of the territorial integrity of states. Moscow now finds itself more diplomatically isolated than ever over its continuing military presence in Georgia and its recognition of the independence of the separatist entities of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Afghanistan: A Down Year for Opium Production, But Is the Trafficking Threat Receding?
BY AUNOHITA MOJUMDAR
Afghanistan experienced a 19 percent decrease in the land under opium poppy cultivation in 2008 in comparison with the previous year, according to a report prepared by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime. But even as the Afghan government lauds the decline, UN experts worry about another spike in production. This concern is underscored by the fact that actual production of opium declined only by 6 percent in 2008 over the previous year, the UNODC report states.
A EurasiaNet Q&A with UNODC Afghanistan Country Chief Christina Oguz

Georgia: With Shooting Over, the Spin War Rages
A EURASIANET PHOTO ESSAY
TEXT BY ELIZABETH OWEN; PHOTOS BY SOPHIA MIZANTE
It is early morning at the new Russian peacekeeping post at Karaleti, a few kilometers north of Gori, and one senior Russian officer is feeling philosophical. "The war is over," he tells a group of foreign journalists with a wry grin. "Now, it’s time for the information war to begin."

Iran’s Supreme Leader Appears to Endorse Ahmadinejad for Another Term
BY GOLNAZ ESFANDIARI
Who will be Iran’s next president? Even though the elections are still some nine months away and the candidates’ names have not yet been put forward, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei seems to have already made up his mind about who should win.
A EurasiaNet Partner Post from RFE/RL

Georgia: Russia Formally Recognizes Separatist Regions, Drawing US, EU Criticism
BY MOLLY CORSO
Brushing aside international calls for restraint, Russian President Dmitri Medvedev on August 26 approved a parliamentary resolution to formally recognize the independence of Georgia’s two separatist regions -- Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The move is sure to inflame tension in the Caucasus and accelerate the deterioration of Russia’s relations with the West. A White House spokesman denounced Russia for "making a number of irrational decisions."