Region
Central Asia
What Afghanistan’s Qosh Tepa Canal Means for Central Asia
By Seamus Duffy
The Qosh Tepa canal issue essentially forces the Central Asian nations in the Amu Darya basin to make tradeoffs between regional instability and internal instability.
How Farid Tuhbatullin Tells Turkmenistan’s Story
By Catherine Putz
An interview with the Turkmen Initiative for Human Rights’ Farid Tuhbatullin, who works to draw attention to the troubles in his homeland.
Turbulence in the Taiwan Strait: The New Normal
By Ankit Panda and Catherine Putz
Another high-level U.S.-Taiwan meeting causes turbulence in the Taiwan Strait.
New Ukraine Sanctions Target Business Interests of Russian-Uzbek Billionaire Usmanov
By Catherine Putz
Usmanov was personally sanctioned shortly after the invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, but new sanctions target his “wide network of businesses.”
Russia Still Pursuing Regional Air Defense System With Kyrgyzstan
By Catherine Putz
Russia's efforts to establish "regional air defense systems" within the existing CIS joint air defense system are not new.
Uzbek Militants Escape Detention in Indonesia; 2 Dead
By Niniek Karmini
The three men were among four Uzbek nationals detained by Densus 88 on March 24, following a tip from Uzbekistan's state security service.
Laid-off Oil Workers Detained After Overnight Protest in Astana
By Catherine Putz
The group’s detention sparked a growing crowd in Zhanaozen and highlighted, once again, the precarity faced by the country’s workers.
Court Bars Kazakh Opposition Figure Mamai From Activism, Journalism
By Catherine Putz
Mamai’s prison sentence was suspended, but the Kazakh government has nevertheless silenced him.
Old Tricks in a New Uzbekistan: Constitutional Reform and Popular Legitimacy
By Akrom Avezov
The referendum may be a way of employing old tricks to extend Mirziyoyev’s rule, but a total reversion to the "old ways" could also prove detrimental to his regime.
Central Asia’s Strained Security Architecture
By Saadi Khamidov
Growing divisions within the CSTO -- over Ukraine, Afghanistan, and various internal disputes -- may have serious implications for the region’s security architecture.
Land Grabs and the Cost of Mining in Mongolia
By Elena Gordillo
Considerations about local people’s well-being should be at the forefront of all ongoing and new mining project developments.
Civil Society Activists Launch Campaign Against ‘Culture of Violence’ in Tashkent
By Niginakhon Saida
With the support of the country’s mass media foundation, local civil society activists are trying to instill the message that violence against women is not innate to Uzbek culture.