On Thursday, February 17, Kyrgyz parliamentarians overwhelmingly voted in support of Kyrgyz Prime Minister Almazbek Atambayev’s proposal to name a 4,446 m (14,587 ft) peak in the country’s northern Tian Shan range after his counterpart Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. In an explanatory note the MPs said it would “cement friendly ties between Kyrgyzstan and […]
In January 2011, Uzbekistan’s president Islam Karimov made a controversial visit to Brussels and met with both E.U. and NATO officials creating somewhat of an uproar among human rights activists. His European visit drew attention and sharp criticism towards renewed Western engagement with a state that violates human rights and personal freedoms, remains corrupt, brutally […]
Early morning February 7, 2011, Hikmatullo Saifullozoda, a 60 year old editor of the opposition newspaper Najot and a prominent member of the opposition from the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT), was ambushed and brutally beaten by unidentified perpetrators near his home in the capital city Dushanbe. He is currently in a hospital in […]
On Friday, February 4th Kazakhstan’s president Nazarbayev announced that his country will hold presidential elections on April 3, 2011, almost two years earlier than previously scheduled for 2012. Nursultan Nazarbayev has held a grip on power in this Central Asian republic since before the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. At the age of […]
A sizeable amount of natural gas has been found in Tajikistan- 60 billion cubic meters of gas, enough to supply Tajikistan for 50 years. Some of this gas may be available this year to Tajik households, freeing the country from Uzbekistan’s stranglehold on energy supplies. With a few more hydro-electric plants coming on board by […]
Ata-Jurt leader Kamchybek Tashiev Yesterday, on October 10, Kyrgyz voters cast their ballots for a new parliament. Overall, there were not a lot of new faces chosen, casting doubt on a fresh start after June’s riots and killings, when over 400 people reportedly died and more than 400,000 were forced out of their homes. On the other […]
I have struggled to try to understand what happened in Kyrgyzstan this summer, specifically the “interethnic” clashes in June. My graduate studies focus on Central Asia in the 19th century, and frankly, much has changed. I am sometimes ill-equipped to fully explain whats happening now with my knowledge of the 19th century. This upcoming semester […]
First of all, a shout-out to the folks at registan.net, for doing everything well. Here is a great post on how sudden and unexpected the violence was for journalists and scholars of the region, as the region is known for for relative peace. Poverty, but peace. What is so interesting is that no one on […]
At least 77 people have died in clashes in the south of Kyrgyzstan, according to Al-Jazeera. It seems that thousands of ethnic Uzbeks, mostly women and children, are fleeing for safety to Uzbekistan. They claim that they have been attacked by militias and by the Kyrgyz military and police. The interim government is appealing to […]
The BBC reports that Friday May 14th, there were clashes in the southern city of Jalalabad between supporters of ousted president Bakiyev and supporters of the interim government. 2 people were killed and 60 injured as nearly 2,000 of Bakiyev’s supporters attempted to re-gain control of government buildings. The interim government now says the situation […]
The recent events in Kyrgyzstan have not only raised the question of what actually happened there, but how we can understand it? The NYTimes and CNN have mostly been awful, with some exceptions: This opinion piece being the major one. On the other hand, Registan.net has been extraordinary. This article on how to understand media […]
A state of emergency has been declared in response to massive protests over a spike in utility costs. Kurmanbek Bakiyev seems to have stepped down, left the country, and the opposition has claimed control over the government. 100 people have been killed, the police are firing live rounds into crowds, protesters have stormed parliament. Video […]
Happy Novruz everyone. I am full on plov from the Seattle-Tashkent sister city celebration. Mmm. Kazakh Oil Company leaders have met with striking workers in Zhanaozen. Since March 4, several thousand workers have been striking over various issues relating to wages and leadership. As head of the OSCE, Kazakhstan is feeling some pressure to be a […]
The Washington Post has a fascinating article on the uranium market in Kazakhstan, complete with extensive photo galleries. The most illuminating aspect was the arrest of Mukhtar Dzhakishev, the former chief executive of the state nuclear firm Kazatomprom. According to the Post, “the KNB, local successor to the KGB, accused him of transferring the rights […]
Nabucco, the gas pipeline that will transport energy to Europe without Gazprom, has always been tentative. Turkmenistan, the main supplier, seems to have over-stretched itself, with export promises to China, Russia, and Iran. The other main source, Azerbaijan’s Shah-Deniz field, is under dispute with Turkey over pricing. OMV, an Austrian firm, isn’t sure there is […]