Foreign Policy Blogs

Russia & Central Asia

Kazakhstan: The family dynamic, with updates

Kazakhstan: The family dynamic, with updates

Reviewing recent events: Last week, I wrote on the Nurbank scandal and the about-face decision to investigate Mr. Aliev rather than to send him out of the country until the scandal died down.  At the time that Mr. Aliev was demoted from his Foreign Ministry position and made Ambassador to Austria, he was feeling his […]

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Afghanistan: Increased aid hijacking

Afghanistan: Increased aid hijacking

On Friday, the World Food Programme condemned a spate of aid hijackings that have taken place primarily in West and Southern Afghanistan.  The amount of food stolen over the past 12 months — 500 tonnes — was worth a total of USD 350,000.  The attacks have been increasing in incidence since April.  Food was to be […]

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Mark Seidenfeld update: New charges levelled

Mark Seidenfeld update: New charges levelled

New announcements from the Save Mark Seidenfeld site: Mr. Seidenfeld's new charges have now been announced, after a trial delay announced in April, when initial charges appeared to have been satisfied by evidence. The first new charge states that he took more money to pay for the originally-disputed equipment than it actually cost.  Derek Bloom over at the […]

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Casual Friday: The Ruhnama Quiz

Casual Friday: The Ruhnama Quiz

Now that Turkmenbashi is gone, I feel constrained to preserve the memory and teachings of his most amazing book, The Ruhnama.  In my experience, there is no other book quite like it for range of subject matter, and reading it expresses a dedication to Central Asian affairs that is well worth remarking upon.  Those of you who […]

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Casual Friday: Xinjiang ketchup

Casual Friday: Xinjiang ketchup

It's sometimes difficult to get good information about the Xinjiang Autonomous Uighur Region of China, but these two blogs do an excellent job: On the serious side: Xinjiang Watch has a great article up now that should help us all read news about Xinjiang a little more intelligently: Xinjiang Man Throws Flaming Projectile at Picture […]

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Central Asia: Iodized salt and children's health

Central Asia: Iodized salt and children's health

Targeting Xinjiang: According to the People's Daily online, the Chinese government is implementing a USD 2.6 million program to halt iodine deficiency in the Xinjiang area.  30 of Xinjiang's prefectures have significant populations suffering from iodine-deficiency diseases.  The program will provide 5 yuan per person to equalize the costs between iodized salt and black market salt.  […]

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Turkmenistan: Tourism versus tight security

Turkmenistan: Tourism versus tight security

President Berdymukhammedov plans to open a new economic free zone along the Caspian Sea that would welcome tourists to his country.  The zone would center around the town of Turkmenbashi and be called “Avaza”.    Previously, Turkmenistan's tourism efforts were hampered by its stringent security.  The new tourism zone would cut down on the constant […]

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Uzbekistan: new immigration laws, new hardship

Uzbekistan's labor force has increasingly turned to migration in order to bring money home to families.  Now it looks as if immigration is going to be a new revenue-builder for the state.  According to a new resolution, immigrants must now register before going abroad.  Not only that, but regional governors of Karapalkstan are also recalling […]

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Kazakhstan: Nurbank scandal widens

Kazakhstan: Nurbank scandal widens

OJSC (Open joint stock company) Nurbank is the seventh largest of Kazakhstan's banks, opening for business in 1992.  According to its Web site, it is owned by the largest oil, food, publishing and foreign trade firms operating in Kazakhstan, and also currently lends to oil, food, foreign trade, and publishing & information firms.  Already part of many loan syndication networks (where […]

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CSTO: More rumbling predicts new activity

CSTO: More rumbling predicts new activity

I’ve posted a couple of isolated reports on the CSTO recently.  It now seems that these are part of some new, more comprehensive Central Asian security initiatives.  The Secretary-General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, Nikolai Bordyuzha, was in Kyrgyzstan to attend a working meeting.  He inspected Kyrgyz Defense and Interior special forces exercises.  Mr. Bordyuzha also spoke at Kyrgyzstan's first Media Conference, on “The […]

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Ambassadors & Legislators: Seidenfeld's USG advocates

Ambassadors & Legislators: Seidenfeld's USG advocates

Mark Seidenfeld is still in prison in Kazakhstan, after an April trial delay that pushes back legal presentations until probably June.  In the meantime, according to the Save Mark Seidenfeld blog, both Russian and Kazakhstani press are publishing articles that make Mr. Seidenfeld look guilty, or that he is a spy.  If you get a […]

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Kyrgyzstan: better border control through CSTO

Kyrgyzstan: better border control through CSTO

Today's RFE/RL has an article on Kyrgyzstan's problems with border control.  The Speaker of Parliament, Mr. Marat Sultanov,  has sought Russian help via the CIS collective security arrangements now undertaken through the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization. Recently, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan implemented a short-term arrangement of greater access between the two countries, only to have it […]

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Kazakhstan: Constitutional changes

Kazakhstan: Constitutional changes

Last week, Nathan Hamm at Registan.net posted twice on new constitutional reforms in Kazakhstan.  In the first, he discussed how new constitutional changes would answer objections that many member states have toward Kazakhstan's OSCE leadership bid.  In the second post, Nathan wrote that his earlier post might have been too optimistic, as some of the implications […]

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Turkmenistan: Jailed officials, changing guard

Turkmenistan: Jailed officials, changing guard

RFE/RL's Daniel Kimmage noted in yesterday's and today's RFE/RL Newsline: May 16: Akmarat Rejepov, Head of Turkmenistan's National Guard, and  Geldymurad Ashirmuhammedov, Turkmenistan's Minister of National Security, were dismissed from their posts.  Mr. Rejepov was ostensibly going to be ‘reassigned’ to another position. May 17th: Mr. Rejepov was arrested. May 18: Ashirmuhammedov is reported as arrested […]

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Tajikistan: 64% poverty, and portents for more

Tajikistan: 64% poverty, and portents for more

Three stories from the United Nations News Agency, IRIN, point to Tajikistan's poverty and resulting problems for children, families, migration, and a host of other problems that result from poverty.  All three of these articles show how difficult it is to rise from poor circumstances.  Furthermore, they show that even responsible choices by virtuous people […]

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