In order to get ready for the SCO Summit, I want to give a kind of mini-history of collective security after the Warsaw Pact broke down in 1989 as it applies to Central Asia (and, inseparably, to the Caucasus). I realize that I do not have here a culturally-relevant illustration, (or for that matter, a weaponry-relevant picture, either) […]
Afghanistan is figuring in the news these days as U.S. presidential candidates call attention to it; as Mr. Karzai was invited to Camp David for strategy sessions; and as more hostage-taking incidents indicate a decreased security. Yet in today's RFE/RL Newsline, the U.S. will be slashing aid to Afghanistan by over 50%. Here is the […]
If you ever took a course in international relations, you’ve already been here and done that, but you can comment if you like: Starting on August 16th, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) begins its Annual Summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is a collective security organization that demonstrates many elegant capabilities within the Central Asian region. While Bishkek scours […]
Kazakhstan: —Thirty members of the banned Hizb-ut-Tahrir group go on trial in Kazakhstan for recruitment. Unlike many such trials in Central Asia at large, it looks as if this trial has caught some leaders of the movement. –More trouble developing the Kashagan oil field means that production is being pushed back to 2010. This field […]
Thank you, Joshua Foust of Registan.net and The Conjecturer, for this very useful format. Afghanistan and Pakistan: –Jeff at the Peace Like a River blog talks about the UK's Operation Chakush in Helmand. –My colleague Dan Graeber discusses UNAMA's new investigations of discovered mass graves in Afghanistan at the FPA War Crimes blog. Hostage News: –Four of […]
In my continuing quest to make reality more closely match the expert opinion and political directive, (or, perhaps more properly, vice versa) I offer some aphorisms by La Rochefoucald that might make us laugh but also help us question the motives of those with the most high-minded intentions. A little about Francois, duc de la Rochefoucald (1613–1680): though […]
Breaking news from Ferghana.ru: Akmurad Rejepov used to be a chief of the Presidential Security Service under the former Turkmenistani President, Mr. Niyazov. Before that, KGB-man. His relationship with Niyazov allowed him to exercise the threads of power from behind Turkmenbashi's back. The rise of President Berdymukhamedov is commonly believed to have been facilitated by Mr. […]
Yesterday, the United Nations Tajikistan Office of Peace-Building (UNTOP) lowered its flags and closed the doors after a ten-year presence in the republic. The UNTOP mission began in 2000, after the UN Mission of Observers in Tajikistan monitored the cease-fire of the Civil War from 1996 to 2000. It has been a decade since the […]
According to a new release I received from the World Bank (Why, yes of course, the World Bank corresponds with me often) there is some great news from Tajikistan: New Rural Health Centers that are up and running. These indicators show what the World Bank can do, in partnership with a willing state: Health Data […]
I’ve mentioned the Islamic group Hizb-ut-Tahrir in this blog before, and I will again. Hizb-ut-Tahrir is one of the many banned Islamic groups in Central Asia and elsewhere in the world. This video announces the world conference of Hizb-ut-Tahrir which begins on August 12, 2007–a scant two weeks from now. This 4 to 5 minute […]
Kyrgyzstan has recently reported that nine out of the eleven cases of HIV in the Osh district are children who contracted the virus during regular medical treatment. Yesterday, President Bakiev ordered an investigation of this horrifying situation. The pain of this to individuals and their families is enormous and so unnecessary. The suffering from this radiates outward to society as […]
A June 26, 2007 video from Jason Motlagh for World Politics Review shows the difficulties for Afghanistan's domestic security forces. It's about 4 minutes long. [kml_flashembed movie=”http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docid=6080795202067592791 ” width=”400″ height=”326″ wmode=”transparent” /] The training program takes three years, and has been seriously underfunded. Police work, as one of the interviewees on this video assert, means that […]
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