Play The Diplomat’s Quiz: February 5, 2017 Edition

Wednesday, Central Asia watchers were all atwitter over a surprising announcement by Kazakhstan’s long-time president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, that he would aim to devolve some of his powers to Parliament. In December, a working group began meeting in Astana to evaluate the redistribution of powers between government branches, Nazarbayev’s announcement and the draft of proposed constitutional reforms now up for public discussion are products of that process.

In his televised remarks on January 25, Nazarbayev laid out plans for government reforms and constitutional changes. But first, he laid out a defense of Kazakhstan’s to-date autocratic version of a democratic system. According to the Astana Times’ transcript, Nazarbayev defended the country’s strong presidential system as “necessary… in the course of overcoming the enormous difficulties of state formation.”

Last November, Malaysia inked its first major defense deal with China, agreeing to buy four littoral mission ships (LMS) from Beijing during Prime Minister Najib Razak’s six-day visit there (See: “Malaysia is Not Pivoting to China With Najib’s Visit”). Given the significance of what Najib himself termed “a landmark agreement,” it is worth as well as evaluating where it is at this point in time as we move into the second month of 2017.

For years, South Korea watchers have speculated that former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon would seek to exchange the top post of the international body for the top position in his home country of South Korea. When Ban’s UN term ended this year, he seemed ready to do precisely that, never quite declaring an official entry into the presidential race but certainly heavily implying his interest.

His all-but-official campaign, however, came to an anticlimactic end before the presidential race even started. In an unexpected press conference on Wednesday, Ban announced that he will no longer seek to run for office. “I will give up my pure aspirations to achieve a change in politics under my leadership and unify the country,” Ban said, citing attacks and criticisms from political opponents and the media as the reason for his change of heart.

The Pakistan military has reportedly conducted the first successful flight test of a new medium range ballistic missile (MRBM), according to the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media arm of the Pakistan Armed Forces.

The test involved the successful launch of the surface-to-surface MRBM Ababeel, reportedly capable of carrying multiple warheads using Multiple Independent Re-entry Vehicle technology (MIRV). The new missile purportedly has a maximum range of 2,200 kilometers (1,367 miles).

The January 24 test of the Ababeel MRBM follows the first-ever test of a nuclear-capable Babur-3 submarine-launched cruise missile (SLCM) from a submerged platform off the Pakistani coast in early January.

“The test flight was aimed at validating various design and technical parameters of the weapon system,” the ISPS statement reads. “Ababeel is capable of carrying nuclear warheads and has the capability to engage multiple targets with high precision, defeating the enemy’s hostile radars.”

On March 15, 2017, Pakistan will hold its sixth nationwide population census, after a wide gap of almost 19 years. The census was only possible after Supreme Court intervention, and with the assent of the Pakistani army to deploy up to 200,000 troops, ensuring a smooth and peaceful nationwide count. The federal government fought tooth and nail to convince the court to delay. After finalization of the date by country’s premier constitutional body – the Council of Common Interest (CCI) – lethargic state machinery has been activated and the race begun.

Clergy are not typically known for being progressive, but Nepali nun Ani Choying Drolma finds even the “secular” world to be conservative. Known as a “Rock Star Nun” due to her career in music, she challenges notions that many people have about the role of women and clergy in society.

An image released on Weibo last week shows what may be a model of a planned airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army-Navy’s carriers

According to IHS Jane’s Defence Weekly, the model, which appeared to be a full-scale mock-up for a navalized AEW&C similar in appearance to the United States’ Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye, was spotted on China’s on-land carrier facility.

Jane’s suggests that the mock-up is “an indication that the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is seeking to equip a future carrier with such aircraft.

2014 had been a year of promise for Afghanistan. Peace talks between the Taliban and Pakistan were underway, the U.S.-led coalition ended its official combat mission at the end of the year, and the country had its first ever democratic transfer of power. Although the government-building process was chaotic and protracted, there was a sense of optimism, both at home and within the international community, about the country’s future.

Then, after months of rumors about the group’s emerging presence in Afghanistan, on January 26, 2015, Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, Islamic State’s now-deceased spokesperson, announced an “expansion” of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s “caliphate” into the “lands of Khorasan.” A term from Islamic history that encompasses a swathe of South and Central Asia, “Khorasan Province” would come to refer to ISIS operations in Afghanistan and Pakistan.