Latest Articles about Central Asia
RUSSIA’S WARMING TOWARD UZBEKISTAN MAY DAMAGE RELATIONS WITH THE WEST
As the Kremlin inked an alliance with Uzbekistan this week, the European Union banned arms sales to Tashkent and imposed visa restrictions on top Uzbek officials. While Russia may have scored a geopolitical victory in the short term, it will likely lose in the long... MORE
COLLECTIVE SECURITY GROUP SEEKS TO ESTABLISH ITS IDENTITY, AVOID MERGERS
Russia's efforts to promote a regional military bloc with five Soviet successor states have been stymied by NATO's refusal to treat the grouping as an equal partner. Officially, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) seeks to ensure the security and territorial integrity of its member... MORE
NGOs WANT KYRGYZ TO BE THE SOLE STATE LANGUAGE OF KYRGYZSTAN
Several days before Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev presented the draft law "On the Introduction of Changes and Additions to the Constitution of the Kyrgyz Republic" for public discussion, a number of local national movements raised the question of elevating the status of the Kyrgyz language... MORE
AS BAKIYEV LOOSES SUPPORT, KULOV GAINS POPULARITY
A series of contradictory statements about international politics, delayed responses to domestic crises, and awkward jokes about his own political views have visibly harmed Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev and his political image at home. However, amid growing disappointment with Bakiyev, Prime Minister Felix Kulov is... MORE
ABIZAID PROMISES NO REPEAT OF GREAT GAME IN CENTRAL ASIA
Visiting Kazakhstan on November 3, General John Abizaid, Chief of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), reassured his hosts that Washington has no plans to repeat the mistakes of the 19th century Great Game in the region. His comments were also intended to allay fears in many... MORE
NAZARBAYEV LEADING PRE-ELECTION POLLS IN KAZAKHSTAN
With less than a month remaining before election day, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev and his advisors are certainly following the November 6 parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan. While separated geographically by thousands of miles, the two countries share political systems rooted in nepotism and family clan... MORE
TAJIKISTAN BRANDS “BAYAT” A TERRORIST, RELIGIOUS, EXTREMIST, ORGANIZATION
Tajik Interior Minister Khumiddin Sharipov has declared that the extremist religious organization "Bayat" remains active in Tajikistan. "We have once again received reports that Bayat remains active. Not all of its members have been tracked down," the minister told a news conference in Dushanbe on... MORE
BISHKEK WEIGHS BENEFITS OF U.S. MILITARY PRESENCE
The Kyrgyz government, keen to promote its own financial interests in the continued American military presence in Kyrgyzstan, has strongly pressed for greater revenue from Washington. This not only reflects the strategic value of the Manas air base, but also its increased importance since Tashkent... MORE
WASHINGTON GIVES NOD OF APPROVAL TO NAZARBAYEV REGIME
Critics of the ruling regime in Kazakhstan were visibly disappointed by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who paid a two-day visit to Astana on October 12-13. She did not offer them any support ahead of the December 4 presidential election. To the surprise of... MORE
BAKIYEV-KULOV POLITICAL UNION ENDANGERED BY CRIMINALS
October's showdowns between various political forces in Kyrgyzstan's government and parliament, as well as between criminals and businessmen, have challenged the credibility of the political union between President Kurmanbek Bakiyev and Prime Minister Felix Kulov. Rysbek Akmatbayev, the older brother of assassinated parliamentarian Tynychbek Akmatbayev... MORE