Press

Global warming is causing temperatures to rise at a faster pace in Central Asia than in other parts of the world. Yet a report issued by a watchdog group shows that Central Asian states are compounding their environmental challenges by doubling down on the use of coal-fired power plants, a primary source of greenhouse gas emissions that fuel warming. The annual report…

The Great Game is playing out once again in Central Asia, but it is getting a new name and adopting a different set of rules. Economics, not politics, is defining the terms of the current superpower competition for regional influence, according to a report prepared by a Kazakh research institute. There is a key difference…

Uzbekistan is implementing a new strategy to regulate labor migration. Its underlying philosophy appears to be ‘steer clear of Russia if at all possible. That goal, of course, won’t be achieved anytime soon. Russia will likely remain the primary destination for a large majority of the hundreds of thousands of Uzbeks who leave the country each…

China is poised to help Tajikistan complete some major infrastructure projects, including modernization of the state-controlled TALCO aluminum plant, the country’s largest industrial enterprise. TALCO, which Tajik President Emomali Rahmon once described as “Tajikistan’s business card,” has been increasing output of late; it produced over 66,000 tons of aluminum in 2023, a 7 percent increase…

Residents in at least one area of western Kazakhstan hit by flooding are mounting public protests against what they say is an inadequate government response. Several hundred residents of Kulsary, a town of about 50,000 in the Atyrau Region, have been gathering outside the local administration building every day since May 15, airing complaints about what they…