List of Central Asia articles
-
Supporters of newly appointed Prime Minister Sadyr Japarov wave Kyrgyz flags during a rally in support of Japarov in Bishkek on Oct. 14. Kyrgyzstan’s Protests Won’t Keep Corrupt Criminals Out of Politics
Members of the criminal underworld have long turned to politics to avoid prosecution. Ousting one set of corrupt leaders in favor of another won’t end the country’s crisis.
-
Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris and U.S. Vice President Mike Pence participate in the vice presidential debate moderated by Washington Bureau Chief for USA Today Susan Page at the University of Utah on Oct. 7 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Is a Vice President Who Doesn’t Know Much About Foreign Policy a National Security Risk?
Pence and Harris talked about international politics at the debate, but their performances will leave voters asking if they would be ready to act as commander in chief.
-
Members of the Islamic State stand alongside their weapons, following their surrender to Afghanistan's government in Jalalabad on Nov. 17, 2019. Indians and Central Asians Are the New Face of the Islamic State
Terrorists from India, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan were never at the forefront of global jihad before—now they are.
-
People protesting the results of the parliamentary vote gather by a bonfire in front of the seized main government building, known as the White House, in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Oct. 6. Is This the Beginning of Kyrgyzstan’s Next Revolution?
The Central Asian state is the latest post-Soviet republic jolted by an electoral crisis. But the ongoing protests are driven by internal dynamics, not international ones.
-
Russian President Vladimir Putin talks to his Kazakh counterpart Nursultan Nazarbayev in Baku, Azerbaijan in December 2003. Putin Is Ruling Russia Like a Central Asian Dictator
The Kremlin didn’t invent term limit resets and constitutional referendums. The autocratic leaders of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan blazed the trail.
-
A health care worker gives a COVID-19 test to a medical staff near Halyk Arena in Almaty on July 5, as Kazakhstan imposed a second round of nationwide restrictions to counter a huge surge in coronavirus cases. COVID-19 Heats Up the New Great Game in Central Asia
Washington has a golden opportunity to counter China’s gains.
-
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (right) welcomes Russian President Vladimir Putin prior to their meeting in New Delhi on Oct. 5, 2018. During the visit, India signed a $5 billion deal to buy Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile systems despite a U.S. law ordering sanctions on any country trading with Russia’s defense and intelligence sectors. Why India and Russia Are Going to Stay Friends
Conventional wisdom holds that New Delhi will turn to Washington as it increases competition with Beijing. But Moscow’s importance cannot be ignored.
-
Georgian soldiers wearing protective masks stop a car at a checkpoint in Tbilisi on April 1, 2020 amid concerns over the spread of the coronavirus. Ex-Soviet Bioweapons Labs Are Fighting COVID-19. Moscow Doesn’t Like It.
One of the greatest achievements of U.S. foreign policy has been targeted by a vicious disinformation campaign.
-
A cotton grower looks on as she works in a cotton plantation. It’s Not Time to End the Uzbek Cotton Boycott Yet
Companies should not buy Uzbekistan’s cotton until labor protections and responsible sourcing are guaranteed.
-
Taliban militants and villagers attend a gathering as they celebrate the U.S.-Afghan peace deal in Laghman province, Afghanistan, on March 2. For the Taliban, the Pandemic Is a Ladder
The Islamist group is using the coronavirus crisis for propaganda—with potentially dire consequences for those living under its control.
-
A food delivery courier cycles as municipal vehicles clean and disinfect the area, with a building decorated with a mural depicting Soviet WWII commander Marshal Georgy Zhukov in the background, in downtown Moscow on April 14. The Pandemic Could Tighten China’s Grip on Eurasia
Despite border closures, Russia and others may be pushed even closer to Beijing.
-
A pharmacy in the Turkmen capital of Ashgabat on April 8. Isolated Turkmenistan is one of only a handful of countries to have reported no coronavirus cases, but experts are highly skeptical. Turkmenistan’s Secretive Strongman Remains in Denial About the Pandemic
Berdimuhamedov and other tyrants are jeopardizing efforts to defeat the coronavirus, activists say.
-
Cotton growers walk in a cotton plantation. The Boycott on Uzbek Cotton Needs to End
It could help modernize the country’s economy.
-
Law enforcement officers wearing face masks in Kazakhstan Central Asian States Can’t Hide the Coronavirus Any Longer
Authoritarian states have been downplaying numbers. That won’t last.
-
Algerians protest against former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's bid for a fifth term in power, in Algiers on Mar. 1, 2019. Demise of the Petrostates
The oil price crash is an existential threat to petrostates from Nigeria to Iran, where governments rely on oil wealth to stabilize power and pay off competing interests.
