All Things Must Pass
‘Kyrgyz question’ will become one of the central ones at December’s OSCE Summit in Astana? READ MORE
Global Insights: Kyrgyzstan Election Benefits Regional Security
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Few would have expected it to be possible a few months ago, but Kyrgyzstan managed to hold a free, fair, and surprisingly non-violent and trouble-free parliamentary election this weekend. In an assessment widely shared by regional experts, David Trilling, writing at EurasiaNet, concluded, "Kyrgyzstan's parliamentary elections couldn't have gone better." READ MORE
Kyrgyzstan Votes And Surprises The World
When Kyrgyzstan counted the votes in a parliamentary election Monday, the strong showing of a nationalist party was only one surprise. The bigger surprise was that the results were not a foregone conclusion, making this small, mostly Muslim nation the first in Central Asia to hold free elections in pursuit of a democratic system. READ MORE
CSTO: Half Dead, Half Alive
“CORF [Collective Operational Reaction forces] will be no worse than NATO,” claimed Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev, only one year ago. Today, these words are used in Russia to popularize the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and the CORF within the post-Soviet space. READ MORE
China Showcases Expeditionary Military Power in Peace Mission 2010
On September 9-25, Kazakhstan hosted the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Peace Mission 2010 military exercise, at the Matybulak training range in Zhambyl region, designed to showcase the organization’s capabilities against extremism, separatism and terrorism. READ MORE
Central Asia’s Perfect Storm
Dean Acheson, US President Harry Truman’s Secretary of State, liked to quote a friend who said that being in government made him scared, but that being out of it made him worried. To those of us not privy to the hidden complexities of NATO’s military intervention in Afghanistan, the situation there – and across Central Asia -- is extremely worrisome. READ MORE
Islamists Hit Central Asia In New Strikes
Deadly Unrest Threatens Governments, Imperils Supply Routes in Afghan War. READ MORE
The “Persian Alliance” and Geopolitical Reconfiguration in Central Asia
August 5 marked the fourth occasion in the last four years that the leaders of the Persian-speaking countries of Iran, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan convened, this time in Tehran, to chart the future of their trilateral cooperation. The meeting, dubbed the “Persian summit,” led to a series of agreements in the area of trade, energy, and transport, reaffirming their joint commitment to bolster regional security. READ MORE
Trend Commentator: Europe Wastes Time And Gas
Azerbaijan has always been famous for its oil industry. In the last four years, it has been strengthening its position in gas exports. Azerbaijan's gas exports are as important as its oil and oil products. Proof of this can be seen in the recent signing of extentions to the contract for Azerbaijani gas supplies to Russia. They involve a doubling of fuel supply up to two billion cubic meters in 2011 and a further increase in 2012. READ MORE
Customs Union Project Shows Moscow's Power Deficit
At the beginning of July, Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus signed a number of protocols establishing a customs union between the three countries. The union, scheduled to be fully operational in January 2012, will create a single common market of about 170 million people and represents the latest of several attempts by Moscow to create an effective trade bloc with its newly independent neighbors since the break-up of the Soviet Union. In addition to the economic ties maintained through the establishment of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Russia first committed to a union with Belarus in 1994. READ MORE
