Afghanistan and the Prospects of World Order
Henry A. Kissinger

The request for additional forces by the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, faces President Obama with cruel dilemmas. If he refuses the recommendation and General McChrystal's argument that his forces are inadequate for the mission, Obama will be blamed for the dramatic consequences. If he accepts the recommendation, his opponents may come to describe it, at least in part, as Obama's war. If he compromises ...

Afghanistan - Mission of Ignorance
Robert C. Koehler

Right up there with 'our mission,' in the pantheon of sacred foreign policy mumbo-jumbo, is 'training Afghan security forces,' that endless, multibillion-dollar prerequisite for our departure from the country. We've been training a local army and police force for eight years now to take on the good and noble task of defending U.S. interests. Yet ...

Afghanistan - Situation in Afghanistan is Serious
Robert C. Koehler

The situation in Afghanistan is serious. We're getting 'out-governed' by an enemy so ruthless it's bringing services to a desperate people ignored by the legitimate government we installed. But our eight-year quagmire . . . excuse me, war . . . can still be won, says Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. and NATO commander in that country, who recently completed a review of the situation

Afghanistan - Going Where in Afghanistan?
Jules Witcover

Two new public-opinion polls say most Americans surveyed believe the United States is not winning the war in Afghanistan, and in one of them a clear majority say no more American troops should be sent there.

Afghanistan - At Afghan Crossroads
Jules Witcover

he leak of Gen. Stanley McChrystal's sober assessment of the war in Afghanistan puts greatly increased pressure on President Obama in weighing whether to press on with the ambitious counterinsurgency recommended or chart a new direction. McChrystal, only recently sent to Kabul as U.S. and NATO commander to tackle the revitalized Taliban insurgency, doesn't mince words

Hamid Karzai, Afghanistan and Memories of Indochina
William Pfaff

The United States is in Afghanistan for its own reasons. The Afghan president said what he did to encourage the U.S. to keep him their man in Kabul. If the Afghan people should decide that he's nothing more than an American puppet, they will get rid of him. But Washington will get rid of him, too, since he would have lost his plausibility, and hence his value

Obama Foreign Policy: Afghanistan - Uncertain Trumpet
Paul Greenberg

Faced by declining support for that war, President Obama is sending mixed signals. Yes, he's already dispatched fresh troops to Afghanistan, but he has yet to endorse any new strategy there, let alone the one being recommended by the new American commander. And while this president dithers, support for the war ebbs

Afghanistan Isn't Worth One More American Life
Joe Galloway

The debate over our creeping military mission in distant Afghanistan grows ever hotter, and before we march even deeper into trouble, perhaps it's time to dig out the old Powell Doctrine and answer the eight questions it poses. Gen. Colin Powell, then chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said these questions all must be answered with a loud YES before the United States takes military action.

Hard Decisions Ahead on Afghanistan
Joe Galloway

There are a lot of theories and proposals flying around as President Barack Obama and his national security advisers debate what our military and civilian arms of the government can do with the 8-year-old war in Afghanistan

For U.S. in Afghanistan, Why Can't There Be an Alternative to Victory
William Pfaff

Unanimous gloom regarding Afghanistan seems clear confirmation that Barack Obama and his chosen advisers have wasted no time in placing themselves and the country -- in a mere five months -- into the same desperate situation that it took the combined Johnson and Nixon administrations 15 years to arrive at in the case of Vietnam. This view would seem widely shared today -- without influencing policy.

Political Solution in Afghanistan Possible But Not by Going Down Current Path
William Pfaff

It would be a great service to the American nation if Barack Obama would tell us what he himself thinks the wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan are about. Gen. Stanley McChyrstal says the Taliban are winning.

One Year to Prove Strategy Is Working in Afghanistan
Robert Gates Interview

The clock in Washington on Afghanistan is going to depend on what happens on the ground. I think we need to show we are making some headway by next spring or early summer. We are not going to win it by next summer. We aren't going to be on the verge of winning it next summer; this is a long-term prospect.

General McChrystal: The New Strategy In Afghanistan
General McChrystal Interview

General Stanley A. McChrystal is commander of international forces in Afghanistan. In his interview with Julian Barnes, General McChrystal discusses the strategy and progress in Afghanistan.

How to End the Insurgency and Win the War in Afghanistan
by Anna Mulrine

A longtime Afghanistan expert with the Rand Corp. and an adjunct professor at Georgetown University, Jones talks about how the United States should handle Afghanistan.

From Iraq to Afghanistan, U.S. Foreign Wars Not Going According to Plan
by William Pfaff

In Iraq, tension was reported to be increasing between the Americans and the Iraqi military and security forces, who were supposed to take over the Americans' responsibilities. Move to another front: Pakistan-Afghanistan. Here there was also supposed to be a straightforward job to do: drive the Taliban out of Afghanistan, into the Tribal Areas of the Pakistan border. There, the Pakistan army, with American urging and help, would defeat and disarm them.

Afghan Presidential Candidate Takes a Page From Obama's Playbook
by Anna Mulrine

Presidential candidate Ashraf Ghani, the leading challenger to incumbent Hamid Karzai, has embarked on an Internet fundraising campaign modeled on that run by President Obama.

Flipping the Taliban: How to Win in Afghanistan
by Fotini Christia and Michael Semple

Although sending more troops is necessary to tip the balance of power against the insurgents, the move will have a lasting impact only if it is accompanied by a political surge, a committed effort to persuade large groups of Taliban fighters to put down their arms and give up the fight.

Events in Middle East & Central Asia Challenge U.S's Conventional Assumptions
William Pfaff

Three recent developments in the Muslim Middle East and Central Asia challenge Washington's conventional assumptions about Pakistan, the Taliban, Lebanon and Iran.

The Great Caspian Chess Match
Two future superpowers battle over who will control one of the world’s most strategically important territories.

Russia, China Hold Joint Exercises
In its largest-ever joint military operation, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization is setting itself up as an alternative to NATO.

U.S Diplomatic Rescue Mission Secures Military Base, for Now
Desperation in recent negotiations reveals America’s vulnerability in Central Asia.

Europe Seeks Control of Central Asian Energy
Efforts to build an energy corridor through the Caucasus to Central Asia demonstrate Europe’s ongoing desire to diversify its energy dependence from Russia.

EU Grasps at Central Asia for Energy

Kyrgyzstan Threatens to Evict U.S.
The U.S.’s presence in strategic Central Asia becomes more tenuous.

The Russia-Ukraine Energy Quandary
An energy dispute highlights Russia’s desire to draw the line on the EU’s eastern encroachment.

Russia, China and a Central Asian Alliance
The common desire to compete with U.S. hegemony is fusing a central Asian alliance.

America Losing Foothold in Central Asia
Rising anti-Americanism could soon lead to the eviction of the U.S. military from strategically important Central Asia—a move that would handicap America’s military goals.

Eurasian Democracy Concerns Russia
The wave of democratic revolutions occurring in Central Eurasia is a pleasing sight to America and Europe. Not everyone, however, is overjoyed with these changes.

Meltdown Ahead?

theTrumpet.com: Central Asia
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The UN shows its glass jaw
In response to continuing threats to its international staff in the wake of the tragic attack on a UN guest house in Kabul it now appears that a decision has been made to withdraw about six hundred UN international staff from Kabul.  The details of the move are not clear yet, nor is its permanence, [...]

Nabucco and Nord Stream: It takes two to tango
The politics of hydrocarbons in Central Asia has been a regular ballroom lately, with strange partners pairing up and then dancing apart. The dance begins in Denmark, to which country Vladimir Putin has just pledged to increase the flow of gas: We are grateful to the Danish Government for giving permission for the construction of the Nord [...]

Are we quitting?
Today in asia times on line there is the claim that the US/NATO persuaded Abdullah Abdullah to quit the second round of the Afghan election. If that weren’t enough, they also make the claim that the US has agreed that the Pakistani Army will mediate between the US and the Taliban to find a (face saving) [...]

Daylight between the Demons
Eight years after the routing of the Taliban and the real pursuit of al Qaeda, but with both still alive and dangerous, is a distinction between the two groups operationally relevant? Coupled with the the debate on whether to commit more forces to a full-on counterinsurgency, there has been a side discussion as of late over [...]

A regional (di)solution
At the recent RIC (Russia, India & China) summit (reported here) there was not much by the way of progress on some sort of common strategy for Afghanistan. Seems that Russia, in particular, and China are fairly keen on some sort of common front on the war. India, on the other hand, is too suspicious of [...]

Look Out Kid, It’s Something You Did
Let’s try something different today. A big part of some folks’ frustration with getting involved in Central Asian happenings is that they have a difficult time jumping in to the deep-end of the subject matter that gets covered here. To remedy that, I’m going to try to explain some trends in energy policies within Central [...]

May the Best Cheater Win Part II: The Farce Must Go On
Just when you thought the Afghan elections saga couldn’t get any more farcical, it does. The second-biggest fraudster of the August 20 polls has pulled out of the November 7 run-off for ‘lack of transparency’. Meanwhile another presidential wannabe, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, had the gall to say “We see that happen in [...]

The IO of Nation Building: or, How Iran Runs the West
As the U.S. leadership in Washington debates its options in Afghanistan, other actors in the region are actually doing something. And when it comes to influence ops, Iran is Doing It Right. The White House is reluctant to throw another 40,000 troops it may not actually have to spare at a conflict it may not [...]

Democracy in Kyrgyzstan – did it come too early and is it too expensive to afford?
Democracy in Kyrgyzstan – did it come too early and is it too expensive to afford? Since the ousting of Askar Akayev, one of the most democracy-friendly authoritarian rulers in Central Asia in so-called ‘Tulip Revolution’, the hope for democracy has been steadily declining despite all the initial euphoria. The most resent analysis of this failure [...]

Balochistan Azadi and Other Pipedreams
The suicide attack in Pishin, Iran a week or two ago was probably one of the stranger, more out-of-context bits of news to hit the D.C. policy world since the Obama Administration and the refocusing on Afghanistan. It just sort of screws up any black-white image of Central Asia even more. From the Beltway’s perspective, [...]

Registan.net
Central Asia News -- All Central Asia, All The Time

 

Azerbaijan: Judge Rules Youth Activists Can't Access Cell Phone Records
BY JESSICA POWLEY HAYDEN The high-profile prosecution of two Azerbaijani youth activists and bloggers continued on November 6, marking the beginning of the third month of proceedings. In addition to testimony from the alleged victims, cell phone records from the investigatory file were introduced into evidence. Citing privacy concerns, the judge, however, refused to grant the defense access to the alleged victims’ records.

Central Asia: Swine Flu Fears Helping to Keep Potential Hajj Pilgrims Home
BY ALISHER KHAMIDOV Concerns about the spread of swine flu are creating an additional hurdle for Central Asian believers hoping to make the Hajj, or the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca. Some believers in the region say that Central Asian governments do more to frustrate than facilitate the Hajj, which is a moral obligation for every Muslim to undertake at least once in his or her lifetime.

Mongolia: Shamanism is Making a Comeback
BY JOSHUA KUCERA When Degi, a 24-year-old web designer in Mongolia’s capital, Ulaanbaatar, hit a pedestrian in July 2008 with his Daewoo sedan, his luck took a turn for the worse. His company didn’t get a contract he was hoping for, and misfortune seemed to hover over his personal life. The family of the victim extorted money from him, threatening to sue and warning him that they had connections in the courts. So Degi, like many Mongolians, took his troubles to a shaman.

Tajikistan: Business Climate Improving, But Corruption Remains an Obstacle to
BY DAVID TRILLING Not so long ago, entrepreneurs opening businesses in Tajikistan would routinely complain of visits by government inspectors from myriad state agencies, each with a discerning eye for anything amiss and a voracious appetite for somoni, the local currency. An official would enter the premises and notice the fire extinguisher, for example, was fastened too high or too low on the wall. Another would say some document hadn’t been stamped in the right place. Unless the appropriate bribe was proffered, the business would be closed for an investigation, or registration withheld.

Turkey: Ankara Pressing Ahead with Diplomatic Make-Over
BY YIGAL SCHLEIFER Autumn has been a busy -- if not dizzying -- period for Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. Turkey is attempting a drastic diplomatic make-over, one that would transform Ankara into a regional power broker.

Mongolia: Ethnic Kazakhs Eye Land of Opportunity to the West
BY JOANNA LILLIS There was a festive mood in a village in Mongolia’s Khovd District recently as family and friends gathered to celebrate the birth of a baby into an ethnic Kazakh family. A new arrival is always cause for celebration in a Kazakh household, marked with a succession of events from the "cradle party" soon after the birth to the "string cutting" ceremony to snip a symbolic string when the child starts walking.

Playing the Slots: Georgia’s Hidden Addiction?
A EURASIANET PHOTO ESSAY BY PAUL RIMPLE AND SOPHIA MIZANTE Amid a Tbilisi slot-parlor boom, experts believe that problem gambling is on the rise in Georgia. The gaming industry may be pouring millions each year into state coffers, but the social costs of gambling are going unmeasured.

Tajikistan: Cotton Harvest Relies Heavily on Child Labor
When it comes to the use of child labor to help bring in Tajikistan’s cotton crop, the government’s heart may be in the right place. Officials in Dushanbe have tried to prohibit the practice. But practical circumstances in the impoverished Central Asian nation mean that children are still found out in the fields during the harvest season.

Eurasian Energy: Circumstances Pushing Iran and Pakistan to Link Up
A EURASIANET COMMENTARY BY STEPHEN BLANK For most of 2009, a pipeline deal involving Iran, Pakistan and India, has been stalled. But recent indicators suggest that a new version of the pipeline could get moving again.

Georgia: Free-Speech Debate Swirls in Tbilisi over Patriarch Parody
BY MOLLY CORSO The Georgian government is conducting an investigation into a series of video clips posted on Facebook that insult the head of the Georgian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Ilia II. The clips are fueling a debate about the boundaries of freedom of expression in Georgia.

Afghanistan: Karzai Declared President, But Is Abdullah the Real Winner?
BY AUNOHITA MOJUMDAR In Afghanistan, the loser of the presidential election may end up the winner, and the victor may be the one who reflects on the result as a severe political setback.

Turkmenistan: Is Berdymukhamedov Spinning a Web Fantasy?
In the hands of the Turkmen people, President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov’s regime tends to view the Internet as a dangerous implement. Yet, kept under proper supervision, Berdymukhamedov evidently feels the web can make the Turkmen government more efficient.

Georgia: Luxury Hotel Goes Up on Stalin-Era Secret Prison Site
A EURASIANET PHOTO ESSAY BY MOLLY CORSO Secret prison cells from the Stalin era have been discovered on a Tbilisi construction site for a $90-million luxury hotel for the international Kempinski Hotel chain. The cells, located in the city’s former Institute of Marxism and Leninism, are believed to be the first of their kind to be found in Georgia since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Kazakhstan: US Diplomats Rap Astana’s Democratization Performance
As Kazakhstan prepares to assume the chair of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, US diplomats are exerting pressure on Astana to enact promised reforms.

Turkey: Kurdish Peace Initiative Builds Momentum
BY NICHOLAS BIRCH Turkey’s government is vowing to push forward with an initiative aimed at ending a 25-year Kurdish war. Changing geopolitical circumstances are helping to make Kurdish militants more open to a lasting peace deal.

Kazakhstan: A Showpiece of Energy Wealth Rises in the Western Desert
BY JOANNA LILLIS AND DAVID TRILLING Kazakhstan’s port city of Aktau on the Caspian Sea has had some ups and downs in its short history. Founded just half a century ago, it thrived as a center of the Soviet uranium and chemical industries but then plunged into decline amid the economic chaos that accompanied the collapse of Communism. The last decade has seen Aktau reinvent itself as an oil town, and it now figures prominently in President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s ambitious development strategy.

