Officials in Astana followed the New Year's gas dispute between Moscow and Kyiv with an air of detachment, but the compromise solution reached between Ukraine and Russia runs counter to the economic interests of Kazakhstan. The deal enables Russia to sell its gas for $230... MORE

On January 5, Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev signed the decree "On Arrangements to Prepare a National Referendum in the Kyrgyz Republic," calling for a referendum on constitutional reform at the end of 2006. While Bakiyev seeks to postpone constitutional reform for as long as possible,... MORE

The authorities in Dushanbe, fully aware of the growing security issues confronting Tajikistan and the region as a result of drug trafficking, are making gradual inroads into finding alternative partners to support domestic efforts to tackle the problem. Notably, this policy need has raised the... MORE

Since the Andijan massacre in May 2005, Uzbekistan has made little headway with its recent attempts to use pro-Western contacts to establish a way forward for its military and security agencies. Now Uzbekistan's armed forces are the subject of widespread Soviet-style efforts to prop up... MORE

At a solemn ceremony on December 15, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev pressed the button to officially begin pumping oil at the Atasu terminal along the new Atasu-Alashankou pipeline. The ceremony took place at the main control center of the Kazakh national oil transport company, KazTransOil.... MORE

In the course of only a week in December several violent incidents took place between Kyrgyz and Uzbek civilians and border guards, and between Kyrgyz border guards and militia in the Fergana Valley region. While the Kyrgyz government has not made any public statement about... MORE

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