Region
Central Asia
Unprecedented Protests Rock Kazakhstan as Government Clings to Familiar Script
By Catherine Putz
In a January 5 televised address, Kazakhstan's president followed a familiar script: blame the unrest on a conspiracy.
The Art of Survival for Central Asian States
By Brian Wong, Iskander Akylbayev, and Valikhan Bakhretdinov
30 years on from the dissolution of the USSR, Central Asian states are a case study in hedging and balancing between global superpowers.
2021: Another Year of the Russian Language in Central Asia
By Umida Hashimova
Among Russian officials, 2021 was a year of heightened sensitivity to the Russian language in Central Asia.
The Fall of the Soviet Union: Mongolia’s Path to Democratic Revolution
By Bolor Lkhaajav and Antoine Maire
The singularity of the Mongolian revolutionary process deserves to be underlined.
The Final Flights of the Afghan Air Force
By Catherine Putz
As the Afghan government collapsed, the country’s pilots were left with an impossible choice: stay and face possible death at the hands of the Taliban, or fly away.
A Look Back at 2021 in Central Asia
By Catherine Putz
How did I do on my outlook for Central Asia 2021?
Confronting China’s International Counterterror Regime: Pay Attention to the SCO
By James Jennion
The possibility for the SCO to be used as a vehicle to promote a more authoritarian worldview can be seen in the way the language of Beijing’s counterterror policy is paralleled in SCO policy.
Aijan Sharshenova on What’s Next for Kyrgyz Politics
By Catherine Putz
What’s next for Kyrgyz politics now that Sadyr Japarov has the government he wanted?
Have Kumtor’s Revenues Fallen Since Government Seizure?
By Catherine Putz
Kumtor update: revenues are down, Kyrgyzstan is suing Centerra, and Akayev is off the hook.
2021 in Asian Geopolitics: A Retrospective
By Ankit Panda and Catherine Putz
What were the major developments and events that drove geopolitical trends in Asia in 2021?
Workers’ Rights Denied in Kazakhstan: Zhanaozen’s Legacy
By Mihra Rittmann
The trajectory of labor rights restriction in Kazakhstan can be traced to what happened in Zhanaozen in 2011 -- and the aftermath.
The AIFC’s Role in Kazakhstan’s Green Transition
By Wilder Alejandro Sanchez
How green can the steppe become?