Region
Central Asia
CSTO Issues Belated Declaration After Minsk Summit
By Catherine Putz
The foreign ministers of the CSTO, of which Russia is a member, without apparent irony put out a statement that says “no state should ensure its security at the expense of the security of other states.”
Debate Over Kyrgyzstan’s New Flag Overshadows Kyrgyz-Tajik Border Negotiations
By Nigel Li
After a December 1 meeting in Tajikistan, security officials on both sides are proclaiming success and promising progress.
Wind in the Sails of Renewables in Kazakhstan
By Catherine Putz
Astana signs yet another wind farm deal, this time with COP28 host UAE’s Masdar for the development of a 1 gigawatt wind power project.
Bill on Flag Redesign Survives First Reading in Kyrgyzstan’s Parliament
By Colleen Wood
Government officials say the current iteration, which was designed just after independence, looks like a sunflower.
Uzbekistan Takes a Stance Against Promoting or Endorsing Polygamy
By Niginakhon Saida
While polygamy is illegal in Uzbekistan, having a second (or third) wife is still trendy.
Central Asia’s Great Energy Paradox
By Assel Tutumlu and Farkhod Aminjonov
Why does the energy-rich region experience such frequent power and heating failures?
How Are Central Asian Jihadi Groups Exploiting the Israel-Hamas War?
By Uran Botobekov
Central Asian Islamists lack the capability to translate rhetoric into operational attacks, but they are capitalizing on the resumption of conflict in the Middle East to enhance recruitment and financing efforts.
EU Sanctions Envoy Strikes Positive Tone in Astana
By Catherine Putz
Central Asia features prominently in conversations about evasion of sanctions on Russia and the possibility of secondary sanctions on the region’s economies.
Kazakhstan’s Yurts of Peace: Citizen Diplomacy in the Making
By Zhaniya Bekshora
Kazakh citizen diplomacy can be viewed as a tool for cultivating humanism and demonstrating solidarity, as well as an important foreign policy instrument.
Long Prison Term for Aspirational Kazakh Opposition Leader
By Catherine Putz
Nurzhan Altaev was given a 10-year sentence earlier this month, and another opposition leader, Marat Zhylanbaev, is expected to see a similar sentence soon.
Why Is the Eurasian Economic Union Broken?
By Elvira Aidarkhanova
The EAEU is largely ineffective in terms of economic cooperation and integration, which are paradoxically its very reasons for being.
Central Asia Faces Challenges and Sees Opportunities Amid Complex Geopolitical Outlook
By Catherine Putz
A conversation with Temur Umarov about Russia, China, and Central Asia amid the war in Ukraine.