Kyrgyzstan: Government Shakeup Highlighting Regional Rifts
BY ALISHER KHAMIDOV Kyrgyzstan’s regional rivalries are deepening, as various elite groups, especially those with their power bases in northern Kyrgyzstan, are growing discontent with recent personnel and organizational decisions made by President Kurmanbek Bakiyev’s administration.

Turkmenistan: Ashgabat Set to Silence Civic Activist
BY DEIRDRE TYNAN Human rights groups are calling for top-level Western and Russian diplomatic intervention to halt the politically motivated prosecution of an environmental activist in Turkmenistan. Political and economic considerations make it unlikely that such outreach will be forthcoming, however.

Afghanistan: Kabul Fortunetellers Find Niche amid Ongoing Turmoil
A EURASIANET PHOTO ESSAY BY ELISSA BOGOS Through centuries of conflict, fortunetellers have been a steady source of consolation for Afghans. Some date their practice to the time of Alexander the Great, whose army sought out soothsayers during its conquest of the region. Today, falbins, as they are known, operate in Kabul out of small shops, shacks or on street corners outside mosques and shrines. Their popularity is persisting, despite the occasional police sweep and criticism from mullahs, who believe their practices to be un-Islamic.

Afghanistan: International Community Quiet as Independent Election Commission Flouts Law
BY AUNOHITA MOJUMDAR Although Afghanistan’s key political players have acknowledged the need for a second round of presidential voting, a crisis of legitimacy continues to grip the electoral process, with the Independent Election Commission (IEC) disregarding some decisions issued by the Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC).

Mongolia: Global Warming Hits Mongolia’s Nomads Hard
BY JOSHUA KUCERA Global warming is having a harsh effect on Mongolia’s nomadic herders, who comprise about 40 percent of the country’s overall 3 million inhabitants. Since 1940, the mean air temperature in the country has increased 1.6 degrees Celsius. Heat waves are longer, and rain patterns have shifted. The Gobi Desert, in the south of the country, is creeping northward.

Georgia: Are Guantanamo Bay Prisoners Heading for Tbilisi?
BY MOLLY CORSO A senior Georgian official tells EurasiaNet that Tbilisi and Washington are discussing the possibility of Georgia accepting suspected terrorists currently being held at the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay on the island of Cuba.

Book Review: Tracing the History of Russian Involvement in the Caucasus
BY ALEX VAN OSS Bruce Grant’s intriguing new book, The Captive and the Gift, causes readers to reflect not only on Russia’s two centuries of military involvement in the Caucasus, but also upon the United States’ involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Kyrgyzstan: US Military Tries to Boost Local Participation in Defense Contracting Process
BY DEIRDRE TYNAN Kyrgyz firms are being invited to take advantage of commercial opportunities connected with the presence of an American transit center outside Bishkek. From the American military perspective, it’s a win-win situation if Kyrgyz companies get more involved in the procurement process: the Defense Department generates local goodwill that can improve the operation of the Northern Distribution Network, while the local economy stands to receive a financial boost.

Turkey: The Internet Helps Some Rural Men Practice Polygamy
BY YIGAL SCHLEIFER To get a sense of how modern technology can be put to use in the service of ancient tradition, one might want to consider a visit to the Yildirim internet cafe in Gokce, a small, poor and dusty village near Turkey’s southern border with Syria.

Georgia: Tbilisi Tries to Improve Prison Conditions
BY MOLLY CORSO Human rights advocates have long assailed Georgia for the squalid conditions of its prisons. Reforms implemented in early 2009 have produced few tangible improvements inside prisons, activists say. Officials insist, however, that the overhaul of the prison system is moving forward ahead of schedule.

Kyrgyzstan: Ethnic Minority Expands Ties to South Korea
BY EVAN SPARLING Sasha, a 17 year-old ethnic Korean student in Bishkek, only knows one word in Korean: hello. She has lived all her life in the former Soviet Union, speaks Russian, and physically resembles a Kyrgyz so much that few can guess her true ethnicity. She does not even know when, exactly, her relatives migrated to the Soviet Union. But none of this stops her from emphatically declaring, "Of course I am proud to be Korean."

Uzbekistan: European Union Looks Likely to Lift Arms Embargo
BY DEIRDRE TYNAN The European Union appears poised to lift its four-year arms embargo against Uzbekistan. EU officials say strategic necessity is exerting pressure on Brussels to fully engage Tashkent. Critics, however, contend that by compromising on principles, the European Union is sacrificing long-term interests for immediate, but likely fleeting gains.

Armenia: Opposition Journalist Trial Reopens Old Wounds
BY MARIANNA GRIGORYAN A freedom-of-expression controversy in Armenia is intensifying amid the opening of the trial of one of ex-president Levon Ter-Petrosian’s most influential supporters, opposition journalist Nikol Pashinian.

Turkmenistan: Ashgabat Energy-Reserve Controversy Continues to Flare
BY REGIS GENTE Are Turkmenistan’s energy reserve figures fudged or not? Just over a week after allegations first surfaced that the Turkmen government’s claims are grossly hyped, the controversy over Ashgabat’s export capacity is still flaring. Representatives of the firm that conducted the original audit are vigorously defending their reputation for thoroughness. Meanwhile, a whistleblower says he remains confident in the accuracy of his sources’ information.

Georgia: Hollywood Takes Over Tbilisi for Film About War with Russia
A EURASIANET PHOTO ESSAY BY GIORGI LOMSADZE AND SOPHIA MIZANTE Hollywood occupied downtown Tbilisi on October 20 to shoot scenes for a movie about the 2008 Georgia-Russia war. The government made available tanks to serve as props for the film, which stars one-time Oscar nominee Andy Garcia in the role of Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.

Central Asia: The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan Undergoing Dangerous Transformation
BY DEIRDRE TYNAN The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) is undergoing a metamorphosis that could transform the Islamic militant group into a far more dynamic foe for Central Asian governments, as well as for the US and NATO troops in Afghanistan.

Armenia: Yerevan Counts on Bank to Strengthen Ties with Diaspora
BY HAROUTIUN KHACHATRIAN The Armenian government is trying to systematize long-standing economic relationships between the mother country and its vast diaspora community. The centerpiece of the initiative is the creation of an All-Armenian Bank, which would be used as an economic engine for domestic development. Even before its launch, however, some experts in Yerevan are expressing skepticism about the bank’s ability to achieve its stated aims, citing a lack of conceptual clarity.

Kyrgyzstan: Bakiyev’s Reform Push Strives to Contain Corruption in Bishkek
BY ALISHER KHAMIDOV Kyrgyzstan’s cabinet resigned on October 20 as President Kurmanbek Bakiyev announced a broad plan to restructure the government. Political experts in Bishkek offered guarded praise for Bakiyev’s reform scheme, with some suggesting that it represented perhaps the last, best hope for his administration to contain corruption in the Central Asian state.

Afghanistan: Human Rights Commission Disregards UN
BY AUNOHITA MOJUMDAR Afghanistan’s political deadlock deepened October 19 as the Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) announced that it had invalidated a large number of the ballots cast in the August 20 presidential poll. The commission did not specify an exact number, but many experts now believe the ECC’s action will require a run-off between the incumbent, Hamid Karzai, and his top challenger, Dr. Abdullah Abdullah.

Turkmenistan: Investment Conference Highlights Slow Pace of Reform
Attempting to develop an image as an investment-friendly destination, Ashgabat hosted what was billed as the inaugural International Investment Forum of Turkmenistan in mid-October. Turkmen leaders spent lavishly to produce a slick three-day event. Nevertheless, some business executives were not sold on the concept of Turkmenistan being an open economic environment.

Turkey: Relations Between Ankara And Israel Becoming Chilly
BY YIGAL SCHLEIFER The once-vital relationship between Turkey and Israel is going through a distinctly frosty period. The chill began after the invasion of Gaza earlier this year, which Ankara criticized harshly. But now ties between the two Middle East allies are diving further and some experts are now wondering if the relationship is coming to end.

Kyrgyzstan: New Documentary Puts a Human Face on an Economic Conundrum
BY LAURIE RICH Swedish documentary filmmaker Magnus Gertten and veteran journalist Elin Jönsson followed the Sultanov family in both Kyrgyzstan and Russia from November of 2005 to April of 2008. Their three-year effort produced an intimate work that puts a human face on the issue of Central Asian labor migration.

Georgia: Debating the Fate of Stalin’s Statue
A EURASIANET PHOTO ESSAY BY GIORGI LOMSADZE AND TEMO BARDZIMASHVILI Amid an ongoing exercise in national self-examination, Georgians are confronting the legacy of the country’s most famous, and notorious, native son -- Joseph Stalin. A significant number of Georgians now blame Stalin’s legacy for the country’s present-day woes. This trend, in turn, is fueling a debate over what to do with the most tangible symbol of that legacy -- the Stalin statue in the city of Gori.

Afghanistan: Is Power-Sharing Deal in the Offing in Kabul?
BY AUNOHITA MOJUMDAR Widespread evidence of fraud marred Afghanistan’s August 20 presidential vote and subsequently raised disturbing questions about the future legitimacy of Afghanistan’s executive branch. It now seems that the country’s leading political actors are exploring a way to restore the election’s integrity. Ironically, it appears as though a back-room bargain, rather than continued reliance on the ballot box, may be the preferred way to solve the crisis of legitimacy.

Georgia: Will the Theories of Economic Deregulation Face Harsh Reality in Tbilisi?
BY MOLLY CORSO Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili insists that a package of constitutional reforms will transform Georgia into a global showcase for the benefits of economic deregulation. However, a sharp recent decline in foreign investment, coupled with a gaping trade deficit, is raising questions about whether Saakashvili’s deregulatory push will do more harm than good to the Georgian economy, analysts say.

Kyrgyzstan: Gangs Govern Life in Many Kyrgyz Schools
BY WILLIAM O'CONNOR Organized crime is making inroads into Kyrgyz schools. This trend is forcing students like Turgunbek, a 16 year old at Bishkek’s School Number 67, to worry just as much about carving out a safe spot in the school’s pecking order as he does about his studies.

Turkey: Soccer Diplomacy Plays Out During Turkish-Armenian Cup Qualifier
A EURASIANET PHOTO ESSAY BY MONIQUE JAQUES The Turkish and Armenian national teams met for a World Cup qualifier on October 14. The outcome on the field turned out to be of secondary importance to the action in the stands. Turkish President Abdullah Gul and his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sargsyan watched the match from a VIP box, hoping to boost a reconciliation initiative to end almost a century of enmity between the two nations. Turkish fans, meanwhile, were generally upbeat about the rapprochement, but that didn’t stop some from trying to show solidarity with Turkey’s ally Azerbaijan.

Afghanistan: Rethinking the Af-Pak Strategy
It is true that Afghanistan and Pakistan are fighting a common enemy in the Taliban and al Qaeda. But the nature of insurgency and engagement is quite different in the two countries. The Pakistani military is fighting an insurgency mainly against its own people. It’s different in Afghanistan: government forces are fighting both local militants and terrorist mercenaries that primarily infiltrate from, and are trained and equipped by, elements from across the country’s southeastern border.

Kyrgyzstan: Bishkek and Tashkent Weigh Gas and Water Concerns
BY ALISHER KHAMIDOV What’s more valuable in Central Asia, natural gas or water? Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan may soon find out. A recent Uzbek move to cut gas supplies has many Kyrgyz worrying about how to stay warm this winter. But experts say the gas cut-off may end up being counterproductive for Tashkent because it will encourage Kyrgyzstan to develop its hydro-power generating capacity. That would be a development which potentially causes a significant reduction in the volume of water flowing into Uzbekistan.

Kazakhstan: Domestic Politics Bubbling as Astana Prepares to Assume OSCE Chair
BY JOANNA LILLIS Domestic critics of President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s administration in Kazakhstan are rising again. The opposition’s revival may create an internal challenge for Nazarbayev and increase international attention on Kazakhstan’s democratization process, as Astana prepares to lead the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in 2010.

Turkey: Fans Tense ahead of Turkey-Armenia game
BY NICHOLAS BIRCH The October 14 soccer match between Turkey and Armenia is going to be a tense time for Mehmet Guzelsoz. "Did they really have to chuck this fireball into our laps while the whole world was watching?" asks this 39-year old chairman of Texas, an 8,000-strong fan cub in Bursa, the Turkish city where the game will take place. "Why didn’t they give us Turkey versus Spain?"

Afghanistan: Central Asian States Now Allowing Military Cargo Bound for US, NATO Forces
Signaling a sense of strategic urgency to counter recent Taliban gains, the Northern Distribution Network is being adapted to handle the transit of weaponry and hardware destined for US and NATO troops fighting in Afghanistan.

Turkmenistan: More Empty Talk about the Resumption of Gas Exports to Russia?
BY REGIS GENTE Turkmenistan has proven a fickle energy-export partner for all foreign companies trying to do business there. Yet, a Kremlin spokesperson’s recent statement that Russia would resume natural gas imports as soon as the end of October, confirms that hope springs eternal when it comes to the question of Ashgabat and energy.

Azerbaijan: Baku Hopes Turkish-Armenian Rapprochement Means Deal on Karabakh
BY SHAHIN ABBASOV On the eve of the October 10 signing of protocols for reconciliation between Turkey and Armenia, Azerbaijani officials have muted expectations that a rapprochement between Yerevan and Ankara can translate in a breakthrough in the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process.

Georgia: Using Tea to Promote Peace in the South Caucasus
One of the few things that all residents of the South Caucasus have in common is a love of tea. Betting on local tea-drinking customs, a group of regional manufacturers hopes that a joint tea brand -- involving individuals and entities from Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, as well as the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Nagorno-Karabakh -- may help ease feelings of enmity in the region.

Georgia: After Decades in Exile, Meskhetian Turks Return to Lost Homeland
A EURASIANET SLIDESHOW BY TEMO BARDZIMASHVILI Roughly 65 years ago, Osman, a 90-year-old Meskhetian Turk, lost his home in Georgia to Stalin’s dictat. Now, after a lifetime in Central Asia, Osman, along with hundreds of other Meskhetian Turks, is trying to come home again.

Kazakhstan: Convicted Rights Activist Files Appeal
BY CATHERINE A. FITZPATRICK Prominent human rights activist Yevgeny Zhovtis of Kazakhstan, imprisoned in September on a vehicular manslaughter charge, is appealing his conviction. Zhovtis’ legal team is basing the appeal in part on an assertion that the court was biased against the defendant.

Azerbaijan: Defense Hits Snags in Youth Activist Trial
BY MINA MIRADOVA The presiding judge in the trial of two Azerbaijani youth activists rebuffed a fresh motion to set the pair free on bail. Trial testimony on October 7 dealt an additional setback to the defense, as an expert witness failed to clearly corroborate the defendants’ contention that they did not assault two individuals in a Baku café back in July.

Afghanistan: Women Strive to Make Voices Heard in Strategic Debate
BY AUNOHITA MOJUMDAR Women have struggled to make their voices heard in Afghanistan. It turns out that many Afghan women’s rights activists are ardent supporters of a strong US military presence in the country. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the commander of US forces in Afghanistan, might do well to broadcast their opinions amid the continuing debate over US war strategy.

Kyrgyzstan: Prime Minister Chudinov Pledges Action on Stalled Adoptions
BY LAURIE RICH Kyrgyz Prime Minister Igor Chudinov has promised US legislators that he will urge his country’s parliament to expedite the adoptions of 65 Kyrgyz orphans by American families.

Turkey: IMF Meeting in Istanbul Marked by Police-Protester Confrontation
A EURASIANET PHOTO ESSAY BY JONATHAN LEWIS The Tsarist-era Russian anarchist gadflies Mikhail Bakunin and Peter Kropotkin are widely credited with coming up with the slogan "anarchy is the mother of order." But on October 6, protesters mainly demonstrated that anarchy is the progenitor of destruction.

