Central Asia

Work on Kyrgyzstan’s North-South Alternative Highway, an ambitious project to speed up travel throughout the mountainous country and help connect its disparate regions, may finally be coming to an end.

As Central Asian governments tighten restrictions on the hijab in the name of upholding secularism, devout Muslim women find themselves forced to navigate an increasingly difficult choice between their faith and the law.

Typically, rationing in rural areas begins in late October, but this year the state power company announced the start of restrictions on electricity in late September.

The case has come to define Kyrgyzstan's autocratic slide under President Sadyr Japarov.

State-owned and private construction companies make plenty of money in the process of completing housing developments. It’s the buyers who lose out.

Alisher Qodirov’s outspoken criticism of Russian chauvinism and the Soviet legacy marks a significant shift in Uzbekistan’s political discourse, sending a clear message to Moscow.

But Ashgabat could hesitate to fully commit to the project, given the dire security situation in Balochistan and regional security challenges.

Kazakhstan’s planned transition to a Latin alphabet is intertwined with issues of national identity, geopolitical shifts, and post-colonial discourse.

Central Asian nations are forming closer alliances with each other in light of the Russo-Ukrainian War, and these efforts are reflected in their recent UNGA speeches.

Trying to bring to life a regional partnership in Central Asia, Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s visit was motivated by geopolitics and migration – and the Taliban. 

The sheer diversity of feminist movements across the Asia and Pacific weaves into a singular tapestry telling a story of solidarity, striving, and dreaming of a better future.

Casey Michel's new book peers deep into the world of foreign lobbying in the United States.