“Is he the affable front man for the business-as-usual hard-liners, a puppet president who offers soothing remarks, but little else? Or is he a genuine reformer who is edging Russia away from the more heavy-handed practices of Mr. Putin, but needs time to make his mark?” What Clifford Levy writes in today’s New York Times […]
On April 28, the five Central Asian states met to discuss water issues in a summit in Almaty. To no one’s surprise, no agreements of substance were signed. Instead, the leaders bickered and stalled, and in the end, signed an agreement that did not address regional water management. Continuing to provoke its neighbors, on April […]
Dexter Filkins reports in the New York Times that part of Obama’s new Afghanistan policy is an emphasis on curtailing Taliban profits from the opium trade. To do this, US commanders have authorization to attempt to take control of the opium-heavy growing regions of Helmand, Kandahar and Zabul Provinces. I could not discern whether a […]
Two items of note: Weak Opposition to Karzai, So Far… The Afghan Election Commission started excepting nominations for presidential and provincial offices for the upcoming August elections and one thing seems clear, incumbent President Hamid Karzai appears to have a strong chance at retaining his position. No other major candidate has so far put in […]
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown visited the Afghan government in Kabul and with British troops in Helmand Province yesterday and is on to Pakistan today. Brown was there to show his support for his nation’s troops and offer support to President Karzai and his government. Brown announced that he would ‘announce‘ a new British strategy […]
Mikhail Saakashvili is a politician known for following his gut, both figuratively and literally, as when he devoured his tie during a live BBC interview. Could this crucial organ also be his Achille’s heel? Today, Tbilisi is a city under siege: the BBC reports that “usually the main roads in the city centre are full […]
The people of Afghanistan celebrated Earth Day by declaring Band-e-Amir its first conservation area, basically making it the country’s first national park. Band-e-Amir, which features a series of exceedingly deep-blue lakes and natural dams not seen anywhere else in the world, has suffered great neglect and damage from the state’s 30 years of warfare. Though […]
I am inexhaustibly fascinated by everyday life in the late Soviet Union. It probably has something to do with trying to locate a past that I lived but was too young to remember. Imagine my excitement then at discovering the works of Boris Savelev, a rocket scientist-turned-photographer who spent the 1970s, 80s and 90s taking […]
After the recent unexplained explosion of a gas pipeline between Russia and Turkmenistan, each side has been accusing the other of blowing it up. After all the words exchanged, Turkmenistan has taken action by signing a major agreement with the German energy giant Rheinisch-Westfaelische Elektrizitaetswerk (RWE). RWE now has the right to explore and develop […]
In what is to part of a series of conversations, some of which began back in February, the Obama administration will host the leaders of Afghanistan and Pakistan in a trilateral summit this coming May 6 and 7. During the official summit, President Karzai and President Zardari will each meet individually with Obama and then […]
Al Qaeda’s second in command Ayman al-Zawahri spoke out yesterday on an Internet recording about President Obama and his Afghan-Pakistan strategy. I guess we should pay attention whenever a top AQ leader talks as the United States, Afghanistan, and Pakistan would not be in the position they are now in without their existence. It almost […]
“Later, as he sat on the balcony eating the dog, Dr Robert Laing reflected on the unusual events that had taken place within this huge apartment building during the previous three months” – Opening lines of Highrise, by JG Ballard. JG Ballard, who died today, was one of my favourite writers. It is not entirely […]
Only five months after FPA Russia blog noted the intriguing similarities between Obama and Gorbachev, the AP’s Steven Hurt writes: While historic analogies are never perfect, Obama’s stark efforts to change the U.S. image abroad are reminiscent of the stunning realignments sought by former Soviet leader Michael Gorbachev. During his short—by Soviet standards—tenure, he scrambled […]
It is being reported that the United States is planning on starting a major “psychological operation” that would seek to disrupt and curtail Taliban use of radio and Internet communication in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. The aim would be to hurt the insurgents’ ability to coordinate attacks and strategy, as well as their propaganda efforts […]
Russia, China, and all the Central Asian states except Uzbekistan took part in war exercises south of Dushanbe. About 1,000 soldiers took part in a staged factory take-over with hostages. The only truly remarkable fact about this event is this quote from Radio Liberty: During the exercises, Tajik soldiers demonstrated their ability to tear apart […]