List of Central Asia articles
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Cars, vans, and other vehicles crowd a busy street beneath a hazy sky. Men in military fatigues perch on a vehicle in the middle of the throng, waving flags. Low-rise buildings rise up on one side of the road. Moscow’s Recognition of the Taliban Will Backfire
Recognizing Afghanistan’s extremist leaders will fuel radicalism.
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Mandarin language teacher Liu Mei gestures at the blackboard at the Confucius Institute in Sierra Leone during a class for students in Freetown. The Fight Over Language, From Haiti to Kyrgyzstan
Reads on one of the most powerful tools of imperialism.
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A small market on Song Kul Lake, Kyrgyzstan. Russian Won’t Be Kyrgyzstan’s Lingua Franca for Long
The war in Ukraine is leading to a linguistic backlash in Russophone Central Asia as young people embrace their mother tongues.
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A large crowd of people reach out with hands extended for food. A hand reaches out from behind the camera, holding some food wrapped in brown paper. The World Bank Is Failing and Needs a Restart
Global poverty and income divergence are set to rise again—a brutal indictment of the institution’s work.
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Members of the media gather in front of a screen showing a live courtroom broadcast during the preliminary hearing in the trial of Kazakh former economy minister Kuandyk Bishimbayev, who was charged with "particularly cruel murder" and "torture" for killing his wife, at a court in Astana on March 11. How a Domestic Violence Trial Ended Kazakhstan’s Political Nihilism
The crushing of protests in 2022 spawned despair. A high-profile conviction has renewed hope that the law can actually bring justice.
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A man is seen from his profile behind glass, speaking into a microphone and holding a piece of paper. The Kazakh Murder Trial That Captivated Russia
Putin’s political project rests on normalizing violence—including domestic abuse.
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Security gates surround Moscow's Red Square. Migrants in Russia Are Terrified as Racism Grows After Deadly Attack
Violence and war are shaping Moscow’s brutal response.
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Taliban supporters parade through the streets of Kabul. The Taliban’s Enemies Can’t Agree on Anything
A summit of opposition leaders was meant to produce a plan to fix Afghanistan’s trajectory. It generated more infighting and factionalism.
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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (right) and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev speak to the media following talks at the Chancellery in Berlin. Kazakhstan’s Leader Makes Neutrality an Art
Tokayev is maximizing his opportunities by balancing Russia, China, and the West.
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U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a meeting, his mouth open as he stands in front of a sign for a Central Asia plus U.S. group of nations. Biden is an 8-year-old man with white hair, wearing a navy blue suit. Biden Takes Aim at Putin’s Soft Underbelly in Central Asia
Moscow’s war in Ukraine has created an opening for Washington as a new great game heats up
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Two Uzbek soldiers, both wearing camouflage and helmets and holding rifles, stand on either side of a metal gate with a stop sign at its center. Behind the fence is a flat field, and farther in the distance are trees and a blue sky. The Water Wars Are Coming to Central Asia
Things have been bad for decades, but the Taliban threaten to make them worse.
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A man walks past a campaign billboard of Uzbekistan's incumbent President and presidential candidate Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Krasnogorsk, some 60kms from Tashkent, on July 8, 2023. Uzbekistan’s Reformist President Makes a U-Turn
Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s reforms, which were meant to usher in a new era for the key Central Asian country, appear to have stalled.
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Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan (left) and Russian President Vladimir Putin arrive at the Commonwealth of Independent States summit in Astana, Kazakhstan. Russia’s Periphery Takes Note of Putin’s Sudden Weakness
In Central Asia and the Caucasus, the Wagner rebellion has exposed Russia’s fragility.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping chairs the first China-Central Asia Summit in Xian, China on May 19, 2023. The Stans Can’t Play Both Sides Anymore
As Russia and China grow closer, Central Asian leaders don’t have as much leverage—or independence—as they once did.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin greets Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. It’s a New Great Game. Again.
Across Central Asia, Russia’s brand is tainted by Ukraine, China’s got challenges, and Washington senses another opening.