Uzbekistan: Officials Forcing Entertainers to Sing Praises to the Government -- or Else
As it struggles to keep a lid on political dissent while also trying to keep the wheels from coming off the economy, the government of Uzbekistan is co-opting the country’s entertainment industry. Local show-biz personalities are being forced to conform to the state’s wishes, and those who don’t get with the program are having the plugs pulled on their careers.

Armenia: Karabakh Talks Poses Big Challenge for Armenian-Turkish Rapprochement
Recent comments by Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan on the status of the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh suggest that the peace process remains at an impasse. That, in turn, could complicate Armenian-Turkish reconciliation efforts.

Armenia: Archeologists Say They’ve Found Remains of World’s Oldest Human Brain
A EURASIANET PHOTO ESSAY BY GAYANE ABRAHAMYAN An Armenian-American-Irish archeological expedition claims to have found the remains of the world’s oldest human brain, estimated to be over 5,000 years old. The team also says it has found evidence of what may be history’s oldest winemaking operation. The discoveries were made recently in a cave in southeastern Armenia.

Turkmenistan: Gazprom Won’t Be Buying Gas from Ashgabat for the Rest of ’09
Gazprom and the government of Turkmenistan have tried to turn over a new leaf in their contentious energy relationship. But the page is proving to be uncommonly sticky.

Afghanistan: New Supply Route May Create Fresh Headaches -- Expert
The opening of the US- and NATO-backed Northern Distribution Network (NDN), a second resupply route for coalition forces fighting in Afghanistan, may be a mixed blessing for Central Asia. On the one hand, it has the potential to ease a logistics bottleneck, but it also threatens to become a magnet for Islamic militant violence.

Armenia: Yerevan in Uproar Over Protocol Signing Date with Turkey
BY MARIANNA GRIGORYAN Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s announcement that Turkey and Armenia on October 10 will sign protocols on diplomatic normalization ties is having an unsettling effect on domestic politics in Yerevan. Some Armenian opposition politicians are complaining that the signing-date announcement makes a mockery of a parliamentary debate on the issue, scheduled to take place on October 1.

Caspian Basin: Pentagon Web Initiative Sparks Debate on Best Methods for Winning Hearts and Minds
BY DEIRDRE TYNAN A US Defense Department Internet initiative is stoking a debate among experts about whether the Pentagon is overreaching.

Georgia’s Abkhaz IDP Schools Keep Dream of Return to Abkhazia Alive
A EURASIANET PHOTO ESSAY BY MOLLY CORSO Nearly 20 years after Georgia’s disastrous war against Abkhaz separatists, Georgian children whose families fled the breakaway region still study in segregated schools designed to keep the memory of Georgian-controlled Abkhazia alive. Now that the dream of reunification seems to be fading, critics fear that the schools’ existence will complicate efforts to integrate displaced families into mainstream Georgian society.

Azerbaijan: Karabakh IDPs Emerge to Promote Baku’s Peace Plan
BY SHAHIN ABBASOV Azerbaijani Internally Displaced Persons from Nagorno-Karabakh have emerged as a potential new lever of influence for Baku in its protracted negotiations with Armenia over a conflict-resolution plan for the disputed territory, analysts say.

Turkey: Is Ankara Set to Become a Vital Player in Revamped US Anti-Missile Shield?
BY YIGAL SCHLEIFER Speculation is building in Turkey over whether Ankara will play a part in a revamped US missile-defense network, one designed mainly to contain Iran. Conjecture is being fueled by two recent developments: the Obama administration’s decision to scrap the construction of an anti-missile shield in Central Europe, and Turkey’s own announcement that it intends to purchase its first missile-defense system.

Afghanistan: Russia Genuinely Concerned that America is Losing It
A EURASIANET COMMENTARY BY MARK KATZ Russia is allowing US military equipment destined for Afghanistan to pass through Russian airspace without charging a transit fee, thereby saving the Pentagon an estimated $133 million per year. Some in Washington and other Western capitals hope Moscow’s stance is a harbinger of broader US-Russian cooperation to come, especially on Iran. But others suspect the Kremlin has ulterior motives, wanting to trade cooperation on the Afghan re-supply effort for American acquiescence to a controlling role for Russia in the Caucasus and Central Asia.

Kazakhstan: Nazarbayev President-For-Life Trial Balloon Draws Lots of Darts
BY JOANNA LILLIS Kazakhstan is buzzing with speculation in the wake of a proposal floated earlier in September to make Nursultan Nazarbayev president for life. The timing of the suggestion is just a little awkward for Astana, given that Kazakhstan will soon take over the chair of Europe’s leading democratization group -- the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

Uzbekistan: Officials Mum on Terror Trial
In Uzbekistan, justice may not be blind, but officials in the judicial system seem to turn mute when asked for details about legal proceedings.

Kyrgyzstan: US and Kyrgyz Legislators Seek Way to End Adoption Delay
BY LAURIE RICH The 65 American families whose adoptions of Kyrgyz orphans have been stalled for more than a year are picking up political support in both the United States and Kyrgyzstan, as they hope to bring their ordeal to a quick conclusion.

Kyrgyzstan: On Anniversary of Language Law, Kyrgyz-First Policies Encounter Harsh Criticism
BY CHINGHIZ UMETOV On this, the 20th, anniversary of the adoption of Kyrgyz as the state language, government language policies remain a source of contention in Kyrgyzstan.

Afghanistan: Balkh Governor Trumpets Security Warning for Northern Afghanistan
BY AUNOHITA MOJUMDAR When Afghan President Hamid Karzai appointed General Atta Mohammad Noor as governor of the northern province of Balkh in 2004, the move seemed motivated by a presidential desire to curb the influence of Abdul Rashid Dostum, then the most powerful warlord in Northern Afghanistan.

Afghanistan: Pentagon Strives to ’Wrest the Information Offensive’ away from the Taliban
The NATO-led International Security Force in Afghanistan (ISAF) is preparing to launch a media offensive aimed at reducing deaths, both military and civilian, from improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

Armenia: Which Way is Up for the Armenian Economy?
BY MARIANNA GRIGORYAN The Armenian government is predicting the imminent return of sunny days for the country’s economy. But talk to Armenians outside the capital of Yerevan and their forecast calls for extended periods of gloom.

Kyrgyzstan: Soviet-Era Boom Town Literally Being Sold for Scrap
A EURASIANET PHOTO ESSAY BY DAVID TRILLING Nestled high in a stunning valley with an abundance of mineral deposits, residents of Min Kush once had many reasons to boast.

Afghanistan: Despite Fraud, Female Electoral Participation Registers Gains
BY RICHARD WEITZ Amid the blight that is Afghanistan’s ongoing election fraud scandal, there is a bright spot: the August presidential and provincial council elections showed that more Afghan women than ever participated in the political process.

Uzbekistan: Cash Crunch Causing Retail Gridlock
A summer-long shortage of cash in Uzbekistan’s portion of the Ferghana Valley shows no signs of abating, and the phenomenon appears to be spreading to other parts of the Central Asian nation.

Mongolia: Herders Move with the Seasons
BY JOANNA LILLIS Fall is approaching, and Mongol and Kazakh herders in the Altay Mountains of western Mongolia are on the move. The herders migrate four times a year, taking with them all their possessions -- animals, yurts, furniture, milking stools, and other equipment. This year, the summer has been especially trying, thanks to a blizzard that hit the valleys around Tavan Bogd in mid-August, killing livestock and migratory birds. In this EurasiaNet slideshow, correspondent Joanna Lillis explains how the herders coped with nature’s surprise.

Central Asia: Pentagon Plans for Deployment of Special Forces to States Outside Afghanistan
BY DEIRDRE TYNAN The US military is preparing for a worst-case scenario in Central Asia. The Pentagon is presently developing plans covering the potential deployment of elite Special Forces to Central Asian states other than Afghanistan.

Afghanistan: Democratization Process Threatened as Façade of International Unity Crumbles
A EURASIANET COMMENTARY BY AUNOHITA MOJUMDAR The international community is bitterly divided as it struggles to find a solution to the democratization dilemma posed by evidence of widespread fraud in the recent presidential election.

Central Asia: New Report Calls for Education Policy Changes for Special Needs Children
Despite almost 20 years of educational reforms in Central Asia, children with special needs continue to face hardships in Central Asia. A new review of regional education policies by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is recommending that governments in the region do more to integrate children with special needs into a mainstream educational environment.

Azerbaijan: First Day of Baku Blogger Trial Features State Witness with Faulty Memory
Testimony began on September 16 in the high-profile prosecution of two Azerbaijani youth activists and bloggers on charges of hooliganism. Defense attorneys ridiculed one of the government’s chief witnesses, alleging that officials didn’t do a good job in coaching his responses. The trial is seen by civil society activists both inside and outside Azerbaijan as a pivotal case concerning free speech in the South Caucasus country.

PACE: Russia’s Membership in Key European Human Rights Organization Challenged
Europe’s top human rights body will consider suspending Russia’s membership in retaliation for Moscow’s refusal to withdraw its forces from the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and to retract its 2008 recognition of the two territories as independent states.

Kyrgzystan: Turkmen Student-Visa Controversy Creates Void at One Bishkek University
BY AZAT JENISH The academic year is getting underway at American University of Central Asia in Bishkek, but only about one-third of the expected contingent of Turkmen students is in position to begin classes. That’s because the Turkmen government is continuing to prevent dozens, if not hundreds, of students from going abroad for their higher education.

Armenia: Nationalists Launch Hunger Strikes against Turkey Reconciliation Deal
BY MARIANNA GRIGORYAN The tentative Armenian-Turkish plan for diplomatic normalization has sparked Armenia’s oldest political party, the nationalist-oriented Armenian Revolutionary Federation, to take to the streets with sit-down protests and hunger strikes. Public support for the party’s criticism that the Armenian government risks selling out Armenia’s national security interests appears to be spreading, even though it remains far from uniform.

Georgia: Ethnic Georgian District in Abkhazia Becomes Election Issue
BY PAUL RIMPLE For many in the breakaway region of Abkhazia, Russian recognition of Abkhazia’s independence means the promise of economic development and a guarantee of security against Georgia. But in Abkhazia’s predominantly ethnic Georgian district of Gali, Russian recognition has come to mean renewed emphasis on assimilation into Abkhaz society.

Central Asia: Rising Taliban Threat Prompt Regional Border Cooperation
A joint operation, involving the border services of every Central Asian state except Turkmenistan, is underway. The operation aims to enhance security along Central Asia’s southern frontier in response to the rise of Islamic militant activity in northern Afghanistan.

Uzbekistan: Arbitrary Land Redistribution Feeds Discontent
Local officials in Uzbekistan are manipulating regulations aimed at improving the efficient use of agricultural land to reward friends, relatives and political allies. This arbitrary action threatens to diminish crop production at a time of profound economic distress, and fuel popular distrust of the government.

Turkey: Government Using "Tax Terror" to Muzzle Independent Press -- Critics
BY YIGAL SCHLEIFER Is the Turkish government trying to break the back of a media conglomerate that has served as its most vocal opposition by slapping it with a whopping $2.5 billion tax penalty?

Afghanistan: Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan Fighters Active in Kunduz
BY DEIRDRE TYNAN Afghan government troops and foreign forces have gone on the offensive against Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) militants who are active in northern Afghanistan.

Uzbekistan: Nukus Contemporary Art Museum Survives amid Hardship
Lost in the rough of present-day economic hardship and environmental degradation, Uzbekistan’s state art museum in Nukus is a little-known treasure that houses a trove of the Soviet era’s unacknowledged cultural heritage. The museum, which contains perhaps the best collection of Russian avant-garde art outside of Moscow, recently celebrated 25 years since the death of its remarkable founder.

Azerbaijan: Blogger Trial in Baku Boosting Local Interest in Internet
BY MINA MIRADOVA Azerbaijani media watchdog organizations do not share the optimism recently expressed by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe that two young video bloggers imprisoned for hooliganism will be released from jail soon.

Afghanistan and Pakistan: Examining the Obama Administration’s Eurasian Strategy
BY RICHARD WEITZ As concern about troop numbers in Afghanistan grows in Washington, the Obama administration remains optimistic that its strategy can, over the long-term, foster important economic, political, and military gains in South and Central Asia.

Turkey: Whither the Bulwark of Secularism?
A EURASIANET PHOTO ESSAY BY JONATHAN LEWIS For decades the Turkish military has seen itself as the chief pillar of Turkish society, always ready to step in should civilian leaders stray from secular orthodoxy, as established by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey. Now, feeling increasingly threatened legally and organizationally, generals are taking steps to remind government leaders that, as an institution, the Turkish military retains a powerful policy voice.

Kazakhstan: Zhovtis Case Turning into Test of Astana’s OSCE Credibility
BY JOANNA LILLIS Domestic and international pressure on Kazakhstan appears to be building as the case of prominent human rights activist Yevgeniy Zhovtis, who was convicted earlier in September of vehicular manslaughter a car that killed a pedestrian, is moving into the appeals phase.

Kyrgyzstan: New Military Base Plans Fuel Uzbekistan’s Ire
BY ALISHER KHAMIDOV Bishkek’s recent agreement with Moscow to create a new military base in southern Kyrgyzstan is complicating relations among Central Asian states. Uzbek and Tajik leaders are questioning the logic behind the Kremlin’s decision, and are warning that a new base could turn into a source of regional instability.

Kyrgyzstan: Adoption Reform Leaves Kyrgyz orphans, American families, in Limbo
Last November, Suzanne Boutilier was sitting outside a Kyrgyz orphanage, cradling the slight 6-month-old baby girl she was set to adopt. She sang to her daughter-to-be and kept returning to a Carly Simon tune with the refrain "Lovin’ you is the right thing to do," and every time she came to the chorus "Even though you’re 10,000 miles away," she would sob.

Uzbekistan: Authorities Link Tashkent Shootout in August to Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan
BY DEIRDRE TYNAN Authorities in Uzbekistan contend that Shaukat Makhmudov, one of three men killed in a Tashkent shootout in late August, was a top figure in the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. Makhmudov, officials add, is suspected of orchestrating assassinations earlier in the summer and was one of the alleged masterminds of 1999 bombings in Tashkent.

Mongolia: Boom Times Ahead for Some Gobi Desert Villages
BY JOSHUA KUCERA Khanbogd, a remote town in southern Mongolia, has no paved roads, electricity only 5 ½ hours a day, and a single restaurant that is closed on Saturdays. But its location, not far from what is about to become the biggest copper mine in the world, means that it is about to undergo a transformation so rapid and expansive that no one -- not mining company officials, outside experts or residents themselves -- can predict what will happen to their quiet hamlet.

Afghanistan: Dark Days for Democratization Hopes amid Burgeoning Electoral Fraud Controversy
BY AUNOHITA MOJUMDAR Two developments on September 8 seem likely to plunge Afghanistan into a long and debilitating battle over the country’s electoral process and the government’s very legitimacy. The crux of the unfolding problem is that the country’s two main electoral institutions appear at odds with each other.

Afghanistan: Northern Distribution Network Grapples With Growing Security Threat
The escalating insurgency in northern Afghanistan is threatening American and NATO efforts to develop the Northern Distribution Network (NDN). As the NDN gains greater strategic importance, observers warn it will increasingly become the focus of attacks. And such potential strikes could have consequences for Afghanistan’s northern neighbors in Central Asia.

Armenia: Fugitive Businessman Comes in From the Cold
BY MARIANNA GRIGORYAN One of Armenia’s most prominent entrepreneurs, who also happens to be a major supporter of opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrosian, is now in custody after spending more than a year in hiding. The fugitive businessman, Khachatur Sukiasian, has expressed a desire to clear his name of charges that he helped instigate political violence in March 2008.

Georgia: South Ossetians Cling to Arms
A EURASIANET PHOTO ESSAY BY KAREN MIRZOYAN Guns have been a fixture of life in Georgia’s breakaway region of South Ossetia for almost 20 years, needed by citizen-soldiers in the fight for their sovereignty. But now with Russian troops protecting the territory, the South Ossetian leadership is trying to disarm the population. As this EurasiaNet photo essay by Karen Mirzoyan shows, many Ossetians are unwilling to part with their guns.

