Latest Articles about Central Asia
KAZAKHSTAN CLAIMS REGIONAL LEADERSHIP ROLE
The inauguration ceremony of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, held in Astana on January 11, witnessed more than the expected national display of Nazarbayev's tight grip on power. According to sources within the Foreign Ministry, it also conveyed the impression that Kazakhstan is now the leader... MORE
INTEREST REBOUNDS IN TRANS-CASPIAN PIPELINE FOR TURKMEN GAS
Russia's New Year "gas attack" on Ukraine and its impact on gas supplies Europe-wide has suddenly reawakened interest in obtaining direct access to the gas reserves of Turkmenistan. Such interest reemerged even before the second round of Russian gas supply shortfalls to Europe in the... MORE
NAZARBAYEV PLACES PRIORITY ON TIES WITH MOSCOW
The inauguration ceremony in Astana on January 11 for Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev was a widely trumpeted political event conceived to attract international attention and world leaders to Kazakhstan. Yet the propaganda effect of the inauguration ceremony obviously fell far short of the expectations, as... MORE
KAZAKHSTAN LOOKS WARILY TO NATO
Kazakhstan continues to strengthen its ties with the NATO Alliance, despite its close relations with Russia and China and the pressures this brings to the Nazarbayev regime. Officials on both sides met recently to conclude an individual partnership action plan (IPAP), which will form the... MORE
IS BAKIYEV LOSING LEGITIMACY?
Almost ten months after the March 24 Tulip Revolution, Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev is losing public support due to continuing political assassinations, increased open challenges to the government by criminal figures, and poor political and economic performance of the state. Together, these trends make Kyrgyzstan... MORE
CENTRAL ASIAN GAS: LOST TO EUROPE AFTER RUSSIAN-UKRAINIAN DEAL?
The Russian-Ukrainian gas agreement, signed on January 4 for a five-year period, guarantees Russia's monopoly on the transport and marketing of Central Asian gas to Europe. Although this situation is equally detrimental to Ukraine and Europe, the agreement is so framed as to entrap Ukraine... MORE
MOSCOW’S GAS WAR WITH UKRAINE LEAVES ASTANA BRUISED
Officials in Astana followed the New Year's gas dispute between Moscow and Kyiv with an air of detachment, but the compromise solution reached between Ukraine and Russia runs counter to the economic interests of Kazakhstan. The deal enables Russia to sell its gas for $230... MORE
WITH CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM STALLED, BAKIYEV OPTS FOR REFERENDUM
On January 5, Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev signed the decree "On Arrangements to Prepare a National Referendum in the Kyrgyz Republic," calling for a referendum on constitutional reform at the end of 2006. While Bakiyev seeks to postpone constitutional reform for as long as possible,... MORE
DUSHANBE LOOKS TOWARDS AFGHANISTAN TO COMBAT DRUG TRAFFICKING
The authorities in Dushanbe, fully aware of the growing security issues confronting Tajikistan and the region as a result of drug trafficking, are making gradual inroads into finding alternative partners to support domestic efforts to tackle the problem. Notably, this policy need has raised the... MORE
TASHKENT SEEKS NEW MILITARY ASSISTANCE
Since the Andijan massacre in May 2005, Uzbekistan has made little headway with its recent attempts to use pro-Western contacts to establish a way forward for its military and security agencies. Now Uzbekistan's armed forces are the subject of widespread Soviet-style efforts to prop up... MORE