Latest Articles about Central Asia
Kyrgyzstan Celebrates Two Revolutions
Six years after ousting an unpopular leader and one year since yet another forceful regime change, Kyrgyzstan faces the dilemma of identifying the role of both events in the country’s recent history. The March 24, 2005, regime change, ousting President Askar Akayev and electing Kurmanbek... MORE
The PLA’s “Orient Express”: Militarization of the Iron Silk Road
China’s rise on the international stage has been accompanied by an increase in its military's presence. Beijing's expanding ambition is prompting calls on the country's leaders to be more proactive in protecting its national interests. These calls by Chinese analysts have raised concerns about the... MORE
China Seeks Uranium Ore in Kazakhstan
Future prospects for cooperation between China and Kazakhstan were high on the agenda during President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s visit to Beijing on February 21. This overshadowed all other complicated and long-drawn out issues like the water sharing on Ili and Irtysh Rivers, on which a preliminary... MORE
Otunbayeva Open to Military Cooperation with the US and Russia
Shortly after her recent visit to Washington, Kyrgyzstan’s President Roza Otunbayeva announced that two military training centers funded by the US and Russia will soon be opened in Kyrgyzstan (www.akipress.kg, March 15).According to the Kyrgyz president, the US center might be located in Batken oblast,... MORE
China’s Central Asian Profile Continues Growing
Though largely unnoticed by the media, China continues to expand its economic and therefore political and strategic position in Central Asia. This expansion even includes territorial revisions in China’s favor. In the energy sector Turkmenistan has agreed to sell China 20 billion cubic meters (bcm)... MORE
Jihad in China? Marketing the Turkistan Islamic Party
Since its creation in 2008, the Uyghur-based Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP) has vowed to carry out jihad against the Chinese occupiers of Xinjiang, the massive western province of China that is known to its Muslim inhabitants as East Turkistan. While evidence of actual operations in... MORE
Food Security Problems in Central Asia Challenge Local Regimes
Food security serves as an indicator of any country’s ability to ensure supply, affordability, and safety of food for its population. But it can also be a barometer, testing the effectiveness of public institutions and legitimacy of governments. In the case of the landlocked Central... MORE
Rumors of Secret Land Lease to China Causes Unease in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstani people are generally not prone to air their political views in public. This is partly due to apathy, a fact regularly deplored by activists, and to some extent to fear of what the consequences might be. But the one topic that will raise people’s... MORE
Mongolian-Iranian Relations Colored by Meat and Uranium
Iran has been steadily increasing its ties with Mongolia and 2010 was a year of increased Iranian overtures toward Ulaanbaatar. In another manifestation of how democratic Mongolia and Iran are looking towards substantially developing their economic ties, in early December 2010, it was announced that... MORE
Kyrgyzstan’s Ruling Coalition Doomed to Rapid Collapse
The ruling coalition will collapse before Kyrgyzstan’s President, Roza Otunbayeva, returns from her two-day trip to Washington, a member of the opposition Ata-Meken party told Jamestown recently. The current coalition consisting of Ata-Jurt, the Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan (SDPK), and Respublika parties has remained... MORE