The Russian newspaper Moskovsky novosti recently published an extensive interview with Shuhrat Masirokhunov, identified as the former chief of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan's Counterintelligence Service. Masirokhunov was extradited from Pakistan to Uzbekistan a few months ago. His comments should provide considerable insight into the... MORE

The sudden thaw between Tashkent and Moscow after the Andijan bloodbath and the withdrawal of the U.S. air base from Uzbekistan left Astana guessing about the true intentions of the enigmatic Uzbek President Islam Karimov. But since the Russian-orchestrated integration of the Central Asian Cooperation... MORE

Kazakhstan has again raised the prospect of closer relations with the NATO Alliance, despite its already close relations with Russia and China and the restrictions placed upon its room for maneuver due its membership of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and the Shanghai Cooperation... MORE

Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev has announced that his government would restructure control over a number of state-controlled media outlets to encourage greater public participation. However, due to previous unsuccessful attempts to reprivatize a number of popular mass media sources, the president's latest initiative raises doubts... MORE

Kazakhstan's December 4 presidential election gave both the opposition and the ruling establishment an opportunity to test the popular theory of democratic "color revolutions." Could a popular uprising after a disputed election evict another ruling regime? The ruling regime has now recognized that it must... MORE

On Sunday December 4, citizens of Kazakhstan went to the polls to elect their president. While the incumbent, Nursultan Nazarbayev was expected to win, his principal challenger, Zharmakhan Tuyakbay of the opposition bloc "For a Fair Kazakhstan," played to the cameras. Giving a forced smile... MORE

Russia has long expressed concern about the rising security risks associated with burgeoning drug trafficking through Central Asia, though its assistance to these countries has often been questioned in terms of its practical results. Moscow has stepped up its emphasis on this aspect of its... MORE

Following the removal of Kyrgyzstan's long-time President Askar Akayev on March 24, 2005, the new government led by Kurmanbek Bakiyev terminated some of Akayev's efforts to build an official state ideology. But aside from anti-corruption slogans aimed at remnants of Akayev's regime, the Bakiyev government... MORE

The Party of Regions of Ukraine (PRU) of Viktor Yanukovych, who was Viktor Yushchenko's main opponent in last year's presidential election, has come up with its list for the March 26 parliamentary elections. Unlike Yushchenko's Our Ukraine or Yulia Tymoshenko's party, the PRU will run... MORE