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Catherine Putz

Catherine Putz

Catherine Putz is managing editor of The Diplomat.

Catherine (Katie) Putz is managing editor of The Diplomat.

She manages the monthly magazine as well as writing on Central Asia and Afghanistan. She writes on politics, security and culture in former Soviet spaces, particularly where they link to greater Asia. Katie also co-hosts The Diplomat’s Asia Geopolitics Podcast.

Katie is a graduate of the Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce at the University of Kentucky, where she studied international security and Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania, where she majored in history with a focus on U.S. diplomatic and conflict history. Previously, Katie worked in several positions at the Atlantic Council and as a communications consultant at the World Bank. She is a member of the Military Writers Guild and the National Press Club.

Get in touch with Katie on LinkedIn, or email.

Posts by Catherine Putz
May 22, 2025

Kyrgyzstan: Incoming Peace Corps Cohort Cancelled Last Minute

By Catherine Putz
As DOGE takes aim at the Peace Corps, the sudden cancellation of the June departure of new volunteers to Kyrgyzstan “is particularly cruel and inefficient.”

May 14, 2025

Tajikistan Decriminalizes ‘Likes’ Online

By Catherine Putz
A 2018 amendment had opened the door to criminal prosecution, and up to 15 years in jail, for “liking” or reacting online with an emoji to content deemed to be extremist.
May 13, 2025

Trump Administration Ends Temporary Protections for Afghan Immigrants

By Catherine Putz
Homeland Security Secretary Noem determined that "permitting Afghan nationals to remain temporarily in the United States is contrary to the national interest of the United States.”

May 10, 2025

The India-Pakistan Clashes of 2025: Why Things Are Different (And More Dangerous) This Time

By Ankit Panda and Catherine Putz
How bad will things get between India and Pakistan?

May 08, 2025

Russian Raids Target Central Asians in Cafes, Bathhouses

By Catherine Putz
Central Asian governments have been meek in the face of Moscow's repeated targeting of the region’s citizens. 

May 01, 2025

Vicky Davis on Remembering World War II in Central Asia

By Catherine Putz
“As the importance of Victory Day in Central Asia decreases, it is needed even more in Moscow to promote and validate the war in Ukraine.”
April 25, 2025

Local Employee of Russian Cultural Agency Detained in Recruitment Case in Kyrgyzstan

By Catherine Putz
Four people were detained in Osh on April 19 in connection with a case of mercenary recruitment.

April 24, 2025

Asia’s New Nuclear Age

By Ankit Panda and Catherine Putz
Why are nuclear weapons back at the forefront of international politics?

April 22, 2025

How Turkmenistan’s Government Neglects Its People (And Why the World Should Care)

By Catherine Putz
“When the international community ignores a country like Turkmenistan, it sends a message that some lives – and some struggles – matter less.”

April 18, 2025

Tariffs, Trade Wars, and Asian Geopolitics

By Ankit Panda and Catherine Putz
How sustainable is this trade war?

April 11, 2025

Satire on Trial: Temirlan Yensebek in Kazakh Court for Using a Rude Rap Track

By Catherine Putz
An offensive 20-year-old rap song may land a Kazakh satirist in jail for seven years. But there's more to the case than a rude song.
April 10, 2025

Ukraine Claims Capture of Chinese Fighting With Russia in Donetsk

By Catherine Putz and Shannon Tiezzi
Zelenskyy claims that Kyiv has information on at least 155 Chinese citizens fighting with the Russian forces in eastern Ukraine.

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