All things Afghanistan today: US Assistant Secretary Boucher went into the ‘Kleig Lights’ early this year in front to the press in Kabul to discuss, you guessed it, all things Afghanistan. He went over US-Pakistan relations, Afghanistan-Pakistan relations, troop deployment strategy, Obama and the US's committment to the nation, the Taliban's resurgence and governance in […]
Nearly a decade ago, the cover of the Atlantic Monthly featured a close-up of a gaunt Russian policeman, or was it a soldier, his eyes obscured by his cap, the words “Russia is finished” emblazoned around his waist. Reading Jeffrey Tayler's unreflective, misguided, naive and offensive tirade at my home country, I felt angry […]
So it appears that Ukraine and Russia have finally come to terms on a Gas Transportation deal that will allow the former Soviet state to receive gas and send it on to Western Europe. This is just the latest in a long line of dramas involving the transport and ownership of energy reserves between the […]
Eurasianet writer Joshua Kucera reported on an interesting story involving former US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's new foundation, which focuses on the Central Asian region. Kucera starts out skeptical of Rumsfeld and his foundation's motivations at first, neoconservative policy pushers?, but his research seems to lead him to conclude that their goals are of a […]
I was lucky enough to have a piece of mine, ‘Terrorism in Central Asia‘ be published on FPA's main page. The piece deals with the rise in terrorism from and in the Central Asian states, mainly from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, and how it is impacting the stability near the Afghan/Pakistan border. Here is an excerpt: […]
Though the state of Turkmenistan still has to be considered one of the world's most oppressive societies, ever since the death of President Saparmurat Niyazov, a man who seemed to rule over his people like he was trying to ensure a spot in the Dictators Hall of Fame, slight signs of progress have been made […]
Writing in Grani.ru, a newspaper critical of the Kremlin, Ilya Minshtein has an Aesopian take on the Russia Ukraine gas dispute. Every new year's eve, Russia and Ukraine stage a seasonal pantomime in which Russia threatens to cut off gas or impose market rates unless Ukraine pays off its energy debts and stops tapping […]
The Chinese government released a report in one of their official publications detailing the number of arrests for ‘endangering state security’ in the past year and unfortunately the news was not good for the Uighurs of Xinjiang Province. According to the report 1,154 Xinjiang citizens were indicted for crimes against state security in 2008, which […]
Vice President-elect Joseph Biden stopped over in Afghanistan the day before yesterday, right after a visit in Pakistan with Prime Minister Gilani and just before he was due to stop in Iraq. Biden did not just stop in Kabul, but actually spent his time in Afghanistan's south, mainly in Kandahar, where the insurgent presence has […]
Much has been made of the political aspects of the Russian-Ukrainian gas dispute. However, a thoughtful scholarly paper at the Council on Foreign Relations offers an alternative explanaiton: Moscow…has resorted to bullying, blackmailing and otherwise interfering in the sovereignty of its neighbours. In some cases, the motive is simply money: Ukraine owes Russia nearly […]
Yesterday, I was able to attend a lecture and Q & A by Professor William Wood from Point Loma Nazarene University hosted by the World Affairs Council of San Diego. Wood is a Central Asian regional expert who has done much research throughout the region, including during the period just before the CA states gained […]
Best wishes for 2009 and apologies for the long absence! I’m back, reading up copiously and will return to pressing Russia topics, including the gas crisis, within days! Meanwhile, take a look at these amazing Soviet holiday cards…
Popular from Press