Kazakhstan: Rights Activist Calls Guilty Verdict "Political Setup"
BY JOANNA LILLIS Yevgeny Zhovtis, one of Kazakhstan’s leading human rights activists, was found guilty on September 3 of vehicular manslaughter and sentenced to four years in prison. Prior to the reading of the verdict, Zhovtis denounced his two-day trial as a "political setup."

Kazakhstan: Rights Activist’s Manslaughter Trial Opens amid Intense International Scrutiny
BY JOANNA LILLIS One of Kazakhstan’s most prominent human rights activists went on trial September 2, charged with causing death by dangerous driving. The trial has cast a spotlight on Kazakhstan’s judicial system. It is also being viewed as a litmus test of Astana’s commitment to democratic procedures, coming as it does just four months before Kazakhstani officials take over the helm of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

Turkey Reconciliation Deal Cause for Controversy in Armenia, Azerbaijan
BY HAROUTIUN KHACHATRIAN AND SHAHIN ABBASOV After years of mud-slinging, Turkey and Armenia appear ready to restore diplomatic ties, but the initial reaction within Armenia suggests that the process could meet with strong political opposition. Watching closely from the sidelines, Turkish ally Azerbaijan, meanwhile, states that it expects Turkey to keep its word -- no diplomatic ties with Armenia until territories bordering the disputed region of Nagorno Karabakh are returned to Azerbaijani control.

Armenia, Turkey Prepare to Open Border
Late on August 31, Turkey, Armenia and mediator Switzerland released a protocol on "The Establishment of Diplomatic Relations" that acts as a guideline for Ankara and Yerevan to sign an agreement on diplomatic recognition.

On Turkey-Armenia Border, Slight Hope for Change
A EURASIANET AUDIO SLIDESHOW BY SOPHIA MIZANTE The Turkey-Armenia border has been closed since 1993. A EurasiaNet photographer spent two weeks capturing what it's like for those who live on both sides of the line.

Abkhazia Maintains "We Do It Our Way," Despite Russian Aid
BY PAUL RIMPLE Abkhazia celebrated the first anniversary of Russia's 2008 recognition of its independence with its borders guarded by Russian soldiers and its seaside resorts packed with Russian tourists. Abkhaz officials claim that it is a relationship between equals. But an August 29 announcement that the Russian Federal Security Serviceis Coast Guard will monitor Abkhaziais Black Sea coastline has again demonstrated the contradictions inherent in that assertion.

Uzbekistan: Tashkent Shootout Stokes Fears of Independence Day Clashes
Reports of shootings in Tashkent on the evening of August 29 have sparked fears the Uzbek government is using the cover of independence celebrations to crack down on alleged militants.

Afghanistan: Election Endorsement Threatens to Harm International Community’s Credibility
BY AUNOHITA MOJUMDAR In a hurry to score quick public relations points, some international observers and foreign diplomats cast Afghanistan’s August 20 presidential vote as an unequivocal triumph for the democratization process. But that initial rush to endorse the integrity of the process may well come back to haunt the international community, as reports of electoral irregularities continue to surface.

Eurasia: Bracing for a Technological Counter-Revolution
A EURASIANET COMMENTARY BY STEPHEN BLANK The advent of social networking platforms such as Twitter and Facebook has changed the nature of political dissent. But as this summer’s unrest in Iran and China has demonstrated, authoritarian-minded governments have done their homework, and have kept pace with the revolution in communications.

Afghanistan: Narco-Cartels a Growing Threat, UN Drug Agency Warns
BY AUNOHITA MOJUMDAR A report released September 2 by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has good news and bad news about narcotics cultivation and trafficking in Afghanistan. The good news is that 800,000 Afghan farmers have stopped cultivating poppies; the bad is that those who continue to grow illicit crops are becoming more efficient, and traders are forging stronger ties with criminal and insurgent groups, as well as corrupt officials.

Georgia: Ex-Jailor-in-Chief Tapped to Head Defense Ministry
A former prison boss, who has been both credited and criticized for a clampdown on organized crime in Georgia, has been nominated as the country’s latest defense minister.

Mongolia: Ulaanbaatar Performs Strategic Juggling Act with US, Russian Military Maneuvers
BY JOSHUA KUCERA Mongolia, a nation with abundant mineral wealth, has emerged in recent days as a showcase for the US-Russian rivalry. The Mongolian military has found itself in the unusual position of participating in separate joint exercises involving US and Russian troops going on at the same time.

Kyrgyzstan: Artists Use Creative Dialogue to Foster Social Change
A EURASIANET PHOTO ESSAY BY JOHN COUPER On a recent summer’s day, visitors to the recently opened Koldo Art Gallery in central Bishkek watched professional artists create new work, inspired by the art of children with physical and mental handicaps. The event was designed to foster interaction between children, artists and the public, enabling all involved to find new strengths, and to help open minds.

Uzbekistan: Washington Denies Interest in Returning to Khanabad Airbase
US diplomats are steadfastly denying that the American military seeks to return to the Uzbek air base at Karshi-Khanabad.

Afghanistan: Internationals Claim Victory While Afghans Cry Fraud
BY AUNOHITA MOJUMDAR Diplomats have rushed to declare Afghanistan’s August 20 presidential and provincial council elections a success, while downplaying credible reports of disenfranchisement and widespread electoral irregularities. The apparent reluctance to acknowledge circumstantial evidence of substantial vote-rigging could have damaging, even irreparable consequences for Afghanistan’s democratization process, some experts contend.

Azerbaijan: Fresh Charges Brought against Detained Bloggers
Azerbaijani prosecutors have charged detained youth activists and video bloggers Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizade with causing "mild injury" to an unspecified victim, the pair’s defense attorney told an August 24 news conference in Baku. The two young men were originally charged with hooliganism in what has become a cause célèbre for free speech rights in the South Caucasus.

'Nothing is More Persistent than the Temporary': Documenting a Troubled Economic Transition
Red Journey By Nick Hannes A EURASIANET BOOK REVIEW BY LAURIE RICH Belgian photographer Nick Hannes’ photo book, "Red Journey," sets out to show the lives of people dealing with the looming questions that dog all the nations of the former Soviet Union: What happens when one day you wake up and discover your heroes aren’t heroes at all? Your past isn’t your past? How do you rebuild a house when the foundation is irreparably cracked?

Afghanistan: Presidential Election Essential for Legitimizing Kabul Government
BY RICHARD WEITZ Initial tallies suggest that incumbent Hamid Karzai and former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah are in a tight race in Afghanistan’s presidential election.

Afghanistan: Government Declares Elections Success Amidst Mixed Turnout
BY AUNOHITA MOJUMDAR Counting the ballots in Afghanistan’s second presidential and provincial council elections has begun. Despite some reports of attacks and election irregularities throughout the country, polls closed on August 20 without any major violent disruptions by insurgents.

Afghanistan: "Corruption is Eating Our System"
A EurasiaNet Q&A with Presidential Contender Abdullah Abdullah INTERVIEW CONDUCTED BY CAMELIA ENTEKHABI-FARD Afghans braved Taliban threats and other problems to cast ballots August 20 in the country’s presidential election. Initial estimates suggested that turnout on August 20 would be lower than in the 2004 presidential vote. On the eve of the election, EurasiaNet caught up with one of the prominent presidential candidates, Abdullah Abdullah, to get his impressions of the campaign and the meaning of the election for Afghanistan.

Armenia: Wave of Hacker Attacks Blamed on Azerbaijan, Turkey
BY MARIANNA GRIGORYAN A surge in hacker attacks on several Armenian government and private websites has prompted Armenian information technology experts to demand that Armenia’s Internet security become a matter of state security.

Afghanistan: Uncertainties and Fear Loom Day Before Vote
BY AUNOHITA MOJUMDAR Polling for the second presidential and provincial council elections in Afghanistan will open early on August 20 in a milieu of competing hopes and fears, uncertain logistics and precarious security conditions. The 2009 polls also take place in a state of political flux unprecedented since the forced removal of the Taliban in 2001.

Georgia: IDPs Have Found Homes, but Not Work
A EURASIANET PHOTO STORY BY MOLLY CORSO The Georgian government created housing in a matter of months for the thousands of families displaced by the 2008 war with Russia. But nearly a year later, one key question remains -- how to provide the work these families need.

Uzbekistan: Inflation Worries Prompting Tashkent to Consult Soviet Playbook
Inflation fears are prompting Uzbek officials to resort to an old Soviet trick -- trying to drastically curtail the amount of cash in circulation. Such draconian government measures, however, risk creating a crisis atmosphere, some analysts caution.

Turkey: Educational Reforms Reflect Changing Balance of Power in Ankara
BY NICHOLAS BIRCH Recent educational reforms that make it easier for students at religious schools to attend university have sparked celebration among conservative Turks, anger among secularists, and shrugs of indifference among some education officials who are disgusted with the way politicking has overshadowed what they see as a need for a complete overhaul of the education system.

Afghanistan: Vote May Disenfranchise Women
BY AUNOHITA MOJUMDAR With only three days before presidential and provincial council elections in Afghanistan, the Independent Election Commission is sending out desperate appeals. In nearly a quarter of the country’s provinces, despite repeated pleas, the Afghan institution charged with managing the elections has been unable to recruit enough women to staff polling stations. Female staff members are necessary for searching women coming to vote, an essential part of the security matrix in polling stations across the country. Unless they are recruited -- rapidly -- in many areas women may be unable to cast their vote.

Azerbaijan Mum about Israeli Spy Plane, Satellite Projects
BY SHAHIN ABBASOV A month and a half after Israeli President Shimon Peres’ trip to Azerbaijan, both Baku and Tel Aviv are keeping mum about reported plans for the joint manufacture of reconnaissance planes and satellites.

Turkey: Ankara Grapples with Dropout Conundrum
BY DANIEL KOEHLER At the age of 17, Mazlum is mature beyond his years. He has been contributing to the family income since the age of eight and is known in his predominantly Kurdish neighborhood as a conscientious citizen. Mazlum’s formal schooling, however, is severely lacking. In his third year of primary education, he left school after his teacher hit him for speaking Kurdish on school premises. He can read and write and his Turkish is fluent, but he has been unemployed for a year and has had much more difficulty finding work than his more educated relatives. "I wouldn’t be in this position if I’d stayed in school," he says with visible regret.

Tajikistan: Festival Connects Central Asian Musicians
A EURASIANET SLIDESHOW BY DAVID TRILLING Under sharp shale peaks glowing golden-grey in the mid-summer sun, musicians from four Central Asian countries gathered in Tajikistan’s remote Badakhshan Province recently to perform and exchange their respective musical traditions, and enjoy a slice of watermelon.

Turkey: Is Ankara Trying to Tame the Russian Bear?
BY NICHOLAS BIRCH There is an odd little detail at the back of a 1928 statue depicting Turkey’s founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, standing in Istanbul’s central Taksim Square: found among the adoring crowd of figures surrounding Ataturk, a group dominated by children and peasants, are two stern-faced men with stars on their bronze lapels. They are two Red Army generals Mikhail Frunze and Kliment Voroshilov.

Fergana Valley: Stringent Border Measures Fuelling Tension in Enclaves
BY ALISHER KHAMIDOV A recent clash on the Kyrgyz-Uzbek border is highlighting a simmering social problem found in and around the Fergana Valley’s many isolated enclaves. Public frustration is mounting over the inability of officials in the region to grapple with border-related issues, experts say.

Georgia: Opposition Arrests, Beatings Spark Fresh Controversy
BY MOLLY CORSO Less than one month after Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili pledged to step up democratic reforms, human and civil rights monitors state that a disturbing pattern of arrests, beatings and kidnappings involving opposition members and supporters has developed in Georgia over the past four months.

Russia: Central Asia’s Female Labor Migrants Grapple with Uncertainty
BY WILLIAM O'CONNOR According to some calculations, nearly half of the estimated 300,000 Kyrgyz workers in Russia are female. The number of Tajik and Uzbek women seeking work is growing, analysts say. While the flood of Central Asian men to Russia’s cities in search of work has been well documented, the past few years have also seen a quiet upsurge in female labor migrants.

Kyrgyzstan: US Air Hub at Manas Busier Now than Before
BY DEIRDRE TYNAN The American air hub outside Bishkek may have a new name -- the Manas Transit Center -- but its operational capabilities remain largely unchanged. The new lease agreement covering activities at the American facility does not differ substantially from the previous pact. The only major change is that Washington is now paying Bishkek a whole lot more in rent.

Russia: Central Asia’s Female Labor Migrants Grapple with Uncertainty
BY WILLIAM O'CONNOR According to some calculations, nearly half of the estimated 300,000 Kyrgyz workers in Russia are female. The number of Tajik and Uzbek women seeking work is growing, analysts say. While the flood of Central Asian men to Russia’s cities in search of work has been well documented, the past few years have also seen a quiet upsurge in female labor migrants.

Turkey: Anti-Smoking Advocates Pleased with Early Results of Restaurant/Bar Ban
A EURASIANET PHOTO STORY BY JONATHAN LEWIS It’s just over three weeks since a ban on smoking tobacco products indoors took hold in Turkey. Despite initial concern about how the public would react to prohibition, anti-smoking campaigners are so far delighted with the early results.

Armenia: Putin Visit to Turkey Sparks Hopes and Fears in Yerevan
BY HAROUTIUN KHACHATRIAN Armenians watched Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s August 6-7 visit to Turkey with a mixture of hope and suspicion. While many in Yerevan see potential benefits arising out of closer Turkish-Russian ties, worries persist among Armenian leaders and experts that Turkey’s importance in the eyes of the Kremlin may come to outweigh that of Armenia.

Georgia: South Ossetia -- One Year Later: Running on Empty, Despite Russian Help
PHOTOS BY KAREN MIRZOYAN South Ossetia on August 7-9 marked the first anniversary since Georgia attempted to forcefully regain control of the breakaway territory. A series of bittersweet events both mourned the loss of life during last summer’s war and celebrated the Russian-backed "independence" achieved in its aftermath.

Afghanistan: Elections Shaping Up as a Complicated Step Forward
A EURASIANET Q&A WITH EUROPEAN COMMISSION DELEGATION AMBASSADOR HANSJORG KRETSCHMER BY AUNOHITA MOJUMDAR The difficulty in achieving consensus among its 27 member states is a major factor in keeping the European Union from playing a more robust role in Afghanistan’s reconstruction, despite the considerable resources provided through the European Commission and individual bilateral contributions. In June, however, the EU agreed on the need to deepen its engagement with Afghanistan. Change is already evident. The EU is providing 35 million euros to help ensure a fair-and-secure presidential election on August 20, and will be deploying a 100-member Election Observer Mission. The European Commission delegation’s ambassador in Kabul, Hansjörg Kretschmer, talked recently with EurasiaNet’s Aunohita Mojumdar on the importance of elections, the current situation and the engagement of the international community with Afghanistan.

Georgia: Saakashvili Shows Staying Power on Anniversary of War with Russia
A EURASIANET PHOTO STORY: MOLLY CORSO AND TEMO BARDZIMASHVILI War, political instability and economic crisis. Despite it all, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has endured in office. And a year after Georgia’s devastating war with Russia, Saakashvili’s staying power is an image the Georgian government is eager to convey.

Turkmenistan: Hundreds of Students Caught in Educational Limbo
They threaten to become a new class of refuseniks. They are students in Turkmenistan seeking to study at foreign universities and technical schools who are not being allowed to leave by Turkmen authorities.

Azerbaijan: With Departure of Two Karabakh Mediators, Future of Talks Unclear
BY SHAHIN ABBASOV The expected departure of the American and Russian envoys to talks over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh territory is diminishing Azerbaijani expectations about a potential breakthrough in the peace process.

