Central Asia
After Istanbul, a slower nuclear clock?
January 26, 2011The failure of the most recent round of talks between Iran and the “P5+1” in Istanbul was hardly a surprise. To date, negotiations with Iran have made no progress in halting Tehran’s nuclear enrichment program, or in changing the dynamics...
EU scrapping South Caucasus, Moldova envoys
May 31, 2010The reported decision by the EU's foreign policy chief would seem to signal a downgrading of the bloc's involvement in its eastern neighborhood. In a signal of waning interest in its eastern neighborhood, the European Union's foreign policy chief, Cathering...
Bishkek fears Russia wants a protectorate over Kyrgyzstan
May 20, 2010By Paul Goble Continuing violence in Kyrgyzstan, especially in the south, and Russian moves that some in Bishkek see as intended to discredit the Provisional Government have prompted some in Kyrgyzstan and elsewhere to speculate that Russia wants to...
Chinatowns emerging in post-Soviet Central Asia but not near the Chinese border
May 19, 2010By Paul Goble As Beijing expands its economic and political ties in post-Soviet Central Asia, the number of Chinese living and working in the major cities and regions has increased, in some cases providing the kind of trained workers that these countries...
Push for federalization of Kyrgyzstan seen having dangerous consequences
May 06, 2010By Paul Goble A new push by supporters of ousted Kyrgyzstan president Kurmanbek Bakiyev to federalize that troubled Central Asian land with Bishkek retaining control only over finances and security could lead to the fragmentation of the country, the...
Ethnic clashes in Kyrgyzstan could spark civil war, Uzbekistan's intervention
April 22, 2010By Paul Goble Ethnic clashes threaten Kyrgyzstan’s survival, Russian analyst suggests Clashes between ethnic Kyrgyz, on the one hand, and minority groups, on the other, if they come to involve ethnic Uzbeks, a Moscow analyst says, would...
Kyrgyzstan unrest sparked by economic, political discontent
April 10, 2010De Gary Thomas The Central Asian nation of Kyrgyzstan is attempting to stabilize itself after an uprising that toppled the government and sent the president fleeing. A poor economy, rampant corruption, and autocratic rule made Kyrgyzstan a tinderbox...
Russia's new immigration policy to attract people from Moldova, Ukraine, Central Asia
February 05, 2010Russia seeks to liberalize immigration policy, move could attract more Moldovans to work there Igor Shuvalov, Russia's first deputy Prime Minister, said during a press conference yesterday that his country would like to liberalize immigration policy...
U.S. envoy for Eurasian energy explains goals, strategy for region
February 01, 2010By Heather Maher The U.S. government's special envoy for Eurasian energy has laid out the White House's approach to Eurasian energy policy in a speech in Washington. Ambassador Richard Morningstar told a group at the Center for American Progress...
Russia has allowed just one U.S. military overflight to Afghanistan
January 21, 2010Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told RFE/RL today that Russia has allowed only one flight of lethal U.S. military equipment to transit its airspace en route to Afghanistan, despite a July agreement envisioning as many as 12 flights a day. Speaking...