Eastern Europe and ex-USSR

‘I’m addicted to war’

A former war buff embarks on her own 12 step program My name is Maria, and I’m addicted to war. I had my first taste of combat shortly after I turned 23, in the former Soviet republic of Georgia. From then on, war was my constant companion, friend and spiritual adviser. Whenever I returned from

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How to spot a fake atrocity

In the mid 1990s I worked in the former Soviet Union, covering various republics as they disintegrated into civil war. And I occasionally came across war crimes and atrocities, which I tried to report to the best of my ability. But, more often, I found fake atrocities. And, occasionally, I reported those as well. Learning

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Contingency Plans in the Spotlight

Three experts discuss the increased importance of broad-based planning The Sept. 11 attacks demonstrated clearly-and tragically-that disaster-recovery planning is not a luxury, but a necessity in today’s world. But it also highlighted flaws and weaknesses in many long-established plans. Partly, many experts said, because every disaster is different than the one before, and each is

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Ingushetia Poll Marked by Violations, Opposition Says

NAZRAN, Russia, Feb 28 — Preliminary poll results on Monday showed that General Ruslan Aushev was headed for re-election as  president of the volatile southern Russian republic of Ingushetia. Opponents accused Aushev, whose army of uniformed police patrolled the polling stations, of securing victory  in the north Caucasian republic by force and trickery. According to

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