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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
March 13, 2025

Pickers and Clusters: A Complex Array of Issues Confronts Uzbekistan’s Evolving Cotton Industry

By Catherine Putz
The 2024 harvest saw a shortage of pickers, government backtracking on positive legislation, and issues stemming from the cotton cluster system; problems rooted in continued state efforts to micromanage the industry.

March 12, 2025

Lawyer Extradited From Kyrgyzstan to California to Face Visa Fraud Charges

By Catherine Putz
On the run since 2018, former immigration lawyer Danhong “Jean” Chen was recently detained in Kyrgyzstan and extradited to the United States.
March 12, 2025

Kazakhstan Aims to Increase Oil Exports via BTC Pipeline

By Catherine Putz
But a proposed increase from 1.4 million tons to 2.2 million tons is just a drop in the bucket compared to the volumes Kazakhstan exports via Russia-based pipelines. 

March 11, 2025

Tajik President to Visit Kyrgyzstan, Sign Border Deal, Ahead of Momentous Trilateral Summit

By Catherine Putz
The presidents of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan are expected to meet for their first-ever trilateral summit on March 31.

March 06, 2025

Kazakhstan’s Plans for a Regional Sustainable Development Goals Center Backed at UN

By Catherine Putz
The effort, however, comes at a time when major global powers – namely the U.S. – are pivoting away from the kind of U.N.-centered cooperative framework envisioned by Astana.

March 05, 2025

Japanese Foreign Minister Banned by Russia Over Ukraine Sanctions

By Catherine Putz
Moscow doled out permanent entry bans on Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi and eight other top officials and business leaders in retaliation for Japanese sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.
March 04, 2025

Uzbek Security Service Shakeup Continues With Dismissal of Internal Affairs Minister

By Catherine Putz
Pulat Bobojonov, who has been minister of internal affairs since 2017, was moved to an adviser post in the presidential administration. 

March 04, 2025

Gold Plot Auction Heightens Focus on Chinese Investments in Uzbekistan

By Catherine Putz
31 plots in Uzbekistan’s prime gold mining region Navoi went up for auction last month, sparking rumors and discussion about China’s growing business interests in the country.

March 01, 2025

Misun Woo on Women’s Rights in the Asia-Pacific

By Catherine Putz
“We need to ask why there hasn’t been much change to advance women’s human rights and end injustice?”

February 28, 2025

Is the United States Relitigating Its Grand Strategy?

By Ankit Panda and Catherine Putz
What can be gleaned from the first month of the second Trump administration about the U.S. approach to world affairs?

February 22, 2025

DeepSeek and the AI Competition

By Ankit Panda and Catherine Putz
What does American anxiety over DeepSeek reveal about the state of US-China competition in AI?
February 19, 2025

Tracking Taliban Travel

By Catherine Putz
Natalie Gonnella-Platts and Albert Torres explain how consistent travel ban exemptions undercut global efforts to pressure the Taliban.

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