Latest Articles about Central Asia
ASTANA ERECTS INFORMATION BLOCKADE TO FEND OFF KYRGYZ “RIOT”
Incredible as it may sound, the majority of Kazakhstan's population has no idea about recent events in the country next door, Kyrgyzstan. Long after the "governable democracy" of Kyrgyzstan had become clearly unmanageable and President Askar Akayev fled his country on March 24, Kazakhstan's government-controlled... MORE
MOSCOW CRITICIZES EU AND OSCE OVER KYRGYZ ELECTION
Russian diplomacy is pointing a finger at the European Union and the OSCE, attempting to suggest that their goal of upholding democratic election standards in Kyrgyzstan is partly responsible for the outbreak of post-election unrest. Moscow wants international organizations to lower their evaluation criteria, ostensibly... MORE
MOSCOW PUNDITS PONDER TURMOIL IN KYRGYZSTAN
As Askar Akayev's regime collapsed across Kyrgyzstan, Russian policymakers and analysts considered whether the upheaval in the Central Asian republic falls into the same category as the Rose Revolution in Georgia and Orange Revolution in Ukraine. Most Russian commentators note some important parallels between events... MORE
CROWD SEIZES GOVERNMENT OFFICES IN BISHKEK
This morning, 15,000 to 20,000 people gathered in Bishkek's central square demanding President Askar Akayev's resignation. The protesters then stormed the government headquarters. There are reports of severe fights between the protesters and hooligans allegedly hired by the government to stir up tensions in the... MORE
KARIMOV AGAIN SEARCHES FOR WESTERN SUPPORT
Uzbekistan's President Islam Karimov re-launched his efforts to secure further Western support for his regime during a visit to Slovenia March 15-17. His campaign comes at a time when NATO officials are actively seeking to develop Uzbekistan's role within the Partnership for Peace (PfP) and... MORE
NIYAZOV UNBENDING ON GAS PRICES TO RUSSIA AND UKRAINE
On March 23, Gazprom officially acknowledged for the first time that Turkmenistan had ceased gas deliveries to Russia on January 1. Gazprom Vice-Chairman Alexander Ryazanov confirmed to Moscow journalists that the company rejects Ashgabat's demand for a price increase, from $44 to $58 per 1,000... MORE
SAAKASHVILI OFFERS TO GO TO KYRGYZSTAN AS MEDIATOR
On March 22, as post-election violence and anarchy engulfed large parts of Kyrgyzstan, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili wrote an informal, personal letter to his Kyrgyz counterpart, Askar Akayev, offering to mediate between the Kyrgyz authorities and the opposition. "Based on my own personal experience, I... MORE
STRIKING COAL MINERS IN KAZAKHSTAN ARE MERELY PAWNS IN A MUCH BIGGER GAME
Emotions are running high in Kazakhstan as miners protest anticipated wage cuts and layoffs at the Indian–owned Mittal Steel Company. In the past two weeks a series of rallies and pickets has rocked the otherwise dormant towns of Temirtau and Shakhtinsk in central Kazakhstan. Mittal... MORE
Kyrgyz Crisis Reaches Bishkek — Rumors Suggest Akayev has Fled Country
One week after runoff elections for parliament, the government of Kyrgyzstan lost administrative control over all large cities in the southern part of the country to opposition protesters. On March 20, for the first time since the bloody events in Aksy in 2001, the Kyrgyz... MORE
KAZAKHSTAN AMENDS ELECTORAL LAW, BUT REFORMS STILL LACKING
Kazakhstan's citizens have become accustomed to broken promises of radical political reform since the country became independent in 1991. Even members of Kazakhstan's "pocket parliament" admit that public confidence in the legislature's integrity has dramatically plummeted in recent years. On March 10 parliament made yet... MORE