Solidarity: A Love Letter to Diasporic Asians in Russia, Central Asia, and Beyond
I was nineteen years old when I left the US to study for the first time. I spent five weeks on a summer exchange program at the International University in…
War, Post-War, and Peace in Eurasia: An Interview with Jesse Driscoll
In his work—on Central Asia and recently on Ukraine—Jesse Driscoll focuses on war and post-war. The conflicts of the 1990s in Georgia and Tajikistan and the conflict in Donbas that…
Regionalism and Regional Order in Central Asia: An Interview with Filippo Costa Buranelli
Dr. Filippo Costa Buranelli from the University of St. Andrews in the United Kingdom talks about the emerging new regional order in Central Asia, where countries seem to understand that…
Politics of the Kyrgyz mining sector: An Interview with Beril Ocaklı
The mining sector of the Kyrgyz Republic has been attracting a lot of diverse investments even despite frequent conflicts and violence. Investors are advised to consider volatile politics when entering…
Niva Yau on China in Central Asia: We Need to Look and Think Ahead of China
Interview with Niva Yau Niva Yau is a resident researcher at the OSCE Academy in Bishkek and a fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute in Philadelphia. Her work focuses on…
Central Asian Migration to Russia: Legalization in 2020
In 2020, Tajikistan overtook Kazakhstan on the list of countries whose citizens received Russian passports in 2020, coming second behind only Ukraine. Last year, a record number of Tajiks—more than…
Would Uzbekistan be the First Nuclear Power and Technological Leader in Central Asia? An Interview with Margarita Kalinina-Pohl
Uzbekistan has announced plans to develop its nuclear energy capacities to support economic growth and development. The advantages, risks, and threats that nuclear power can bring are discussed in this…
The Worsening of US-Chinese Relations and the Echo in Central Asia. An Interview with Raffaello Pantucci
An interview with Raffaello PantucciSenior Associate Fellow, Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) Raffaello Pantucci’s research focuses on terrorism and counter-terrorism as well as China’s relations with its Western neighbors. Prior to…
Central Asian Labor Migrants Amid Lockdown in Russia
As the world is now discussing the possible impact of the novel Coronavirus crisis on economies, societies, and lifestyles of people in a post-pandemic world, many Central Asian labor migrants…
Central Asian Regimes and Power Transit Models: An Interview with Francisco Olmos
Modern Central Asian regimes remain autocratic, but are they to become hereditary quasi monarchies in the near future? At least the leaders of two countries – Tajikistan and Turkmenistan –…
Humans of the Polygon: Travel Notes from the Land of Abai. Karaul, Znamenka (Kokentau), Sarzhal
“We are scared for the future of our kids.”A family in KaraulThe lake created in 1963 on the Polygon as a result of an explosion that used 20 tons of…
A “Golden Age” No More? What 2019 Will Bring for Turkmenistan
The name of the official news site of the government of Turkmenistan expresses what might be the closest thing to the sealed-off state’s official ideology: Zolotoi Vek, or Golden Age.…
Dragon’s Tender Hug: Prosperity Discourse and China’s Soft Power in Kazakhstan
Daniyar Kosnazarov Daniyar Kosnazarov is a visiting fellow at The George Washington University. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of Steppe, an independent digital media outlet in Kazakhstan. He has experience…