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Latest Articles about Central Asia
KYRGYZSTAN FACES RAMPANT INFLATION FOR FOOD PRODUCTS
In the past few weeks Kyrgyzstan has endured steadily rising food prices. According to estimates by the Kyrgyz parliament, roughly 500,000 people, the poorest stratum of the population, are directly affected by increased prices for bread and other basic products. The Kyrgyz government blames neighboring... MORE
KAZAKH PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS RESURRECT COMMUNIST-STYLE ONE-PARTY RULE
The August 18 snap elections for Kazakhstan’s national parliament and local assemblies brought, as predicted, a landslide victory for President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s Nur Otan party. With amazing speed, on the morning of August 19 the Central Election Committee announced that Nur Otan had gained 88.5%... MORE
KAZAKHSTAN CRACKING DOWN ON HIZB-UT-TAHRIR
Kazakhstan’s National Security Service (KNB) is continuing to crack down heavily on the activities of Hizb-ut-Tahrir, the Islamic Party of Liberation. According to the KNB press service, on August 24 intelligence officers disrupted a cell of the banned religious party in Mangistau Region (western Kazakhstan).... MORE
SCO SUMMIT FOCUSES ON ENERGY COOPERATION
On August 16, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) held its annual summit in Bishkek, the Kyrgyz capital. This was the largest event to date for both Bishkek and the SCO, as the summit brought together official representatives of 12 countries. Energy cooperation and security issues... MORE
ECONOMICS AND SECURITY CLOSELY TIED IN KAZAKHSTAN-JORDAN RELATIONSHIP
On August 9 Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev met Jordan’s King Abdallah II in Astana, confirming his intention to expand ties between the two countries. In addition to Jordan, Kazakhstan is also pursuing closer bilateral relations with Egypt as part of an overture to the Middle... MORE
ASHGABAT MOVES TO IMPROVE TURKMENISTAN’S HUMAN RIGHTS RECORD
Since succeeding Turkmen “president for life” Saparmurat Niyazov on December 22, 2006, Gurbanguly Berdimukhamedov has swiftly moved to consolidate power and improve Turkmenistan’s international image with an assuredness that has startled analysts. First, on May 16 Ashgabat announced that Akmurat Redzhepov, head of the feared... MORE
NEW STATE IDEOLOGY BOUND TO FAIL IN KYRGYZSTAN
On July 30, Kyrgyz State Secretary Adakhan Madumarov officially presented his national ideological project called “Development through Unity.” Creating and spreading national ideologies in Kyrgyzstan has been the state secretary’s main function since the early 1990s. However, after completing his task responsibly, Madumarov faced widespread... MORE
PROJECT OPERATOR ANNOUNCES MASSIVE DELAYS AND COST OVERRUNS AT KASHAGAN
The government of Kazakhstan is considering imposing severe penalties on the company or companies responsible for cost overruns and production delays at the supergiant Kashagan offshore oilfield. Deemed the largest oil discovery worldwide in the last 35-40 years, Kashagan is estimated to hold almost 2... MORE
REGIONAL COOPERATION WOULD ADDRESS KAZAKHSTAN’S SECURITY CONCERNS
Kazakhstan’s leaders have sought Moscow’s help to reduce crimes with security implications, such as membership in extremist groups or drug trafficking. On July 30, for example, Kazakhstan’s Interior Ministry and the Russian Federal Service for Drug Control signed an agreement to cooperate in combating the... MORE
KAZAKHSTAN AND RUSSIA RENEW EFFORTS TO CURB DRUG TRAFFICKING
A shared opposition to the constant stream of drugs flowing from the poppy fields in Afghanistan is apparently one of the few remaining areas of cooperation between Kazakhstan and Russia. Since Russia handed over responsibility for protecting the troubled Tajik-Afghan border to poorly equipped and... MORE