A report published recently by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine shows that under President Niyazov the health system in Turkmenistan deterioriated, but there are signs that it could improve under the new president 

Listen to a recording of openDemocracy's Russia evening. openDemocracy Russia editor Susan Richards and scholar Anatol Lieven discuss Susan Richards' new book Lost and Found in Russia.

93:37 minutes (32.14 MB)

Listen to a podcast of the openDemocracy Russia evening on 2 July 2009 in London. The editor of openDemocracy's Russia Section, Susan Richards discusses her new book Lost and Found in Russia with the scholar Anatol Lieven.

The evening was also part celebration of the first anniversary of openDemocracy's Russia site and openDemocracy's editor-in-chief Tony Curzon Price introduces the event with a reference to that...

Ten years ago Russia joined the European Convention of Human Rights. 20% of all appeals to the European Court of Human Rights come from Russia. Kirill Koroteev reviews a troubled relationship

Radical Islam is on the rise in Azerbaijan. Although the state is tolerant and secular, it will keep making converts because of political disenfranchisement and the social fallout from the country's ongoing programme of modernisation.

The recent parliamentary election did demonstrate that there is no alternative to Saakashvili. By fair means or foul, the President got popular endorsement for his Euro-Atlanticist politics.

Kiev's snap election for mayor on May 25 did not help to solve Ukraine's ongoing political crisis, Dmitri Belyanski reports.