For energy strategists around the Caspian: Sergei Blagov has written an article about President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov's two day visit to Russia. President B. declined to rubber-stamp President Putin's offers for increased energy cooperation. I don't even want to muddy the waters by commenting further. You can read the article at Eurasianet, linked here. For background, read my […]
Tsetseegee Munkhbayar received a top award for environmental activism yesterday, for initiating and building the Onggi River Movement. Mr. Munkhbayar is a self-educated yak herdsman who has insisted upon accountability in Mongolia's mining industry. The story has captured international attention and can be found at Taipei Times, al-Jazeera, and elsewhere. The Goldman Prize Organization web site […]
President Nazarbaev's diplomatic agility remains critical in Kazakhstan's military affairs. New military reform efforts have been bolstered this year, showing that Kazakhstan intends to glide past both domestic and international constraints with as much friendliness, and as many partners, as possible. Domestic issues Early this year, Kazakh Defense Minister Mukhtar Altynbaev was recalled from his post. Through April, Kazakhstan's […]
If this comes to fruition, it is the best news of the day: According to official news reports, a Turkish construction firm has been awarded a Multiple Award Construction Contract (MACC) for building mother and child wellness "Ene Myahri" centers in Mary (Merv), Lebap, Dashuguz, and Balkan. These four cities are the capitals of Turkmenistan's […]
Last Thursday, April 19th, Kyrgyzstan's opposition promised a “decisive day” against Bakiev's government. At least that much is true: the nine-day long protests in Bishkek ended in violence. Therefore the protests, which were a call to reduce the power of the executive branch in the Constitution, may well result in increased presidential power. According to Russia's […]
The Honorable Kevin Rudd, Leader of the Opposition in the Australian House of Representatives, spoke today at The Brookings Institution. The topic: US diplomatic engagement with China. His remarks focussed almost completely upon issues of East Asia and the Pacific, but some of his comments apply quite well to US-Chinese diplomacy concerning Central Asia. China's Priorities Most Central Asia […]
Yesterday, an article about agricultural practice in the Ferghana Valley brought me up short, because the numbers in it just sounded wrong. However, I am no agricultural expert: I spent a good part of the day talking to some wonderful people who know and study cotton at Texas A & M University. In particular, I […]
Conflict between journalists and the Minister of Culture and Information Mr. Ermukhamet Ertsybaev has been a constant theme since May of 2006, when journalists protested the Minister's “authoritarian methods”. Last month, protest erupted again when Mr. Ertsybaev had television journalists from the station ERA ejected from a March 2 event. By Monday, March 5, journalists were calling for Mr. […]
The Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC), met today in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan. They met in order to analyze their work, celebrate successes, and most of all, to formulate policy for 2008. The meeting was opened by Russia's Prime Minister, Mikhail Fradkov, who gave the opening remarks. Mr. Fradkov suggested that there were many integration […]
Umida Niyazova will be on trial in Uzbekistan April the 19th. According to Ferghana.ru News Agency: Umida Niyazova is charged with illegal border crossing, smuggling, manufacturing or distribution of subversive literature with the help of financial or other aid, received from religious organizations and also from foreign states, organizations and citizens. Ms. Niyazova is a […]
Currently, Turkmenistan's President Berdymukhammedov is visiting Saudi Arabia to arrange for oil and gas cooperation. Before that, he entertained OSCE representatives who proposed aid in environmental, educational, political and economic venues. More diplomatic envoys over gas exports but little else about Turkmenistan whatsoever: President Berdymukhammedov has said that long-term gas export agreements with China, Russia, and Iran […]
A recent article in Perspectives on Politics discusses the study of ethnic, religious, national, and other kinds of collective identity. Specifically, Abdelal, et al note that political scientists use words like "ethnicity", "religious group", and "national identity" without regard to analytic rigor. They present six different methods to ascertain group affiliation and bring scholarship back to earth. Nevertheless, I found myself […]
As of Friday, April the 13th, Human Rights Watch cannot remain in Uzbekistan, because its director has “exceeded her authority” and “worked outside the charter”. The new permitting regime was tightened after the Andijan Massacre. Many NGOs, press organizations, businesses, and military personnel have been asked to leave. Throwing the foreign rascals out, by date: June 6, […]
Kazakhstan-India trade turnover has gone from USD 120 to 210 million–a 74% increase, from last year to the year before. Kazakhstan is working hard to develop further bilateral trade ties with India. Though such trade naturally includes petroleum market trade, Kazakhstan is developing an attractive trade diplomacy for other industries, including special economic zones (SEZs) […]
Right now, with Kyrgyzstan's leadership shuffle and constitutional conflicts, we have few resources so excellent as the blogs written in Kyrgyzstan itself. Mirsulzhan Namaliev is what you might call “plugged in” to events and politics in Kyrgyzstan. According to Tolkun, he is currently out there in Bishkek's square covering the demonstrations. Tolkun's most recent post in […]