Kazakhstan: The Forgotten Women of the Gulag
A EURASIANET SLIDESHOW BY JOANNA LILLIS Just outside the Kazakhstani capital of Astana stands a black and sliver monument called the Arch of Grief. It sits at the entrance to a museum dedicated to a particularly unfortunate subset of victims of Stalin-era repression -- the wives of "enemies of the state." EurasiaNet correspondent Joanna Lillis recently visited the museum. Her impressions are contained in this EurasiaNet slideshow.

Pakistan: A Look at Daily Life at the Jamba Erabia Madrasa
BY A EURASIANET SLIDESHOW BY JONATHAN ALPEYRIE The Pakistani government is waging a high-profile offensive in tribal areas near the Afghan border to contain Islamic militants. But part of the struggle is also playing out in madrasas, or religious schools, across the country. EurasiaNet photojournalist Jonathan Alpeyrie takes a close look at the daily routine of one madrasa on the outskirts of Islamabad in a EurasiaNet slideshow.

Tajikistan: Labor Migrants Facing Grim Choices
BY NADIRA ARTYK Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, in Tajikistan for a two-day stay that concluded July 31, touched on a variety of security and energy issues in his discussions with his Tajik counterpart, Imomali Rahmon. But perhaps the most important issue on Tajikistan’s political and economic agenda -- labor migration -- did not figure prominently in bilateral talks.

Tajikistan: Russian President Medvedev Arrives in Dushanbe for Talks
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev arrived in Tajikistan on July 30, beginning a two-day trip with important ramifications for Central Asian security.

Armenia: Military Planners Confront Conscript Shortfall, Mull an End to College Exemption
BY GAYANE ABRAHAMYAN A looming shortfall in conscripts for the Armenian army is forcing the country to mull tough choices. A fierce debate has erupted over a plan to remove university enrollment as grounds for an exemption from military service. The proposal reflects both concern over the country’s shrinking male population and worries about the growing military strength of the country’s long-time archrival, Azerbaijan.

Georgia: New York Exhibit Marks Georgian Modernism’s US Debut
A EURASIANET PHOTO ESSAY BY PAMELA RENNER "The Fantastic Tavern: The Tbilisi Avant-Garde," at Chelsea’s Casey Kaplan Gallery, is the first public display of Georgian Modernism in the United States. Its silent films, sound poetry, stage design, experimental music, photography, paintings and Futurist books reflect a critical period in Georgian history -- a period when Georgia was an independent state and enjoyed three years of creative freedom and cultural interaction with Europe.

Georgia: Washington Declines Tbilisi’s Request for "Defensive" Weapons
BY JOSHUA KUCERA The United States does not intend to give or sell Georgia weapons, or to participate in the European Union monitoring mission in Georgia, senior US officials are saying.

Azerbaijan: No Jitters Over Turkmenistan’s Caspian Sea Threat
BY SHAHIN ABBASOV Turkmenistan’s pledge to take Azerbaijan to court over the two countries’ rival claims to Caspian Sea oil fields has sparked more confusion than anger in Baku. Some Azerbaijani experts even believe that an international arbitration hearing could prove the best way to resolve a long-standing energy dispute.

Turkmenistan: Rules Switch Hampering Young Scholars from Studying Abroad
Soon after assuming power in late 2006, Turkmenistan’s leader Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov sent signals that education would be one of his top policy priorities. But over the past few days, Berdymukhamedov’s status as Turkmenistan’s "education president" has taken a hit, as authorities in Ashgabat have been hindering students from departing the country to begin their studies at foreign universities.

Afghanistan: Karzai Braces for Emboldened Challengers as Election Nears
BY AUNOHITA MOJUMDAR Afghan citizens will go to the polls next month amid an escalation of Taliban violence. The first four months of 2009 saw a 46 percent increase in security-related incidents over the previous. Since then, the fighting has continued to intensify with a new large-scale military operation in southern Helmand Province. While those operations are being touted as an effort to boost security before the polls, most observers expect violence will continue to increase until election day on August 20.

Azerbaijan: For SOCAR, Bigger Means Better with Azerigaz Takeover
BY SHAHIN ABBASOV The Azerbaijani government’s recent decision to make state-owned gas distribution company Azerigaz part of the mammoth State Oil Company of the Azerbaijani Republic (SOCAR) signals that Baku wants to transform SOCAR into an "economic symbol" similar to Russia’s Gazprom or Kazakhstan’s KazMunaiGas, experts say.

Armenians Put Aside the Past and Choose Turkey for Summer Vacation
BY MARIANNA GRIGORYAN Some Armenians call it "a disgrace." Others put it down to price. Turkey’s popular Mediterranean resort town of Antalya ranks as Armenians’ number-one summer vacation destination, travel agents say, and no amount of controversy over Turkish-Armenian ties looks likely to reverse the trend.

Georgia Bets on Mountains and Toilets for Post-War Tourism Comeback
A EURASIANET PHOTO ESSAY BY GIORGI LOMSADZE Almost a year after war with Russia sent foreign tourists scurrying away, Georgia is telling travelers that it is safe to come back, and betting on a combo of Georgia’s idyllic mountain scenery, new hotels and public toilets to cinch their interest.

Kazakhstan: Activists Assail Internet Law as Step Back for Democratization
BY JOANNA LILLIS Journalists and civil rights activists in Kazakhstan have reacted with dismay to the passing of a new Internet law they say will severely restrict freedom of expression in a country set to take the helm of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in 2010.

Georgia: Tbilisi Welcomes Biden
BY MOLLY CORSO US Vice President Joseph Biden’s July 22-23 visit to Tbilisi may have been more about show than results, but for Georgians wearied by war and wary of Russia that show of support was all that mattered.

Central Asia: Northern Supply Network for Afghanistan Hits Snags
BY DEIRDRE TYNAN The Northern Distribution Network, an American-assembled logistical pipeline designed to ease and expand the flow of supplies to coalition forces in Afghanistan, is off to a lackluster start.

Azerbaijan: Detention of Youth Activists Causes Storm in Blogosphere
BY MINA MIRADOVA AND GIORGI LOMSADZE The decision to detain two youth activists and bloggers on charges of hooliganism is stoking concern in Azerbaijan about the future of the country’s nascent blogosphere, arguably among the most robust in the South Caucasus. Some observers believe that a government attempt to clamp down on new media will only cause the blogosphere to blossom.

Kyrgyzstan: Bakiyev Odds-On Favorite to Win Reelection in July 23 Vote
Political analysts are predicting no surprises for Kyrgyzstan’s July 23 presidential election. The incumbent, Kurmanbek Bakiyev, is expected to secure reelection in a walk-over.

Georgia: Controversy Surrounds Claim of Russian, South Ossetian Advance in Racha
BY MOLLY CORSO A controversy in the remote mountainous region of Racha is highlighting the fact that in some areas of Georgia, the border separating Georgian and Russian forces is blurred.

Afghanistan: First Local Team Conquers Afghanistan’s Highest Peak
A EURASIANET PHOTO ESSAY BY AUNOHITA MOJUMDAR It may not be a feat that matches walking on the moon, but a small group of Afghan villagers are nevertheless stoking national pride in their war-ravaged nation. The group has become the first local expedition to successfully scale Afghanistan’s tallest peak, the Noshaq, situated in the remote northeastern Badakhshan region.

CIS: The Example of Iran Could Fuel Repression in Former Soviet States -- Experts
BY JOSHUA KUCERA The election in Iran and its violent aftermath could create an undesirable precedent for authoritarian governments in the former Soviet Union, according to a former Bush administration democratization official.

Caspian Basin: Nabucco Moves Ahead of South Stream in Regional Energy Race
A EURASIANET COMMENTARY BY STEPHEN BLANK July has seen a sudden reversal of fortune in Caspian and Black Sea Basin pipeline politics. The Nabucco pipeline project has staged a noteworthy comeback, while a competing Russian-backed route, dubbed South Stream, now seems to be losing steam. Uncertainty surrounding future demand, however, raises the possibility that neither pipeline ever becomes a reality.

CIS: Disappointing Turnout for Race-Day Summit
Having fallen on hard economic times, Russia isn’t getting the respect that it used to from its immediate neighbors. Only six heads of states from the 11-member Commonwealth of Independent States showed up in Moscow for an informal summit, held at a horse-racing track.

Turkey: Smoking Ban Takes Effect in Restaurants, Cafes
A EURASIANET PHOTO STORY BY JONATHAN LEWIS Smoking in Turkey can almost be considered a national pastime. But the Turkish government is now taking firm action to get Turks to break off their long love affair with tobacco.

Pakistan: Swat Valley Sweep against Taliban Spurs Displacement Crisis
A EURASIANET SLIDESHOW BY JONATHAN ALPEYRIE The Pakistani military’s push against Taliban strongholds in the Swat Valley has created a forced migration emergency, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

Kazakhstan: Despite Downturn, Nazarbayev’s Numbers Stay Up
BY JOANNA LILLIS Although Kazakhstan has been battered by the global financial downturn, the Central Asian nation’s citizens are still upbeat. Recent polling data shows that economic troubles have not dented the popularity of President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s administration, and that a healthy majority believes the country is moving in the right direction.

Tajikistan: President Rahmon Appeals to Tajik Believers to Make Charitable Donations
BY KONSTANTIN PARSHIN Tajik President Imomali Rahmon’s administration is discouraging believers in the impoverished Central Asian nation from making the Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca, this year. Instead, authorities are asking that would-be pilgrims make a donation to charity.

Azerbaijan: Baku Becomes a Question Mark for Nabucco Project
BY JESSICA POWLEY HAYDEN The Nabucco pipeline project took a major step forward when five transit countries recently signed an agreement after years of hesitation. But at least one wild card remains in the path of the project’s realization -- Azerbaijan. Although Baku has voiced strong support for Nabucco, experts caution that the country’s recent gas deal with Gazprom could complicate Baku’s ability to serve as a major supplier for the long-planned pipeline.

Georgia: US Vice President Biden to Visit Tbilisi in Late July
BY JOSHUA KUCERA In the wake of US President Barack Obama’s early July visit to Moscow, US Vice President Joe Biden will soon visit Georgia. But it’s not entirely clear whether the message that Biden delivers to Tbilisi will be of strong US support for Georgia, or an admonition to not antagonize Russia.

The Music of China's Nomads
See and hear how Kazakhs and Kyrgyz living in China's western Xinjiang Province are using music to preserve their cultural heritage.

Kazakhstan: Astana Takes the Lead in Lobbying for Nuclear-Free World
A EURASIANET PHOTO ESSAY BY JOANNA LILLIS In August, Kazakhstan will mark the 60th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s first nuclear blast at the Semipalatinsk test site. President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s administration is using the anniversary to raise Kazakhstan’s profile as an anti-nuclear advocate.

Afghanistan: United Nations Report Highlights Problem of Violence against Women
BY AUNOHITA MOJUMDAR One of the first women to be elected to a public post in conservative Afghanistan, Zarghuna Kakar serves as a member of the provincial council in Kandahar. Public service has come at a high price for her. She and her husband were attacked and her husband killed in a Kandahar market, and she now fears for her own life and wonders why she ever entered politics.

Armenia: Spurned by MCC, Yerevan Looks to Iran, Russia for Road Money
BY MARIANNA GRIGORYAN The Millennium Challenge Corporation’s recent decision to slash funds for its Armenia program has prompted the Armenian government to seek alternative financing for infrastructure improvements from Iran and Russia.

Georgia: Tracking International Reconstruction Assistance
BY MOLLY CORSO In the nine months since international donors agreed to give Georgia $4.5 billion in war-recovery aid, Tbilisi has taken in nearly half of that sum. These days, monitors are busy examining how Tbilisi is employing the funds. One international anti-corruption watchdog and a major American donor deem the government’s performance adequate to date, but some monitors caution that tracing all the money is close to impossible.

Tajikistan: Mysterious Death Raises Concerns About Militant Returns
BY SAODAT MAHBATSHO The mysterious killing of Mirzo Ziyoev, a former opposition commander and cabinet minister, is prompting foreign officials to voice concern about instability in mountainous areas of Tajikistan along the Afghan border. Tajik officials, while attempting to project an image that they remain in control of the security situation, say the rising violence in the South is connected to the return of militants from Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Caspian Energy: The End of the Beginning for the Nabucco Pipeline
BY YIGAL SCHLEIFER The troubled Nabucco pipeline project -- designed to diversify Europe’s energy supply and loosen Russia’s grip on the continent’s natural gas market -- took a major step forward on July 13 with the signing of a transit agreement between Turkey and five European Union countries involved in the undertaking.

Turkmenistan: Berdymukhamedov Makes Nabucco Pledge, Moscow Takes Energy Hits
BY DEIRDRE TYNAN Even before the July 13 signing of an intergovernmental agreement to formally launch the Nabucco pipeline, the project received a potentially important boost from Turkmenistan, which pledged to ship an unspecified amount of natural gas via the long-planned route.

Kyrgyzstan: Russia Seeks Second Military Base in Central Asian Nation, Rattling Uzbekistan
The Kremlin is playing a geopolitical game of ’can-you-top-this’ in Central Asia. Russia is looking to offset its failure to dislodge American troops from Kyrgyzstan’s air base at Manas by securing Bishkek’s agreement to open a Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) base in southern Kyrgyzstan’s Ferghana Valley.

Kyrgyzstan: Sacred Mountain Declared Country’s First UNESCO World Heritage Site
BY DAVID TRILLING Long a center of pilgrimage in the Ferghana Valley, in recent times Osh’s Sulaiman Too mountain, which forms the backdrop to much of the ancient Silk Road city, has been subject to both Soviet revisionist history and picnickers keen to leave their mark.

Central Asia: As Some Labor Migrants Leave Russia, Hate Attacks Continue
BY CATHERINE A. FITZPATRICK Even as a growing number of labor migrants from Central Asia and the Caucasus are returning to their homelands due to the global economic downturn, hate crimes against them are continuing unabated, independent monitors in Russia report.

Kazakhstan: Corruption Scandals an Indicator of Clan Infighting in Astana?
BY JOANNA LILLIS If reports coming out of Astana are to be believed, corruption and mismanagement are eating away at the core of the Kazakh state. According to official information, bureaucrats -- from ministers on down -- have either been helping themselves to government funds or, at the very least, making ill-informed decisions that have incurred billions of dollars in losses. But some opposition figures believe the proliferation of corruption cases in Kazakhstan is an outgrowth of a behind-the-scenes power struggle.

Amidst Crisis, Georgian Banks Go International for Financial Health
BY NINO PATSURIA Georgian Prime Minister Nika Gelauri recently issued an appeal for an additional $200 million in funding from international financial institutions for Georgia’s private banks. The catch lies in how Georgian these banks actually are. International financial institutions, in fact, already own 75 percent of Georgia’s total bank equity capital, according to Georgian regulators.

China: Examining the Root Causes of Xinjiang’s Ethnic Discontent
A EURASIANET COMMENTARY BY STEPHEN BLANK The early July inter-ethnic violence that hit China’s western Xinjiang Province may have been shocking, but it shouldn’t have been surprising. Tension between the Uighur and Han Chinese communities had been steadily building over the past three decades, and Communist authorities in Beijing hadn’t been doing much to defuse simmering anger.

Tajikistan: Migrant Worker Woes Cause Trickle-Down Effect of Misery
BY DAVID TRILLING Stuck in Moscow, Zaron’s husband cannot afford a ticket home. "When he was working, he sent us 150 or 200 dollars every month. For three months, he hasn’t sent anything," she says. A mother of five, Zaron’s youngest child, now almost two, hasn’t yet met her father. Unfortunately, Zaron’s story is far from unique these days in Tajikistan.

Georgia: Obama’s Russia Visit Eases Georgians’ Fears of Renewed Conflict with Moscow
BY GIORGI LOMSADZE US President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s early July summit may not have resolved the Georgia-Russia conflict, but, for many Georgians, it did succeed in allaying fears of a fresh military confrontation with Moscow. Nevertheless, worries persist about whether or not Obama’s words of reconciliation will have a permanent effect on the Kremlin.

