Analyses

• Russia proposes draft European security treaty

  29 November saw the official announcement in Russia of the draft of a new, legally binding, treaty on European security, which lays down in more specific terms the security initiative which President Dmitry Medvedev first presented in 2008.

• Who needs the customs union?

  On 27 November, Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan signed a number of documents enabling them to to establ a customs union in 2010. However, the documents signed are very general, and many contentious issues have yet to be resolved. Strategically, integration on Russia's terms is not very attractive to Belarus and Kazakhstan...