After a week of writing on environmental disaster, I thought it might be fun to consider a global environmental event that doesn't impinge upon anyone's social conscience: the long-ago ages of the dinosaurs. On March 24, 2007, LiveScience reported the finding of two new species of dinosaurs in Mongolia. One species ranks "as one of […]
As noted in part 1 of this series, the Aral Sea is the endpoint of an exotic watershed, with water-rich areas upstream and an arid downstream. Throughout the world, exotic watersheds are usually more heavily populated downstream. In general, international law gives downstream human security priority over upstream ownership‚ in other words, people have a […]
The U.S. Department of State issued a new report April 5, called “Supporting Human Rights and Democracy: The U.S. Record.” Unlike the Congressionally-mandated annual report on human rights, this one goes to Congress with a focus upon democracy promotion. RFE/RL has an interview with Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Erica Barks-Ruggles (wonder […]
Until writing these posts, I visualized desertification as an encroaching edge. Climate research shows, though, that desertification works on a pocket approach: a little desert here, and a little desert there, like brush fires, gradually grow into one very large swathe of hostile landmass. This pocket-to-pocket desertification is occurring in the Gobi Deserts of Mongolia […]
A UPI report announcing the potential formation of a new world gas cartel has political and economic implications for Central Asia: High oil prices have lent Putin's Russia an apparent power in the world market, and fears of a new Russia-led gas cartel have been fanned over the past year. A meeting in Doha, Qatar between Russian, Venezuelan, Iranian, and other […]
100-plus years of accelerating irrigation, destruction Though the Environmental Justice Project blames the Aral Sea disaster upon Karimov's regime, this is not strictly correct (or even useful). The Aral Sea disaster is a mostly ignored but challenging legacy to Central Asia's leadership as a whole. Uzbekistan is the prime violator of sustainable water regimes, but Karimov […]
Last week, April 2-5, EU representatives visited Uzbekistan to discuss sanctions after a cool meeting on March 28. Uzbekistan's Minister of Foreign Relations said that Uzbekistan would not be lectured to, nor would it countenance any interference in its domestic affairs. Despite these strong words, the EU's Ferrero-Waldner has said that Uzbekistan is “re-thinking” its […]
Three ways to measure degradation: Micklin (2000) writes that the Aral Sea is a surface-fed rather than groundwater-fed lake: it relies upon water contributions from the Amu Darya and Syr Darya. Since it is located between Central Asia's Kara-Kum, Kyzyl-Kum, and Baetpakdala deserts, its evaporation rate is relatively high. Lake evaporation contributes, however, to the atmospheric and […]
I’ve been remiss in failing to note Joshua Foust's ongoing analyses of events concerning Central Asia's most notorious terrorist group, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU). Supposedly, Pakistan's troops have annhiliated the IMU in Waziristan–but– Today, Mr. Foust reports at Registan from a careful look at news sources and analysts, that the Waziristan conflict may not be going as advertised. The whole thread […]
Another event celebrating the life and work of Jalal al-Din Rumi: If you are going to be in Washington, D.C. on April 12, you might consider getting a ticket to the Freer-Sackler's upcoming concert of Rumi's music and poetry. Neva Ozgen, a master of the Turkish kemanche (a kind of fiddle) will be accompanied by Bansuri flutist […]
Now here's something to talk about when you are out at dinner tonight: The Foreign Policy Association (yes, This Foreign Policy Association) recently cited some unhappy statistics. Ninety percent of the schoolchildren in the United States cannot identify Afghanistan on a map, despite the fact that our troops and reconstruction teams have been there since just […]
In order to understand the issues of climate change in Central Asia, one has to understand the nature of water distribution in the region. First of all, Asia is a large continent, with less shoreline per land mass than other continents. This has profound effects on its ability to obtain water, particularly in the Central […]
Today, RFE/RL Newsline reports that twelve suspected Taliban fighters from Afghanistan will be transferred from Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan to the newly refurbished Pol-e Charki Prison near Kabul. Soon, other Afghanistani nationals in Guantanamo Bay will also be transferred to Pol-e Charki. Last year, Financial Times reported that 110 detainees in Guantanamo would […]
10:00 a.m., April 2-Flooding that began March 27 has resulted in the death of more than 80 people and the displacement of hundreds of people in one-third of Afghanistan's provinces. Mudslides and flooding also killed ten and displaced many in Tajikistan two days ago; today, earthquakes at 6.2 on the Richter scale have affected Dushanbe and outlying areas. […]
Russia's new law that bans illegal migrants from working in city marketplaces and other retail jobs has just gone into effect. As reported by the World Bank, most temporary migrants in Central Asia move to Russia to find work. Russia is the second largest destination for migration in the world. Migration statistics show that Kazakhstan sends […]