Pakistan: US Officials Working to Sway Hearts and Minds in Islamabad
BY JOSHUA KUCERA US officials are developing a new communications strategy in order to reduce tension stoked by drone air strikes in Pakistan.

Afghanistan: Private Security Contractors Become a Source of Public Scorn
BY AUNOHITA MOJUMDAR A recent shootout in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar that left 10 people dead is helping to focus attention on the issue of private security companies, and the existing lack of accountability concerning their activities.

Turkmenistan: Ashgabat Hosts US Military Refuelling, Resupply Operations
BY DEIRDRE TYNAN Turkmenistan is quietly developing into a major transport hub for the northern supply network, which is being used to relay non-lethal supplies to US and NATO forces in Afghanistan. The Pentagon has confirmed a small contingent of US military personnel now operates in Ashgabat to assist refueling operations.

Kyrgyzstan: Adopt-a-Babushka Program Keeps Some Elderly Kyrgyz Citizens Going
BY DAVID TRILLING At 91, Dr. Tamara Shevchenko was born the year the Bolsheviks seized power in Petrograd. Her life was dedicated to science and advancing the Soviet ideal. She never married; never had children. And now she is alone.

Kyrgyzstan: For Marginalized Lyuli, Kyrgyz Language is an Antidote to Isolation
BY UMID ERKINOV For members of Kyrgyzstan’s Lyuli community, marginalization has been a constant fact of life. Even the totalitarian ways of Soviet authorities never succeeded in integrating the Lyuli into mainstream Kyrgyz society. But now there’s hope that young Lyuli will be able to break the cycle of hardship.

Georgia: European Monitors in Georgia: A Case of Great Expectations?
BY MOLLY CORSO Georgia is hoping the European Union will help keep the peace in the sensitive border areas near the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. But a recent tour with European Union monitors suggests that Tbilisi’s expectations may be too high.

Russia: Can Obama Visit Close Values Gap Between Washington and Moscow?
A EURASIANET NEWS ANALYSIS BY IGOR TORBAKOV US President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev got down to business on July 6, trying to place US-Russian relations back on a solid foundation after an extended period of rancor connected to last August’s fighting in Georgia. Perhaps appropriately, a chill was in the Moscow air as discussions got underway.

Kazakhstan: President Stamps His Personality on the Nation
A PHOTO SLIDESHOW BY JOANNA LILLIS Visitors to Astana, Kazakhstan’s glittery capital, love to zoom up to the top of the Bayterek Tower in an elevator for a panoramic view over the new city that has sprung up on the steppe over the last decade or so.

Russia: Foreshadowing the Obama-Medvedev Summit
A EURASIANET COMMENTARY BY RICHARD WEITZ The main topic of the July 6-8 summit meeting in Moscow between US President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will be settling the main elements of an agreement to replace the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START). The current arms control pact expires in early December.

Armenia: Return of Fugitive Journalist Puts Amnesty to Test
BY MARIANNA GRIGORYAN Armenia's amnesty will meet its first serious political test on July 3 with the hearing of the government's case against Nikol Pashinian, a confidante of ex-President Levon Ter Petrosian and pro-opposition journalist, who came out of hiding on July 1.

Turkey: IMF Talks Provide Way to Gauge Ankara’s Fiscal Discipline
BY NICHOLAS BIRCH Turkey and the International Monetary Fund will be making a final push in the coming weeks to see whether they can conclude a loan agreement, according to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkish analysts say the Turkish-IMF wrangling is masking a more important question: is Ankara committed to sustaining fiscally prudent policies that have made it an attractive foreign investment destination during this decade?

Central Asia and Caucasus: Dark Days for Democratization - Report
BY JOSHUA KUCERA The countries of the Caucasus and Central Asia experienced a decline in their democratic development in 2008, according to a report issued June 30 by the American watchdog group Freedom House.

Russia: Obama Trip to Moscow Offers Chance for Better US-Russian Cooperation on Iran
A EURASIANET COMMENTARY BY STEPHEN BLANK In advance of US President Barack Obama’s July 6 trip to Moscow, Russian officials have made some interesting gestures concerning the Kremlin’s Iran policy. Some of these signals might offer the possibility of new movement on international efforts to address the issue of Iran’s nuclear program.

Azerbaijan Abandons Controversial NGO Amendments
BY JESSICA POWLEY HAYDEN Azerbaijani rights activists are hailing as a rare victory the passage of amendments to a law on non-governmental organizations after a fierce fight with the government over earlier, more restrictive proposed changes. Worries nonetheless persist about the bill’s long-term implications for civil liberties within Azerbaijan.

Georgia: OSCE Terminates Its 17-Year Georgian Mission
BY JEAN-CHRISTOPHE PEUCH The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) is effectively affixing the seals on the door of its Tbilisi field office on June 30 and wrapping up its 17-year monitoring operation in the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict zone.

Russia Scores Double Match Point with Azerbaijani Gas Deal
BY SHAHIN ABBASOV Russian President Dmitri Medvedev only visited Baku for a day, but walked away with a gas deal likely to bring Moscow benefits for years to come.

Kazakhstan: Team Astana Gets New Backing Just in Time for Tour de France
After several months of high-profile financial problems, the Astana Cycling Team has secured funding to keep the wheels turning, just before this year’s Tour de France kicks off in Monaco on July 4. Kazakhstan’s state assets holding company will become the national team’s premier benefactor.

Azerbaijan: Peres Baku Visit Highlights Possibilities of Israeli-Azerbaijani Cooperation
BY SHAHIN ABBASOV Israel’s president, Shimon Peres, wrapped up a landmark visit to Azerbaijan on June 29, during which he endorsed Baku’s efforts to retain control of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Armenia: Crackdown Victims’ Families Have Little Hope for Justice
BY GAYANE ABRAHAMYAN Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan’s decision to shut down the commission investigating the deaths of the 10 people killed during March 2008 clashes between police and protesters has prompted families of the deceased to fear that those responsible for the deaths will escape punishment.

Kyrgyzstan: Bakiyev Courts Support of Believers
BY ALISHER KHAMIDOV With Kyrgyzstan’s July 23 presidential election fast approaching, President Kurmanbek Bakiyev’s administration is trying to court the support of Muslims, while cracking down on suspected members of radical Islamic groups.

Turkey: Football Referee, Barred for Being Homosexual, Fights for Rights
BY NICHOLAS BIRCH Turkey’s football authorities are at the center of a developing scandal, in which the dropping of a referee is turning into a civil rights test case. The referee at the center of the case, Halil Ibrahim Dincdag, maintains he was let go because of his homosexuality, and he is challenging the Turkish Football Federation’s decision in a local court.

Armenia: Saakashvili Visit to Yerevan Produces Lots of Smiles, Little Action
BY MARIANNA GRIGORYAN Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili arrived in Armenia touting a "bright future" for bilateral relations. But now that his two-day visit is over, experts say the visit failed to make much headway on two issues that are a source of friction between the states -- relations with Russia and the fate of ethnic Armenians in Georgia.

Azerbaijan: Monitoring Iranian Events for Political Lessons
EURASIANET COMMENTARY BY SHAHIN ABBASOV Political leaders in Azerbaijan are paying careful attention to the turmoil in Iran. It’s not just the fact that Iran is home to roughly 20 million ethnic Azeris that explains the strong interest in Iranian events. Both government officials and opposition politicians in Baku are searching for political lessons in the news coming out of Tehran.

Iran: Larijani Faction Emerges as Third Force in Iranian Power Struggle
BY KAMAL NAZER YASIN It appears that a third force, centering on Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani and his influential relatives, is taking shape in Iran. This new political force -- whose leaders have strong ties to Iran’s religious establishment, and who possess strong revolutionary credentials -- is working hard to establish a public profile apart from hardliners led by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and from progressives led by aggrieved presidential challenger Mir Hussein Mousavi.

Kazakhstan: Geopolitical Rivalry Flares at NATO Forum in Astana
BY JOANNA LILLIS NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer used a June 25 security forum in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana to encourage debate on how the Atlantic Alliance can evolve in the age of globalization. He also sought to reassure cautious Central Asian leaders that partnership with NATO was a "two-way street."

Turkey: Iran Upheaval Poses Diplomatic Challenge for Ankara
BY YIGAL SCHLEIFER Turkey seems to be searching for a proper response to the upheaval in Tehran. The Turkish public has greeted the crisis in Iran with a mix of indifference and confusion, while on the official side, Ankara is treading with extreme caution. Not wanting to possibly strain bilateral ties, Turkish officials are refraining from criticizing Iranian hardliners, or questioning the results of the country’s recent contested elections.

Kazakhstan: Rights Group Urging Improvements, as OSCE Chair Looms
BY JOANNA LILLIS A global human rights watchdog says Kazakhstan is risking a public relations debacle unless it takes fast action to ease restrictions on mass media and promote political openness.

Afghanistan: Afghans Tracking Tehran Power Struggle
BY AUNOHITA MOJUMDAR During Afghanistan’s nearly 30 years of civil strife, over 2 million Afghans found refuge in neighboring Iran. Most Afghan refugees have returned in recent years, and now, with Iran gripped by political turmoil, some in Kabul and elsewhere are waiting and watching anxiously to see what happens in their former country of residence. The outcome, the Afghans say, will exert considerable influence over Afghanistan’s own development.

Afghanistan: Kabul Court Ruling Could Free Afghan Terrorism Suspects Held at Guantanamo
BY AUNOHITA MOJUMDAR A short message on the back of Maj. Eric Montalvo’s business card reads: "My lawyer has told me not to talk to anyone about my case, not to answer any questions and not to reply to any accusations." The message is intended for those who try to approach his clients. Montalvo has one of the most difficult jobs anywhere. As a soldier and prosecutor for the US military, he is tasked with defending those suspected by the US government of committing acts of terrorism in Afghanistan and around the world. Some of his clients have not even been charged.

Iran: Azeris Cautious About Supporting Native Son Mousavi in Tehran Political Fight
BY SHAHIN ABBASOV Iran’s ethnic Azeri community numbers roughly 15-20 million, or almost a quarter of the country’s overall population. Most Azeris harbor deep feelings of resentment toward Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s administration in Tehran, and they are believed to have voted strongly for the aggrieved presidential challenger, Mir Hussein Mousavi, who is himself an Azeri from Tabriz. Even so, most Azeris remain unwilling to take an active part in the continuing battle for control of Iran’s social and economic agenda.

Kyrgyzstan: US Armed Forces to Remain at Air Base for Afghan Resupply Operations
BY DEIRDRE TYNAN Kyrgyzstan and the United States have agreed to keep the Manas Air Base in operation, albeit under a different name.

Armenia: Amnesty Does Little to Deflect Opposition Ire
BY MARIANNA GRIGORYAN More than a dozen Armenian opposition activists have now been released from prison under a June 19 amnesty, but little sign exists that Armenia's opposition is content with the outcome.

Iran: Rafsanjani Poised to Outflank Supreme Leader Khamenei
Looking past their fiery rhetoric and apparent determination to cling to power using all available means, Iran’s hardliners are not a confident bunch. While hardliners still believe they possess enough force to stifle popular protests, they are worried that they are losing a behind-the-scenes battle within Iran’s religious establishment.

Turkey: UFO Believers Seek to Shed "Quack" Status
BY NICHOLAS BIRCH With his neatly-clipped moustache and his shirt buttoned up to his neck, 51-year-old Yalcin Yalman doesn’t project the image of a trendsetter.

Kazakhstan: President Nazarbayev Marks Two Decades in Power
BY JOANNA LILLIS When Nursultan Nazarbayev took charge of Soviet Kazakhstan 20 years ago, he could scarcely have imagined that two years later he would be running his own country, and less that two decades later he would still be at the helm of an energy-rich state.

Iran: The Start of the End Game in Tehran
It would appear that Iran’s political crisis is entering the end-game phase. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appeared to slam the door June 19 on any chance of a political compromise. In a sermon at Tehran University, he resolutely defended the integrity of the country’s rigged presidential election result, and threatened protesters with retribution. The only way now open for Iran to resolve the presidential election controversy is through a test of strength.

Iran: Pondering a Popular Revolution in Iran?
A EURASIANET COMMENTARY BY MARK N. KATZ Many analysts in the West have expressed the opinion that Iranian hardliners will eventually suppress ongoing demonstrations in Tehran and elsewhere. Given this likelihood, they add, the best course of action for the United States is not to do anything that alienates either Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei or President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and thus do nothing that might jeopardize US-Iranian rapprochement possibilities.

Armenia: Parliament Approves Amnesty
BY MARIANNA GRIGORYAN After heavy lobbying by the international community, a special session of Armenia’s National Assembly on June 19 approved President Serzh Sargsyan’s request for a prisoner amnesty.

Iran: Youth-Led Protests Attaining Critical Mass
A EURASIANET PHOTO ESSAY A chain reaction of hope in Iran is fueling youth-led street protests that seem poised to beat back Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s power grab. Over 1 million demonstrators gathered for a Tehran rally on June 18, by far the largest anti-government crowd to assemble since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Iran: Hardliners Losing Nerve, Preparing for Desperate Gambit - Source
Hardliners in Iran are preparing to make a desperate bid to preserve their power in the face of burgeoning public opposition. A source within Iran’s law enforcement agency revealed late on June 18 that backers of presumptive president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will try to deploy special Revolutionary Guard units to confront protesters in Tehran.

Armenia: Washington Cuts Millennium Challenge Funding
BY JOSHUA KUCERA The United States has cut aid for a $67-million road construction program in Armenia, due to displeasure over the slow pace of democratization in Yerevan, US officials say. But some in Armenia and in the Armenian diaspora dispute that rationale, and instead suggest that Yerevan is being punished for geopolitical reasons.

Georgian Wine, Water Take the Back Door to Russia?
BY NINO PATSURIA Three years after Moscow banned agricultural imports from Georgia, a Kremlin-financed business publication claims that Georgian wine, mineral water, fruit and vegetables are now entering Russia via third countries.

Turkey: European Union Court Ruling Could Expand Women’s Rights
BY NICHOLAS BIRCH A European Court of Human Rights ruling in early June could turn into a landmark decision that opens the way for the expanded protection of women’s rights in Turkey.

Azerbaijan: NGO Amendments Put Civil Society at Risk - Activists
BY JESSICA POWLEY HAYDEN Controversial amendments that would impose new restrictions on non-governmental organizations could force numerous local and international NGOs in Azerbaijan to cease operations. Some activists go so far as to say the amendments, if passed, would throttle civil society development in the country.

Iran: Enmity at Top is Driving the Revolution from Below
A political maxim holds that a revolution tends to eat its young. It happened that way with France with its Great Terror; it happened in China with its Cultural Revolution and counter-strike against the Gang of Four; and there’s no need to elaborate on what happened in the Soviet Union during the late 1920s and 30s. Such a weeding-out process hasn’t happened in the history of Iran’s Islamic Revolution, though. But it seems to be occurring now.

Kyrgyzstan: Bakiyev Promises Continuing Support for Afghan War Effort
A high-profile meeting between the Afghan and Kyrgyz presidents is paving the way for a public announcement that a contentious US air base near Bishkek will stay open, experts say.

Iran: Hardliners Double Down on Repression, But Protest Numbers Keep Growing
Hard-line backers of Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are doubling down on their bet that repression can break popular opposition to his power grab. The storm of protest in Iran over the suspicious presidential election results showed no signs of abating, however.

Tajikistan: Dushanbe Ramps up Crackdown on Suspected Islamic Radicals
BY SAODAT MAHBATSHO Despite official denials that civil war-era opposition leaders still pose a national security threat, a rash of arrests of both alleged Islamist militants and former opposition figures in Tajikistan suggests the situation is not as stable as President Imomali Rahmon’s administration would like the outside world to believe. Some experts see a connection between the arrests and parliamentary elections scheduled for early 2010.

