In terms of higher education, Russia displays indicators worthy of enthusiasm.

Since the fall of the USSR, Armenia and Russia have sealed a strategic pact within the framework of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the military arm of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). This political, military and economic alliance represents the strategic alliance in the South Caucasus, a region in the process of opening up. In the context of the 2008 Russian and Armenian presidential elections, it is interesting to analyze the relationship between these two states.

Russia and the West disagree over the future of Kosovo. While the European Union (EU) and United States (US) are keen to grant Kosovo de jure sovereignty under the Ahtisaari plan, Russia insists that no decision can be taken without Serbia's consent. Moreover, Russia insists that the Kosovo issue will set a precedent with long-term consequences for Eurasia and the world. These differences have exposed old divisions between Russia and the West, particularly acute during NATO's bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999. However, today it is more difficult for the West to reach a compromise with an increasingly assertive and self-confident Russia which does not hesitate to oppose Western policies. This article looks at historic legacies, myths, concerns about precedents and other interests which guide Russia's policy over Kosovo's status.