On the occasion of the parliamentary elections in the self-declared  Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, which were held on June 19, 2005, yet  another round of political meddling and bickering was in the works,  with statements from leaders of countries - in the region as well as  outside it - that have an interest in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,  either literally or figuratively...

After the collapse of the Soviet Union the countries of the West and  international financial organizations based on the western capitals  spent billions of dollars, provided technical and consulting assistance  to mold the developmental processes of newly independent countries. The  structural reforms which have lasted for more than a decade were to  resolve one issue only: to lead the former Soviet republics down a  predictable and "safe" road. Whether these reforms have been successful  is a question for another time...

The child named "The Armenian Economy" is a chronic patient confined to bed. The weak immune system (the institutional structure), unplanned food ratio (tax policy) and the gastric ulcer (non-competitive, monopolistic markets) did their black deed. An unusual precedent: the blood pressure of the youth, who is not even 15 yet, is getting rather high (currency appreciation)...

"The European Union is a family of the European democratic countries", and in light of the directive to develop a new world order, a significant role has been assigned to the Southern Caucasus. Given the new state of affairs, unprecedented issues regarding security, economy, and politics are evolving. These issues concern Armenia as well, and to address them, a process of developing an action plan has already been launched...

In case there is a viable political will in Armenia, the Electoral Code of the country provides a substantial basis for the conduct of elections, the results of which can accurately reflect the preferences of the constituencies and allow the formation of authorities enjoying the resource of citizen trust. This, however, does not guarantee a flawless election, for the process will continue to be influenced by factors such as the deficiency of competing ideologies and the requisite leaders, the poor legal consciousness and knowledge of the electorate, the incentives of the voters, which are almost entirely defined by the complex social conditions, and the unsatisfactory level of professionalism of those officially involved in the electoral procedures...