Iran: Election-Related Upheaval in Tehran Could Pave Way for Rapprochement with Washington
BY JOSHUA KUCERA Iran’s presidential election, as marred as it has been by probable fraud and mass protests in Tehran, could ultimately be a boon to US-Iranian relations -- even if Mahmoud Ahmadinejad retains power.

Georgia: United Nations to Leave Abkhazia
BY GIORGI LOMSADZE The end of the United Nations' monitoring mission in the breakaway region of Abkhazia will further restrict the ability of both Georgia and Abkhazia to maneuver against Moscow, Georgian analysts believe. A Russian veto in the UN Security Council blocked the extension of the mission's mandate after nearly 16 years in Abkhazia.

Russia: The Kremlin’s Collective Security Vision Hits Brick Wall
BY SERGEI BLAGOV Russia’s desire to forge a new security infrastructure in Eurasia is running into problems. A June 14 summit in Moscow of Collective Security Treaty Organization devolved into a very awkward affair for the Kremlin, as the authoritarian-minded leader of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, boycotted the gathering, and Belarus and Uzbekistan opted not to sign a key agreement to create a rapid-reaction force.

Iran: Islamic Republic at Risk?
Iran’s presidential election is degenerating into a battle of nerves. Protesters remain unwilling to accept blatantly-rigged results that appear designed to usher in a neo-conservative dictatorship. The pressure is now mounting on the country’s Supreme Leader, who seems to have maneuvered himself into a corner from which there are seemingly only two equally unpalatable escape routes -- either surrender, or order security forces to open fire. Either way, the Islamic Revolution will come under severe strain in the coming days, and there is no guarantee that it will survive this crisis.

Iran: Presidential Election Polarizes Society
Tehran, 2009, now has the feel of Madrid, 1936. A large segment of Iranian society feels under siege. This mood forged a coalition of disparate forces to resist what many see as an attempt by incumbent president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to establish an authoritarian-repressive regime. One could almost hear echoes of the Spanish Republican side’s rallying cry -- No Pasaran, or They Shall Not Pass -- during recent rallies for Ahmadinejad’s main presidential challenger, Mir Hussein Mousavi.

Azerbaijan: Baku Tackles Human Trafficking, but Ignores Domestic Violence
BY JESSICA POWLEY HAYDEN While Azerbaijan is getting tough on human trafficking, officials in Baku are lagging on efforts to address the more pervasive problem of domestic violence. Experts say the dichotomy reveals a willingness to combat foreign ills while turning a blind eye to those closer to home.

Iran: Ahmadinejad Backers Lay Groundwork for Massive Vote-Rigging
BY KAMAL NAZER YASIN It would appear that if he can’t win reelection by hook, Iran’s incumbent president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is going to try to take it by crook. Agencies responsible for administering the June 12 presidential election, and for counting the ballots, are firmly under the president’s control, and there are indications that Ahmadinejad loyalists have laid the groundwork for wide-scale fraud on election day.

Georgia: Is the Bell Tolling for UN, OSCE Missions?
BY JEAN-CHRISTOPHE PEUCH The chances of preserving international observer missions in the separatist territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia look slim, as Russia continues to insist that their respective mandates be amended to reflect "new realities" that Moscow contends arose from recent military hostilities with Georgia.

Kyrgyzstan: Uzbek Authorities Take Action to Thwart Cross-Border Trade
Tension is rapidly escalating along the Kyrgyz-Uzbek border. In response to violent Islamic militant attacks in late May, Uzbek authorities have started to fortify their frontier by building three-meter-wide trenches in some areas, according to Kyrgyz media reports. Bishkek has criticized the Uzbek action as a violation of mutual security agreements.

Uzbekistan: They’ll be Doing the Samba in Tashkent
BY DEIRDRE TYNAN After months of intensive negotiations, legendary Brazilian football coach Luiz Felipe Scolari is being unveiled as the new manager of Uzbekistan’s richest football club, Bunyodkor.

Kazakhstan: Business Climate Grows Gloomy Amid Arbitrary Arrest Controversy
BY JOANNA LILLIS Foreign investors and Kazakhstan’s business elite have been shaken by the arrest of one of the country’s most respected and successful entrepreneurs. As investors look on nervously and some of the country’s top executives protest openly, a probe of all state companies has been ordered. So great has been the controversy stirred by the arrest of Mukhtar Dzhakishev, former head of the state nuclear agency, that President Nursultan Nazarbayev felt compelled to intervene.

Armenia: Opposition Looks for a New Strategy
A EURASIANET COMMENTARY BY HAROUTIUN KHACHATRIAN Defeated repeatedly at the polls, the Armenian National Congress, Armenia’s largest opposition movement, finds itself on a slippery slope and is struggling to gain traction.

Mongolia: Russia Nixes US Development Funds for Ulaanbaatar
BY JOSHUA KUCERA Mongolia is accepting Russian demands to refuse US government funding for a railroad project and will ask the United States to redirect the funding to another project, the country’s foreign minister said during a visit to Washington.

Iran: Is Ahmadinejad Carrying Out a Coup?
BY KAMAL NAZER YASIN What we may be witnessing in Iran these days is a revolution within the Islamic Revolution. If successfully carried out, the net effect would be more like a coup, in which the incumbent president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, tramples on Iran’s existing, tangled pluralistic system, and establishes what amounts to a neo-conservative dictatorship with the blessing of the country’s spiritual leader. The problem for Ahmadinejad and his backers, however, is they may have underestimated the power of their opponents.

Armenia: Sopranos-Style TV Dramas Spark Debate Over Crime Rates
BY MARIANNA GRIGORYAN Burglaries have doubled in Armenia, homicides have nearly tripled and illegal weapons trafficking is up by over 43 percent in Armenia so far in 2009. Sociologists see a connection between the crime binge and a new collection of wildly popular TV crime-thrillers.

Ferghana Valley: Tajik-Kyrgyz Border a Potential "Karabakh"
BY DAVID TRILLING Kuldash is unsure which country he lives in. An ethnic Kyrgyz, he has a Kyrgyz passport, but his son possesses a Tajik one. "My son lives in the next house, in Kyrgyzstan. My house is supposed to be in Tajikistan," he says with a wry grin.

Iran: Ahmadinejad Has One Quip Too Many, Prompting Intervention
BY KAMAL NAZER YASIN Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s penchant for loopy one-liners and unsubstantiated allegations may finally be getting the best of him. A raucous presidential debate -- featuring comments so outrageous that Ahmadinejad provoked rebukes from all across the political spectrum -- has energized the Iranian electorate, and riveted attention on the June 12 presidential vote. Turnout may end up being so large, and attention so great, that it may make it difficult to rig. That can only be bad news for the incumbent.

Georgia: Contemplating War-and-Peace on a Make-Believe Isle
BY GIORGI LOMSADZE Given the vitriolic exchanges between Tbilisi and Moscow at the outset, the conclusion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s military exercises in Georgia was somewhat of an anti-climax.

Tajikistan: Plummeting Currency Causes Economic Worries
Small business owners and consumers are being hit hard by the rapid and seemingly uncontrollable fall of the Tajik currency against the US dollar. While some experts say the National Bank appears to have no control over the plunge of the Tajik somoni, others suggest that some large businesses are taking advantage of bank moves to turn a quick profit.

Azerbaijan: Baku Can Leapfrog over Ukraine, Georgia for NATO Membership -- Source
BY SHAHIN ABBASOV A senior source within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s Joint Force Command has told EurasiaNet that Azerbaijan stands a better chance of gaining NATO membership in the near future than either Georgia or Ukraine.

Iran: Reformists Take Action to Frustrate Ahmadinejad Dirty Tricks
BY KAMAL NAZER YASIN The leading presidential challenger, Mir Hussein Mousavi, appears to be gaining a head of steam leading up to Iran’s election on June 12. Even though some polls now show Mousavi to be leading the incumbent, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, some experts in Tehran maintain that political change in Tehran is unlikely. Some powerful forces in Iranian politics are unwilling to see Ahmadinejad lose.

Kazakhstan: Conflict-of-Interest Debate Flares in Washington
BY JOSHUA KUCERA The government of Kazakhstan is paying an influential Washington think tank to write a series of reports and policy recommendations for the US and Kazakhstani governments concerning Astana’s upcoming role as chairman of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Armenia: Trying to Find a Balance Between Economic Need and Environmental Responsibility
BY GAYANE ABRAHAMYAN A Russian-owned mining company’s plan to build a gold processing plant near Armenia’s legendary Lake Sevan has raised concerns about additional contamination of the lake, the source for 90 percent of Armenia’s fresh water supplies.

Georgia: Tbilisi Looks to Pablo Picasso for Positive Post-War PR
A EURASIANET PHOTO ESSAY BY MOLLY CORSO Forty Pablo Picasso drawings, sketches and linocuts from France's Zervos Museum are spending the summer in Georgia. It marks the country's first high-profile art exhibit since the fall of the Soviet Union, and seeks to burnish the Caucasus country's image as a regional cultural hub.

Kazakhstan: Close Encounters with Camels on the Aral Sea Bed
A EURASIANET DIARY BY DAVID TRILLING Bactrian Camels are endangered in the wild, but domesticated breeds have long plied the trade routes of Central Asia. Well-adapted to the demands of dry steppe living, they are a common site in Kazakhstan and other arid regions of Central Asia, from Afghanistan and China to the Caspian shore. Domesticated or not, the two-humped beasts have wicked tempers, as EurasiaNet’s David Trilling learned at the bottom of the Aral Sea.

Armenia: Is President Sargsyan’s Amnesty Offer Politics or PR?
BY MARIANNA GRIGORYAN Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan’s recent announcement that he is prepared to consider a prisoner amnesty has fueled debate about his motivations. Some Armenians believe it is a tactical maneuver designed to influence the outcome of Yerevan’s May 31 City Council elections. Opposition politicians, meanwhile, suggest the president is trying to burnish Armenia’s international human rights record.

Azerbaijan: Youth Groups Look to Pre-Soviet Past to Build Democratic-Secular Future
BY MINA MURADOVA They say they have no interest in politics. Just in promoting social change. Youth groups that promote Azerbaijan’s pre-Soviet Azerbaijani Democratic Republic have become a fresh force in Azerbaijan’s public life, but one that the government isn’t embracing.

Afghanistan: Civil Casualties Remains a Divisive Issue for Kabul and Washington
BY AUNOHITA MOJUMDAR Despite US efforts to minimize accidents, the issue of civilian deaths remains a source of tension between American forces and the Afghan government, and it appears to be eroding popular support for coalition forces fighting Islamic militants. Afghan officials contend that US commanders need to shift their combat priorities to ensure civilian safety. US military representatives counter that it is the Taliban that does not value life, adding that the insurgents are using civilians as "human sacrifice."

Uzbekistan: Political Persecution Prompts Rise in Refugees
A EurasiaNet Q&A with Human Rights Activist Nadezhda Atayeva Human rights activist Nadezhda Atayeva is president of the Paris-based Association for Human Rights in Central Asia. Her association assists refugees and asylum seekers from Central Asia -- especially Uzbekistan -- understand their international legal rights and gain protection. EurasiaNet asked Atayeva about conditions in Uzbekistan and the difficulties encountered by Central Asian refugees and asylum seekers abroad.

Tajikistan: Uzbekistan Proves Unlikely Friend in Time of Need
To the surprise of some Tajiks suffering from recent mudslides and floods, an unlikely friend has extended a helping hand. Uzbekistan, which for much of the post-Soviet era has had bitter relations with Tajikistan, recently delivered emergency food and reconstruction aid to help its blighted neighbor.

Kyrgyzstan: Radioactive Legacy Vexes Bishkek
A EURASIANET PHOTO ESSAY BY DAVID TRILLING For a generation, Toko and his extended family have grown tomatoes, apples and strawberries along the Mailuu Suu River in southern Kyrgyzstan. Their little plot was a form of insurance, looked upon as a reliable food source that could help feed the family and produce some income amid the post-Soviet era’s economic uncertainty. But for the past year, an infernal legacy of the Soviet era has haunted Toko’s household. A new sign across the muddy lane tells the story: it displays the fearsome international trefoil symbol for radioactivity and reads, "Keep Out!"

Uzbekistan: Kyrgyz Officials Deny Islamic Militant Raids Originated in Kyrgyzstan
BY DEIRDRE TYNAN Kyrgyz officials are adamantly disputing the Uzbek government’s contention that May 26 violence in the Uzbek portion of the Ferghana Valley can trace its origins to Kyrgyzstan.

Azerbaijan: Mosques Close in Baku, "Capital of Islamic Culture"
BY MINA MURADOVA Baku may have the designation of this year’s "Capital of Islamic Culture," but a recent series of mosque closures and fresh requirements for registration of religious organizations has prompted concern about how Azerbaijan is living up to its title.

Uzbekistan: If a Taliban Outpost Falls in Pakistan, Is the Ripple Felt in the Ferghana Valley?
Updates with suicide bombing in Andijan Are anti-Taliban operations in far-away Pakistan prompting Uzbek Islamic militants to flee safe havens in the Southwest Asian nation’s tribal areas and to return to Central Asia? A suicide bombing in Andijan, as well as an armed clash between gunmen and security forces in the Uzbek border town of Khanabad, suggests this may be a possibility.

Tajikistan: Are Islamic Militants Trying to Make a Comeback in Central Asia?
Officials in Tajikistan are adamantly denying a large-scale government security operation in the eastern Rasht Valley has anything to do with reports that a notorious Islamic militant commander has returned to the area from Pakistan. Authorities are sticking with the story that the beefed up security presence in the mountainous region is connected with a government anti-drug offensive.

Uzbekistan: Tashkent’s Job-Creation Plans May Stoke Rural Discontent
Amid a worsening financial picture in Uzbekistan, President Islam Karimov is pulling out his old Soviet playbook and trying to give new meaning to the concept of a command economy. But there appears to be a sizeable chance that the Uzbek government’s policy prescriptions could end up exacerbating social tension in the Central Asian nation.

Armenia: Government Coalition Parties Duke It Out over Yerevan Vote
BY MARIANNA GRIGORYAN With the election for Yerevan’s City Council 10 days away, the campaign is becoming bruising. But it’s not jockeying between the government and opposition that has emerged as the chief source of rancor. Instead, the campaign has opened a window on a simmering power struggle within the governing coalition.

Afghanistan: Could Afghan Resupply Efforts Promote US-Iranian Cooperation?
BY DEIRDRE TYNAN The Defense Department’s US Transportation Command is leaving no stone unturned in its efforts to find alternative routes of supply to Afghanistan. Documents obtained by EurasiaNet indicate that efforts to both ease and widen the flow of non-lethal materiel to NATO and US troops fighting the Taliban could potentially require cooperation between the United States and Iran.

Georgia: Suspected Mutiny Mastermind Killed in Shootout
BY GIORGI LOMSADZE Georgian police have shot dead one of the accused masterminds of a military mutiny and badly wounded his two accomplices. The incident is sparking fresh controversy over a tank battalion rebellion against President Mikheil Saakashvili earlier in May.

Georgia: Tbilisi Woos Arab Investment
A EURASIANET PHOTO ESSAY BY MOLLY CORSO Eager to carve out cheaper trade routes, Georgia is becoming a favored destination for Middle East investors. Arab executives say the benefits of Georgia’s location outweigh the risks of basing operations in a country that recently fought a war with Russia.

Azerbaijan: Government Opts Not to Mourn Baku School Shooting Victims
BY JESSICA POWLEY HAYDEN In Azerbaijan, a tragedy is threatening to turn into a public relations problem for President Ilham Aliyev’s administration. Young Azerbaijanis have started to voice displeasure over the government’s refusal to declare a public mourning period for the victims of the recent mass murder at Baku’s State Oil Academy.

Potential Iraq Connection Keeps Nabucco Pipeline Project on Life Support
BY YIGAL SCHLEIFER Could supplies from gas fields in northern Iraq breath new life into the troubled Nabucco pipeline, a project designed to free the European Union from Russia’s virtual gas supply monopoly?

