Latest Articles about Central Asia
Nuristan: Insurgent Hideout in Afghanistan
Nuristan, an isolated area in northeastern Afghanistan, is one of the most dangerous parts of the country. Insurgents wield considerable influence in a region plagued by oppressive rulers and parochial local conflicts. Moreover, the Pakistani Islamic terrorist organization, Lashkar-e-Toiba – a signatory to Osama bin... MORE
PUTIN LEANING ON NAZARBAYEV TO THWART WESTBOUND ENERGY PROJECTS
Russian President Vladimir Putin used the May 20 meeting in Sochi with his Kazakh counterpart, Nursultan Nazarbayev, to ensure that Russia remains the route for the great bulk of Kazakhstan's oil and gas exports and nip trans-Caspian pipeline projects in the bud. Putin's move counters... MORE
RUSSIAN INFLUENCE ON THE UPSWING IN KYRGYZSTAN
On May 19, President Kurmanbek Bakiyev told a visiting group of international journalists that Kyrgyz authorities would go ahead with the plan to ask the United States to vacate the Manas air base by June 1 unless Washington agrees to a massive increase in rent... MORE
KYRGYZSTAN FIGHTS ONE-DAY WAR WITH UNKNOWN BANDITS
Early on the morning of May 12 an armed group of about 10 people attacked a Tajik border checkpoint in Isfara oblast. They seized weapons and killed three Tajik guards. A few hours later the group moved into Kyrgyzstan through Batken oblast and headed toward... MORE
KAZAKHSTAN BOOSTING CASPIAN SECURITY
Kazakhstan is boosting its Caspian security through the successful implementation of foreign military and security-assistance programs. These have helped Kazakhstan to develop its maritime border capabilities by providing military hardware, technical advice, and spare parts. Astana has included naval and border security packages into most... MORE
ASTANA’S INTEGRATION DREAMS SUFFER SETBACKS
In an apparent bid to win acclaim by launching a regional integration initiative, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev used his February 2005 address to the nation to propose the creation of a union of Central Asian states on the basis of agreements on eternal friendship among... MORE
Al-Qaeda in Azerbaijan: Myths and Realities
After the events of September 11 and the subsequent war on terrorism, Azerbaijan became one of the active members of the anti-terrorism coalition. Besides providing a small contingent of troops for peace operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Azerbaijani government actively cooperates with the United... MORE
PUTIN MARKS ZERO-SUM WIN WITH KARIMOV IN SOCHI
Uzbek President Islam Karimov's May 12 meeting with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in Sochi marks a further stage in Russia's successful exploitation of Uzbekistan's unnecessary alienation from the United States. The Putin-Karimov meeting was demonstratively timed to the anniversary of the violent suppression of... MORE
RUSSIA REMAINS KARIMOV’S BEST HOPE
Amid growing international isolation, Tashkent views an alliance with Moscow as its main -- if not last -- geopolitical hope. The regime ruling Uzbekistan appears so keen to forge closer ties with Russia that President Islam Karimov has seemingly offered Russian companies unprecedented access to... MORE
RUSSIA PLANS EXPANSION OF ITS MILITARY PRESENCE IN KYRGYZSTAN
The Russian military is set to expand its military presence in Kyrgyzstan later this year by increasing the number of Russian personnel at its airbase in Kant, near Bishkek. According to Colonel-General Vladimir Mikhailov, commander of the Russian air force, by the end of 2006... MORE