Bruce Pannier is a Central Asia analyst and appears regularly on the Majlis podcast for RFE/RL.
Political and diplomatic complications have long thwarted Western dreams of trans-Caspian pipelines to bypass Russia. Now, warming ties between Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan are reviving them.
For the region's impoverished countries with gold deposits, the commodity's all-time highs should bring welcome economic benefits. But, for the moment, they are not rushing to cash in.
Authorities say Shamsuddin Shamsuddinov, a leading member of Central Asia's only legal Islamic party, died in prison of cancer. But his family has questioned that explanation.
Turkmenistan's new president continues to undo some of the more radical and eccentric policies of his predecessor. Now he has lifted a seven-year ban on opera, as well as on ballet, circuses, and cinemas. Could this signal an end to the Central Asian country's isolation?
Ashgabat has long boasted about its huge natural-gas fields, and has signed multibillion-dollar contracts with foreign countries for most of those reserves. But no independent assessment has ever confirmed they actually exist.
Two weeks after a methane explosion at the Abai mine in Kazakhstan's central Karagana region killed 30 miners, it is still unclear why such deadly accidents continue to occur so often in the country's mines.
Rakhat Aliev was once one of the most powerful and influential people in oil-rich Kazakhstan. But after an Almaty court ruling late on January 15, he's now a fugitive from the law.
Iran and Turkmenistan have enjoyed good ties since the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 and Ashgabat became independent. But those relations have been tested over interruptions in the flow of Turkmen natural gas to Iran.
A month ago, Edil Baisalov was on a roll. Young and popular, the well-known activist looked set to win a parliament seat. But then, accused of unethical behavior just days before the vote, his candidacy was annulled in what he calls a political "vendetta." Now, he finds himself in Kazakhstan, afraid to return after being assaulted.
Kyrgyz officials are looking for answers, but their behavior since discovering radioactive material aboard a train bound for Iran has raised questions. Why, for example, did it take them nine days to announce the discovery of the material?
Amputation is back as a punishment in Iran. Five convicted criminals in the country's southeast received the seldom-used form of punishment for the crimes of "acting against God" and "corruption upon this Earth."
The authorities have boasted for years about the country's vast natural-gas reserves. But a cut-off in gas supplies to Iran has highlighted Turkmenistan's export commitments -- and reminded the citizenry that despite official promises of free gas for all, many have been left in the cold.
An ethnic Russian and little-known former industry minister had flown under the radar until late last month, when he was appointed prime minister. In an exclusive interview with RFE/RL, 46-year-old Igor Chudinov offers his vision for Kyrgyzstan's future.
A Kyrgyz Santa Claus arriving for the December 30 festival in Bishkek on his yak (RFE/RL) Forget about the North Pole or Finland, Santa Claus may be moving south. Kyrgyzstan is making the most out of a survey, done purely for fun, that showed Santa Claus would do better starting his annual journey to leave presents for children around the world if he began in Kyrgyzstan. Officials in Kyrgyzstan have noticed the Swedish study and are doing everything possible to entice Jolly Old St. Nick to consider moving his home and toyshop to the Tien-Shan Mountains.
While other former Soviet states, notably Ukraine, have marked the great Soviet famine of the 1930s, the Kazakh government has sought to bury this bitter memory along with the victims.
The announcement of official election results in Kyrgyzstan appears to have compounded election disputes rather than eased tensions stemming from a landslide vote under recently enacted election legislation.
The Supreme Court dismantled a major obstacle to reaching parliament the same day protests flared up over lopsided election results. But results announced today ignore the ruling.
It's been more than two years since Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiev came to power following the Tulip Revolution. But before the polls opened today to elect a new parliament, opposition forces were accusing the president of antidemocratic tactics similar to those of his predecessor.
Central Asia is rich in history, oil, and gas -- and troubled by security risks, organized crime, narcotics trafficking, and extremism. In response to those threats, the United Nations this week launched a center for diplomacy in Ashgabat intended to help the region tackle its challenges before they spiral out of control.
MADRID, December 1, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- Kazakhstan will become the first ex-Soviet state to assume the chairmanship of the OSCE, it was announced here at the close of the organization's annual ministerial meeting.
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