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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
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February 21, 2024

Prominent Karakalpak Activist Aqylbek Muratbai Facing Extradition From Kazakhstan to Uzbekistan

By Catherine Putz
Muratbai has been a vital voice in calling attention to Uzbekistan's persecution of the Karakalpak people. His detention in Kazakhstan is yet another warning shot.
February 09, 2024

Smugglers and Scammers Make Wild Promises to Uzbeks Desperate to Reach US

By Catherine Putz
Uzbek citizens interested in getting to the United States are confronted with a confusing miasma of regulations, made all the more murky by disinformation and scammers. 

February 08, 2024

Controversial Kyrgyz ‘Foreign Representatives’ Bill on Cusp of Becoming Law

By Catherine Putz
Despite opposition, both foreign and domestic, Kyrgyzstan continues to push forward a law that would enact further restrictions on organizations receiving funding from abroad.

February 07, 2024

Bishkek’s Ever Problematic Power Plant Explodes

By Catherine Putz
Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov pledged to order a “complete modernization” of the plant after a February 2 explosion.

February 07, 2024

Kyrgyz Media Under Increasing Pressure, But ‘Kloop Will Continue Its Work’

By Catherine Putz
An interview with Kloop co-founder Rinat Tuhvatshin.
February 02, 2024

Early Notice: Kyrgyz President Japarov Will Seek Second Term

By Catherine Putz
Kyrgyzstan’s next presidential election isn’t due until 2027, but Central Asia doesn’t always stick to schedule – making early chatter about a second term interesting. 

February 02, 2024

The Unexonerated Speak: A New Documentary Sheds Light on Uzbekistan’s Dark Past

By Catherine Putz
Thousands were imprisoned under the regime of Islam Karimov, unjustly convicted on religious extremism and other charges. Many have been freed, but they remain unexonerated. 
January 30, 2024

Central Asia No Closer to Shaking Perceptions of Corruption

By Catherine Putz
Transparency International notes a “troubling picture” in the region as countries struggle with “dysfunctional rule of law, rising authoritarianism, and systemic corruption.”

January 30, 2024

Wanted, Again: Matraimov Once More Sought by Authorities in Kyrgyzstan

By Catherine Putz
Bishkek is on the one hand pursuing an anti-corruption campaign, but at the same time cracking down on the very media that expose such corruption.

January 23, 2024

North Korea, Korean Unification, and the Prospects of a 2024 Crisis

By Ankit Panda and Catherine Putz
What does North Korea's abandonment of Korean unification portend?

January 19, 2024

The Geopolitical Implications of Taiwan’s 2024 Elections

By Ankit Panda and Catherine Putz
The Taiwanese people voted for continuity. How will that affect prospects for stability in the Taiwan Strait?
January 17, 2024

24.kg, Temirov Live Targeted With Media Raids in Kyrgyzstan

By Catherine Putz
The recent detention of journalists and raids on homes and offices mark a further expansion of the Kyrgyz government’s efforts to rein in the country’s media through overt pressure.

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