18.07.2014

Shaun Walker

In an exclusive interview, Islam Karimov Jr voices his fears for the once-ubiquitous Gulnara Karimova, who fell out of favour with her dictator father.

The murky, Shakespearean world of Uzbekistan’s ruling family has never been easy to track from outside. The dictatorship of Islam Karimov, the only president the country has ever had, is second only to North Korea's in the secrecy stakes. But in recent months, the family's extraordinary feuds have begun to seep into the public space. Karimov, now 76 and heading into an election year with no named successor, has been able to keep the country in a state of cowed submission, but his own family has proved more complicated. His two socialite daughters, Lola and Gulnara, who led glamorous… >> подробнее

16.07.2014

Nicola Contessi

The country has been authoritarian and isolationist, but its reforms are beginning to show promise.

While we are long accustomed to hearing about the prowess of Kazakhstan’s oil-driven economy, or Uzbekistan’s assertiveness as the self-anointed regional leader, Turkmenistan rarely makes any news, except in the negative. Indeed it has a reputation, earned mainly under former President Separmurad Nyazov, as an authoritarian fortress insulated from the outside world. However, Turkmenistan is shaping into a country whose potential is unparalleled in the region, thanks to a series of fortunate measures adopted in recent years. Ashgabat is seeking to develop today its energy and transport potential… >> подробнее

04.07.2014

Joshua Kucera

Ties between Afghanistan and its Central Asian neighbors to the north, in spite of years of encouragement by Western officials, remain at a very low level, with the conspicuous exception being the cross-border drug trade.

That's the conclusion of a comprehensive new report, Between Cooperation And Insulation: Afghanistan's Relations with the Central Asian Republics. «The trans-border narcotics trade between Afghanistan and Central Asia – supported, managed and/or protected by government officials and security forces on both sides of the border – is the one enduring economic connection that has demonstrated resilience since the fall of the Taleban, as well as promise for the future. It is the only true cross-border economic activity that is truly supported by all relevant state and non-state… >> подробнее