Well, as many Central Asia watchers are aware, Uzbekistan's elections were supposed to take place this last December. Therefore, they are over six months overdue. Some vague announcements of elections this December instead were made. But, as recently noted, no election preparation seems to be forthcoming. At last, perhaps a glimmer of electioneering? Or just […]
At last According to Ferghana.ru, the bodies of the missing Nurbank managers, Mr. Joldas Timraliev and Mr. Albar Hasenov, have been found. They have been missing since January. According to the same report, DNA testing was used to verify identity. Both officials showed the marks of torture. Mr. Rakhat Aliev, former-son-in law of President Nursultan […]
It doesn't take much to tip the scales toward economic catastrophe for the people southern Africa. A poor harvest followed by a bitterly cold winter means that Swaziland is experiencing some of its worst economic conditions in recent years. Food and medical scarcities, inadequate shelter, and general economic vulnerability have created conditions for a miserable winter for South […]
Not at all surprisingly, the Mugabe government's unilateral price cutting, and crackdown on those who would defy it, has proven to be a short-term palliative and not a long-term solution. Store shelves are empty. Shortages reign. Prices may be low, but no one can buy goods. Producers have stopped producing, store owners have stopped purchasing […]
A couple of items from West Africa caught my eye this morning: Ghana recently discovered oil off of its coast. But oil has usually proven to be a mixed blessing in Africa, bringing with it what has come to be known as the “petro-curse”: Fueling kleptocracy and division, exploiting poor workers for the benefit of […]
Yesterday, C. J. Chivers wrote in the International Herald Tribune that Turkmenistan's heroin addiction rate is phenomenally high: but how high, no one knows for sure. Under the Turkmenbashi, medical care was decimated, census and other facts not gathered, and crime prevention agencies turned increasingly to profit. In this article, Chivers ties the increasing pall that heroin […]
IWPR is reporting that Darigha Nazarbaeva, recently divorced from Rakhat Aliev, will be standing down from Parliament. Her father's party, Nur-Otan, sees her as a liability in upcoming August 18 elections. Ms. Nazarbaeva's Asar Party merged into Nur-Otan in 2006. The elections follow a number of Constitutional amendments, previously most famous for introducing a loosening […]
The militarization of petroleum and natural gas. . . I found an interesting news item about Gazprom last week that to me further indicates bonding between the political and economic in Russia's energy front. I lifted this pretty much verbatim from Andrea Mihaelescu at UPI (emphasis added): Russian gas giant Gazprom now has a right […]
The Foreign Policy Association's own Robert Nolan has been reporting on the African Union Summit in Accra. His recent FPA piece on early steps to establish a United States of Africa can also be found at allAfrica.
Kyrgyzstan's legislature and utility customers are rushing right into a dilemma that marks the plight of many transition states, and indeed, many developing states across the world. The issue at large concerns the development of energy capacity in Kyrgyzstan, for both domestic use and for export. The new energy developments show some of the pain […]
The 9th Cuba-Mexico Inter-Parliamentary Conference concluded recently in Havana, providing an opportunity to strengthen bilateral relations. According to press reports, the meetings were attended by senators and deputies from all parties represented in the Mexican Congress and a deputy delegation from the Cuban Peoples’ Power National Assembly. Delegates hoped to review positions prior to international […]
The African Union's (AU) predecessor, the Organization of African Unity (OAU), established a process called the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) as part of the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD). The AU has moved forward with APRM, which, whatever its shortcomings, holds great promise to help African nations spur one another toward good governance, best practices, and accountability. So far […]
In South Africa's tiny neighbor, Swaziland, recent reports indicate that more people live in informal settlements than in formal neighborhoods, which has spurred the country to push to improve living conditions in urban areas. Officials have decided to upgrade the informal settlements (often called townships) rather than build new housing.
Just like agricultural crops, seminars seem to be popping up everywhere this summer. One of the latest was is Hujand, Tajikistan: on regional cooperation. Feghana.ru interviewed a Russian academic at the conference, and the interview gives a different perspective to Central Asia's politics. For one thing, Professor Plastun talked about terrorism measures in Central Asia, […]
Happy Nadaam, Mongolia! July 5 is the day that Mongolia overthrew its feudal leaders in 1921. And before that, it was a midsummer celebration of the “Three Manly Sports“: (archery, horseback riding, and wrestling). Dateline, Ulaan Bataar: For the first time in six years, China's Foreign Minister visited Mongolia from June 30 through July 2, to […]