Region
Central Asia

March 03, 2023
Reforms and Investment Needed to Power Central Asia’s Clean Energy Future
By Tatiana Proskuryakova and Charles Cormier
As Central Asian governments roll out energy sector reforms, private investment is set to play a key role in economic development and the clean energy transition.

March 03, 2023
Ukraine’s Shadow Over Blinken’s Travels Through Central Asia
By Catherine Putz
The war in Ukraine provided the thematic backdrop for the U.S. secretary of state’s recent trip through Central Asia in a way the U.S. war in Afghanistan once did.

March 01, 2023
China’s Rise Reverberates in Tajikistan
By Sher Khashimov
China’s growing importance to – and influence over – the country is a case study in Beijing’s geopolitical rise over the past several decades.

February 28, 2023
Neither Exciting nor Boring: Kazakhstan Prepares for Parliamentary Elections
By Paolo Sorbello
The announced opening up of the political field still fails to leave room for opposition.

February 27, 2023
Just Passing Through: Kazakhstan’s Parallel Trade Predicament
By Sophia Nina Burna-Asefi
Amid sanctions on Russia, there is a growing trend of back-door sales via third-party channels in friendly countries – like Kazakhstan.

February 25, 2023
US Secretary of State Blinken Headed to Central Asia Next Week
By Catherine Putz
Antony Blinken's first trip to Central Asia will involve bilateral meetings with all five of his regional counterparts, plus a convening of the C5+1 format.

February 23, 2023
Uzbekistan’s Transition to a Green Economy: Challenges and Opportunities
By Paola Agostini , Weijen Leow, and Marco Mantovanelli
Tashkent recognizes the need to enhance its economic transformation with a green approach.

February 22, 2023
The Diplomat Magazine Hits Issue 100
By Ankit Panda and Catherine Putz
The Diplomat reaches a milestone: reflecting on 100 issues of the magazine.

February 22, 2023
The Ukraine War Echoes in Ancient Samarkand
By Dan Storyev
An unusual diaspora -- Indian medical students evacuated from Ukraine last year -- has found community in a small Catholic church in Samarkand.

February 22, 2023
Moscow Multilateral Security Dialogue: Regional Consensus Elusive on Afghanistan
By Shanthie Mariet D’Souza
Pakistan skipped the meeting, while Russia has proposed a new effort to build “regional consensus” – a G-5.

February 17, 2023
After Temporary Suspension, What’s Next for the Trans-Afghan Railway?
By Sophia Nina Burna-Asefi
Railway transportation re-opened from Uzbekistan to Afghanistan after a recent suspension was lifted, but key questions remain.

February 17, 2023
UN Working Group Calls for Release of Uzbek Blogger Sattoriy
By Catherine Putz
The U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention says Otabek Sattoriy’s 2021 detention is arbitrary under international law.