James Kirchick

Also by James Kirchick

August 26, 2011
Reporter's Notebook: As Libyan Rebels Assert Control, Calm Descends Over War-Torn Capital

As fighting continues in the Libyan capital between rebels and fighters loyal to deposed leader Muammar Qaddafi, a sense of calm has finally settled over most of the city, putting something of an end to what has been the most intense conflict to emerge in the "Arab Spring."
August 23, 2011
Reporter's Notebook: As Battle For Tripoli Rages, Libyan Exiles Celebrate An Early Victory

As reports of scattered gun battles across Tripoli continued, cheering Libyans took to the streets of the Tunisian capital, waving the horizontal red, black, and green flag, that of the short-lived Kingdom of Libya that the anti-Qaddafi rebels have adopted as their own.
June 29, 2011
Reporter's Notebook: In Minsk, Fighting Democracy With Disco

Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has used most of the instruments in the dictator’s toolbox to repress his people. On the evening of June 29, he employed a novel weapon: disco music.
June 08, 2011
The Arab Spring, Kyrgyzstan, And Reaping What We Sow

As much as Kyrgyzstan may serve as a model for those nations in the Arab orbit undergoing unprecedented change, U.S. policy toward the country offers important lessons for the future.
May 13, 2011
Did Donald Rumsfeld Whitewash Massacre In Uzbekistan?

In his door-stopper of a memoir, "Known And Unknown," former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld spends just three pages recounting what he calls "one of the most unfortunate, if unnoticed, foreign policy mistakes of our administration."
March 26, 2011
Looking For New Ways To Combat An Ancient Hatred

Anti-Semitism is one of the world’s oldest forms of bigotry. It’s existed for centuries and arises both in times of hardship and prosperity. It surfaces in places where there are few -- or even no -- Jews to be found. A conference was held in Prague dedicated to “Confronting Anti-Semitism in Public Discourse.”
February 24, 2011
Ukrainian Medical Staff Flee Libya, But No Word On Qaddafi's Nurse

Ukrainian nationals fleeing the violence in Libya have described to RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service a tense situation in the Mediterranean country, which has fully descended into the throes of civil war.
February 16, 2011
Israel Frets Over New Egypt

For nearly 30 years, the regime of deposed Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak honored the 1978 Camp David Accords, the treaty that established peace between Egypt and Israel. With Mubarak now gone, many in the Jewish state fear that three decades of cooperation with the world's largest Arab country may be over.
November 22, 2010
What is Really Threatening Rahmon's Regime?

For over two months, Tajik authorities have been waging a counterinsurgency effort against Islamic militants in Rasht Valley, a onetime stronghold for anti-government forces during the five-year Tajik civil war. Yet much secrecy surrounds the composition of the insurgents, and just how much it threatens the country's stability.
November 21, 2010
Traveling Deep Into Tajikistan's 'Islamic Triangle,' Feared New Hotbed Of Islamic Insurgency

Tajikistan's northern Isfara District has always been known for its strong Islamic traditions. In recent months, authorities have expressed concern over what they see as growing support for militancy in Isfara. The district has witnessed police raids against alleged "terrorists and extremists," as well as attacks blamed on the banned Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan.
November 08, 2010
Reporter's Notebook: In Tajikistan's 'Islamic Triangle,' Tension After Government Raids

The northern district of Isfara is one of the most religiously conservative pockets of Tajikistan. Authorities claim there is growing support for Islamic militancy in the area. RFE/RL correspondents Farangis Najibullah and James Kirchick report from Isfara's village of Chorkuh, the scene of a recent operation against what local officials called a "terrorist and extremist" group.
November 03, 2010
Where Turkey Can Help

With EU membership off the table for the foreseeable future, Turkey is looking eastward, forging new relationships with erstwhile foes like Iran and Syria. Many U.S. politicians are campaigning with renewed vigor for Washington to welcome a rising Turkey, as an ideal mediator between East and West.
October 11, 2010
In Wake Of Riots, Belgrade On Edge Ahead Of Clinton Visit

Though no one was seriously hurt in a landmark gay-rights march here on October 10, the violence between ultranationalist protesters and police that engulfed the Serbian capital threatens to overshadow a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
October 09, 2010
In Serbia, Gay Activists Prepare For The Worst

Gay activists, planning to hold a demonstration on October 10 in the Serbian capital, are hoping that the third time’s the charm.
July 28, 2010
Showdown In Osh

A political and potentially even violent showdown may be in the works as Kyrgyz President Roza Otunbaeva arrives in the southern city wracked by ethnic riots in early June that left over 300 people dead and some 400,000 displaced.
April 27, 2010
Reporter's Notebook: Battle Of The Flags In Oslo

In an apparent coincidence, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his security detail are sharing an Oslo hotel with some of his harshest critics -- the dissidents, activists, and journalists attending a major human rights forum.
April 16, 2010
Will Too Many Cooks Spoil The Kyrgyz Soup?

With ex-President Kurmanbek Bakiev in exile, all eyes are on Kyrgyzstan's fractious interim government.
April 10, 2010
Reporter's Notebook: The Mountain Roza Otunbaeva Has To Climb

Roza Otunbaeva may be the head of Kyrgyzstan’s interim government, but she’s the country’s chief mourner as well.

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James Kirchick

Also by James Kirchick

Reporter's Notebook: As Libyan Rebels Assert Control, Calm Descends Over War-Torn Capital

Reporter's Notebook: As Battle For Tripoli Rages, Libyan Exiles Celebrate An Early Victory

Reporter's Notebook: In Minsk, Fighting Democracy With Disco

The Arab Spring, Kyrgyzstan, And Reaping What We Sow

Did Donald Rumsfeld Whitewash Massacre In Uzbekistan?

Looking For New Ways To Combat An Ancient Hatred

Ukrainian Medical Staff Flee Libya, But No Word On Qaddafi's Nurse

Israel Frets Over New Egypt

What is Really Threatening Rahmon's Regime?

Traveling Deep Into Tajikistan's 'Islamic Triangle,' Feared New Hotbed Of Islamic Insurgency

Reporter's Notebook: In Tajikistan's 'Islamic Triangle,' Tension After Government Raids

Where Turkey Can Help

In Wake Of Riots, Belgrade On Edge Ahead Of Clinton Visit

In Serbia, Gay Activists Prepare For The Worst

Showdown In Osh

Reporter's Notebook: Battle Of The Flags In Oslo

Will Too Many Cooks Spoil The Kyrgyz Soup?

Reporter's Notebook: The Mountain Roza Otunbaeva Has To Climb