Dateline, London: The Kazakhstan Growth Forum was held in London June 27 through 29; according to the lineup, over 600 primarily economic entities attended. These included: the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development; British-Kazakhstan Association leadership; and various oil companies and banks. One bank attending is Raffeissen bank, which is one of the Austrian banks […]
Golden opportunities to make nice with Turkmenistan: New diplomacy: Mr. Berdymukhammedov has decided upon a new spelling (post in Russian) for his name, with one M–Berdymukhamedov, hereinafter. This decision was made to further communication between Kazakhstan and Russia, as the double M appears to be less pronounceable in Kazakh and Russian. Such accommodation is a strong signal that Turkmenistan's […]
Well, I didn't post as much last week as I normally do, and that's because I went to New York to talk to the Foreign Policy Association's Teacher Training Institute about Central Asia. What a great group of teachers! We are used to thinking that politics is something that happens on the world stage, but anyone […]
In a previous short post, I noted that Mr. Niyazov's successor, President Berdymukhammedov, had eschewed the country-wide birthday party that had become customary for Turkmenbashi in favor of more private celebrations. I was particularly pleased that he had separated the public from the private realm. However, it appears that some gaudy and celebratory moves were made […]
Peak of a ten-to-twelve year cycle: Moroccan locusts. Earlier this month, IWPR reported that Tajikistan's efforts against the current anti-locust plague was proving to be only partly successful. 55,000 hectares of grainland has been treated with pesticide, but lacks of equipment have made the effort less than what is needed. The locusts migrate from Afghanistan and […]
No drugs, no gala pageants, more military reform, and no Trust of Saparmurat Niyazov: This is a thrilling article for those of us who have been watching Turkmenistan over the years. Mr. Berdymuhammedov is making several initiatives that indeed have been crying out to be made: The article says it all and it's short. Check it out!
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I received an e-mail from the Eurasian Transition Group that a newpaper interview between Dr. Rakhat Aliev and Vremya newspaper on June 16 is actually a fictional account. Confirmation that the interview was comes from RFE/RL Newsline of June 19. Several of us in the Central Asia blogosphere have reported on this interview, but unfortunately, it's just not good information. […]
Last month, the World Bank approved a USD 2.96 million loan to help Uzbekistan address the problems of Avian Influenza. Though most of the other states of the Caspian region have reported bird flu incidence, Uzbekistan has had no recorded cases. This could either be good luck or a lack of reporting. With this loan, […]
You can collect stamps from all over the world, of course, so why not the stamps of Central Asia? It's a great way to discover aspects of national culture. First, there are national symbols: flags, Great Seals, and historic heroes. There are the nation's significant crops, native animals, and national leaders. Another thing to note: […]
U.S. Foreign Aid News: June 5: According to the Wall Street Journal, The House Appropriations Committee is planning to reduce Bush's Foreign aid budget by about USD 700 million. The bill would still be an increase over last year. Congressional changes that might impact Central Asia: reduction of restrictions of family planning aid; less money […]
This week BP released the new annual report: The Statistical Review of World Energy 2007. This report is considered the standard for those who work in the energy field and those who write about it. Since BP has international connections and relationships, its finding are much less politically biased than say, country reports from domestic […]
Well, Mark Seidenfeld's trial did indeed begin (at last) on Friday June 15th. The judge ordered that the initial complainant, Mr. Zhunssov, be present on Monday, June 18th, the second day of the new trial. On Monday, Mr. Zhunussov, the complainant, was nowhere in court. Instead, he was in China, running in a Marathon. Marathon No. […]
On June 12, Lukoil cemented a contract with Turkmenistan to develop three offshore fields . LUKOil joins the UAE's Dragon Oil PLC and Malaysia's Petronas as foreign direct investors in Turkmenistan's petrochemical industry. LUKoil currently produces 19% of Russia's crude oil, and operates in 25 other states besides the Russian Federation. Last month, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Russia developed a […]
Kazakhstan’s President has announced a new phase of pipeline construction for oil shipments to China. The previously-constructed Atasu-Alashankou pipeline will be extended to the Caspian. Atasu is in Central Kazakhstan. The existing phase of transit was certified in July of last year, and shipped 1.1 million tons of oil to China in the first quarter of this year. (88,000 […]
Somehow the confluence of my pleasure reading seems to bear directly on events that we explore repeatedly in international politics. Recently, I have read two books that portray Western attitudes about corruption, lack of transparency, election abuses, and the relationships between politicians and their consituencies. I am not going to do a full book review here–just a few quotes from […]