Iran: Did Ahmadinejad Use Saberi in Attempt to Score Diplomatic Coup?
A EURASIANET COMMENTARY BY KAMAL NAZER YASIN Circumstantial evidence suggests that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad may have provoked an incident involving the United States -- specifically, the recent jailing of Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi -- in a twisted effort to promote a rapprochement with Washington.

Tajikistan: French Air Detachment in Dushanbe Quietly Carries Out Afghan Mission
A EURASIANET PHOTO ESSAY BY DAVID TRILLING Dushanbe’s ramshackle airport is the only facility in the world that is hosting NATO and Russian troops simultaneously. Both unassuming military outposts outside the capital of Tajikistan share the same single airstrip and sit quietly at the same end of the airfield.

Armenia and Azerbaijan: Eurovision Contest Puts Musical Twist on Nagorno-Karabakh Dispute
BY GAYANE ABRAHAMYAN AND JESSICA POWLEY HAYDEN For most television viewers, Eurovision 2009, with all its spangled costumes and schmaltzy tunes, was nothing more than a light-hearted, fun-filled singing contest. But for those watching in Armenia and Azerbaijan, the show became another front in the long-running struggle over Nagorno-Karabakh.

Georgia: Villagers Want Jobs, Not Protests
A EURASIANET PHOTO ESSAY BY MOLLY CORSO Kiosk owner Dali Maghlabeli makes just two lari per day - a little over $1 - from the snacks and inflatable balls displayed in her tin hut on Georgia’s main East-West highway. For Georgia’s assertive opposition, people like Maghlabeli are targets of opportunity. But so far, Maghlabeli and others from the ranks of Georgia’s impoverished have shunned opposition efforts to recruit them for the campaign to force President Mikheil Saakashvili from power.

Caspian Basin: Which Way is Up for Regional Energy Development?
A EURASIANET COMMENTARY BY ARIEL COHEN May 15 could become the official birth date of a pipeline that would help Russia maintain its virtual monopoly of natural gas exports to Europe. Whether the energy export project grows to maturity remains to be seen.

Central Asia: Washington Boosts Aid to Region to Bolster Afghan War Effort
BY JOSHUA KUCERA The United States is proposing significant increases to its aid packages for Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan in the hopes that stabilizing those countries will enhance US efforts to defeat the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan. More broadly, however, regional experts say the aid amounts that Washington is extending to the countries of the Caucasus and Central Asia in 2009 are insufficient to secure desired US diplomatic objectives in those regions.

Iran: An Unlikely Political Alliance Taking Shape
BY KAMAL NAZER YASIN With one month to go before Iran’s June 12 presidential election, incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s reelection chances seem high. But his candidacy is proving so polarizing that the election campaign could bring about lasting changes to Iran’s political landscape.

Uzbekistan: Karimov Gives Washington the Air Base It Needs for Afghan Operations
BY DEIRDRE TYNAN With a helping hand from South Korea, the United States has reestablished a strategic presence in Uzbekistan - sort of. The development provides a boost for US efforts to press an offensive against Islamic militants in Afghanistan, and offers evidence that Russia’s influence in Central Asia is waning.

Georgia: No Breakthrough in Saakashvili-Opposition Talks
After a month of street demonstrations during which protesters have agitated for President Mikheil Saakashvili’s resignation, the Georgian leader and opposition envoys sat down for talks on May 11. The discussions did not appear to resolve any of the issues dividing the two sides.

Nagorno-Karabakh: Baku and Yerevan Downbeat on a Possible Solution
BY SHAHIN ABBASOV AND GAYANE ABRAHAMYAN While international mediators give an upbeat assessment to the May 8 tête-à-tête between Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, within Azerbaijan and Armenia there is a scarcity of optimism.

Central Asia and Caucasus: Terrorist Threat on Rise in Ferghana Valley - US State Department
BY JOSHUA KUCERA The threat posed by Islamic militant groups in Central Asia, especially in the Kyrgyz and Tajik portions of the Ferghana Valley, appears to be growing, according to the US State Department’s recently released annual report on terrorism.

Azerbaijan: Diaspora Organization Tries to Counter Armenian-American Influence in Washington
BY JESSICA POWLEY HAYDEN A new front has opened in the Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict and it is centered in Washington, DC. Frustrated by the effectiveness of Armenian-American advocacy groups to shape debates in the United States, Baku is now looking to its diaspora for a little public-relations support.

Turkey: Can Turkey’s Main Secularist Party Make a Comeback?
BY NICHOLAS BIRCH Nationwide, the CHP only managed to get 2 percent more votes than in general elections in 2007. But in Istanbul, Turkey’s biggest city, it increased votes by 10 percent, losing by a neck to a popular mayor from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). "Win Istanbul and you are half way to winning Turkey", says Adil Gur, a leading pollster. "A CHP victory would have been a huge coup."

EurasiaNet provides information and analysis about political, economic, environmental and social developments in the countries of Central Asia and the Caucasus, as well as in Russia, the Middle East, and Southwest Asia. The web site also offers additional features, including newsmaker interviews and book reviews.

 

Turkmenistan: The changes in the case of Andrey Zatoka

On November 6, 2009 the Oblast Court of Dashovuz (Turkmenistan) changed the verdict: instead of imprisonment the condemned environmental expert and Russian citizen Andrey Zatoka will have to pay the fine. At this moment, the documents of Zatoka, allowing him to leave for Russia, are being processed by the migration service. It has to be mentioned that Zatoka asked Russian embassy in Ashgabat for diplomatic and legal support, indicating his desire to renounce Turkmen nationality and permanently move to Russia.

Ferghana.Ru sources report that the amount of fine, to be paid by Zatoka, is 5 million manat (about 350 US dollars).

Andrey Zatoka, the internationally recognized ecologist and the citizen of both Russia and Turkmenistan, was sentenced to 5 years of jail. He was arrested in Dashovuz while buying foodstuff for his birthday party. Being attacked by unknown men there Zatoka showed resistance and called for police. Two policemen immediately took both to the police department and Zatoka was accused of causing bodily injury to the drug addict who served three sentences. «The victim» presented the image of broken hand (allegedly, broken by Zatoka); however, it was identified that his hand was broken earlier in May. The investigation was completed within amazingly short period: October 20-29.

Friends and colleagues of Andrey Zatoka launched considerable international campaign. Human Rights Watch demanded the immediate release of Zatoka. Crude Accountability international environmental organization addressed Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov with the appeal to immediately free Andrey Zatoka.

International Socio-environmental union asked Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to protect the interests of Russian citizen. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was contacted by World Wildlife Fund, Greenpeace and ISEU, demanding to take personal control over «Zatoka’s case». The Council for civil society institutes and human rights development under Russian President also showed care. The pickets in support of Zatoka were organized in Moscow and Washington D.C.

Andrey Lvovich Zatoka and his wife Eugenia moved to Turkmenistan in 1982 from Yekaterinburg where they had graduated from biology department of Ural State University. Both were active members of national environmental protection campaign, also held in Turkmenistan at the end of 1970s and beginning of 1980s. This phenomenon was named «Turkmen mission». Within few years Turkmen environmental protection system became the best in the Soviet Union and, according to WWF, Andrey and Eugenia Zatoka played important role there.

It is interesting to note that after the collapse of USSR nearly all members of «Turkmen mission» left Turkmenistan. Now Andrey Zatoka, the world-famous scientist and one of the environmental leaders in post-Soviet space, is coming back home.

Kyrgyzstan: The parliament cut the number of committees and staff

Today Jogorku Kenesh (the parliament of Kyrgyzstan) passed the draft law on new structure of the parliament, according to which the number of committees is reduced from 12 to 9. Besides, the new structure assumes that the President’s office staff will cut 200 employees.

Such initiative is implemented in the light of state management system reforms, proclaimed by President Kurmanbek Bakiev on October 20. President cut 40% of his office staff, hoping that the parliament will follow his experience.

According to the deputies, today’s event will save almost 36 million som for the state budget.

Therefore, the following committees will remain in the parliament of Kyrgyzstan: on budget and finance; on constitutional legislation and state structure; on development of industries; on international affairs and inter-parliamentary cooperation; on defense, security, law and anti-corruption; on agricultural policy, regional development and ecology; on education, science and physical culture; on social policy; on ethics and regulation.

Kyrgyzstan: The boy lived eight years in the mountains

The boy, whose parents left Kyrgyzstan for work in Russia, lived eight years in the shed among sheep in the mountainous area. Vecherniy Bishkek newspaper reported that he was found at the age of 14.

According to newspaper, his parents left for work in Russia in the beginning of 2000s, leaving a kid to old grandmother. Since that time he has lived in the half-destroyed shed high in the mountains and very rarely communicated to the people. At first, he tried to give few visits to the nearest village, but the local kids were beating. This way the boy became social outcast.

People inquired about the boy only after the death of old woman, whose body was found by local dwellers near the river. The boy almost forgot the faculty of speech. He is used to walk barefoot and eat with hands.

After careful examination the experts of Kyrgyz republican center for mental health did not confirm the initial diagnosis – so-called Mowgli syndrome. The boy has problems with adaptation. The doctors say that he might never learn reading and writing. However, sometimes he tries to talk to peers with very simple phrases. The newspaper says that there is no information about parents and now the government will take care of him.

RIA Novosti

Uzbekistan set to leave Central Asian unified power system

Uzbekistan is set to withdraw from Central Asia's unified power system, a senior official at the ex-Soviet nation's Uzbekenergo state-run electricity company said on Thursday, RIA Novosti reports.

The UPS is a synchronous transmission grid of the CIS countries.

"The unified power system of Central Asia is becoming outdated [and] becoming a source of conflicts between member countries over the maintenance for the sustainable operation of national energy systems," Esso Sadullayev said.

He also said the central Asian state was currently taking energy security measures to enable it to maintain the stability of its own power system.

Sadullayev said Uzbekistan was seeking to obtain guarantees against unsanctioned electricity tapping and protect its domestic power systems from external effects.

In late October, Kazakhstan's Electricity Grid Operating Company (KEGOC), a national transmission grid operator in Kazakhstan, reported unsanctioned electricity bleeds, in particular by Tajikistan.

KEGOC warned against the threat of "serious power supply limitations" for consumers at the power center in southern Kazakhstan and a "consecutive possibility of provoking a system failure that would affect power systems of both Kazakhstan and Russia."

Kazakh Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Duisenbai Turganov announced on Tuesday his country's decision to withdraw from the organization.

Turkmenistan was the first to abandon the system in June 2003.

Turkmenistan: Former deputy Prime-Minister died in the prison of Ovadan-depe

Redjep Saparov, once considered as most probable successor of Saparmurat Niyazov, former deputy Prime-Minister and Head of President’s office in Turkmenistan, died in the high security prison in Ovadan-depe, Hronika Turkmenistana reports.

Ten days ago the relatives received the body of one-time highly ranked official that was sentenced to 20 years of jail in 2005 after being condemned in "bribery, embezzlement, appropriation of property, illegal purchase and storage of weapons, ammunition, explosives and equipment, abuse of power".

At the time mass media reported that crime detection officers found 107 kilo of gold and silver jewelries, encrusted by precious stones in the total value of 10 million US dollars, over a hundred of special Turkmen rugs and 2.161 million US dollars in cash. Official authorities reported many crimes, committed by Saparov. Allegedly, Saparov received big bribes for putting people to the managing positions in the state structures.

Three weeks before the verdict Saparmurat Niyazov told Saparov: "You worked for me for twenty years. Although you can be arrested immediately and sentenced to long term I will not put you in prison".

Since August of 2005 the former deputy Prime-Minister served his sentenced in Ovadan-depe, special jail for prisoners of Turkmenbashi.

The body of Saparov was delivered to relatives in zincous coffin and it was strictly prohibited to open it. Nonetheless, they opened the coffin for ablution. The witnesses affirm that it looked like Saparov perished of inanition. He was 62.

Kyrgyzstan: The chief editor of Jylan newspaper is murdered in Bishkek

Seyitbek Murataliev, the chief editor of Jylan newspaper in Kyrgyz language, was murdered in Bishkek in the night of November 4-5. The body of 58-year old journalist was found with 13 knife wounds in his house, the Interior Ministry of Kyrgyzstan reports.

The legal experts identified that Murataliev was killed between 2 and 3 am. The culinary knife was also found at the locus delicti. The law enforcement bodies filed criminals under article 97 of Kyrgyz Criminal Code (murder).

During the investigation the crime detection officers detained 26-year old suspect on November 4. She explained that on November 3, after filing cross-application against her husband (placed in pre-trial detention center #1 in Bishkek for bodily injuries to Muraliev), Seitbek Murataliev invited her to his house. According to the suspect, Murataliev put the knife to her throat and raped the girl; thereafter, she killed him.

Our own sources report that Jylan newspaper, headed by murdered Seitbek Muralaiev, is non-regular edition, mainly focusing on criminal issues and distributed through subscribers.

Kyrgyzstan: President Bakiev secretly gets around Bishkek in the night

On November 3 the President of Kyrgyzstan Kurmanbek Bakiev participated in the session of Bishkek council of deputies. The President admitted that he secretly gets around Kyrgyz capital in the night. He also promised to ensure "the immunity" of Mayor Nariman Tyuleev for the implementation period of Bishkek development program until 2012.

President highly appreciated the Mayor’s work on the development and landscaping of the city. As an example he brought up Bakha’s street of the city. President said that one "had to be bump artist" to be able to drive there.

Today, Bakha’s street is under construction. However, its lighting is in poor condition. The lighting of all non-major streets in Bishkek is switched off after midnight due to electricity consumption limits, produced by the crisis in the energy system.

The deputies of city council approved the report of Nariman Tyuleev for 2008 and three quarters of this year. Tyuleev presented the city development program, based on Scandinavian model, according to which the townspeople can become the shareholders of municipal undertakings.

The mayor of Bishkek also reported the significant changes in the life of residents, whose number will grow to 1.5 million by 2025 while each town dweller will have 20 square meters of housing against 8 square meters today. However, the mayor did not specify the company that had conducted such research and how realistic these figures were.

Meanwhile, the President supported Nariman Tyuleev, saying that current positive changes in Bishkek are visible to everyone. Kurmanbek Bakiev noted that Bishkek must become the experiment area for the reforms of local authorities and the budget of capital city must be developed in cooperation with the Agency for development, investment and innovation, headed by Maxim Bakiev.

At the end of the session the order for "great service to Bishkek" was awarded to Kurmanbek Bakiev.

Kazakhstan: The number of Internet users reached 30 percent of population

The number of Internet users in Kazakhstan reached 30 percent of population, Vesti.kz reports with the reference to Agency of information and communication (AIC).

According to Kuanyshbek Esekeyev, the Head of AIC, there are about three million active Internet users in Kazakhstan. Of them, 1.2 million are individual subscribers. Mr. Esekeyev noted that «users and subscribers are different things». He underlined that «subscribers» represent physical subscription.

«There are way more users since one subscriber usually means one household. This is why we have 30 percent of population as users and 1.2 million subscribers», the Head of Agency specified.

Esekeyev also said that the number of customers, using mobile Internet, has been actively growing in the republic. According to the Agency, only «5-6 thousand web sites» out of 35 thousand websites, registered in Kazakhstan, are actively functioning while «the rest are under construction».

Kyrgyzstan: The journalist of Osh Shamy newspaper is assaulted

In the night of November 1 unknown people attacked Kubanychbek Joldoshev, the journalist of Osh-based Osh shamy newspaper.

Three men assaulted him when he was coming back after seeing friends. Some sources indicate that Kubanychbek was attacked when he was alone in the taxi; the driver was pulled over by police for document checkup.

Joldoshev is now placed into one of the city hospitals. His colleagues see the reason of the accident in his recent publications about student protests at Osh state university. Recent articles criticized the college administration where the students organized unsanctioned protest against unreasonable raise of dormitory living costs and tuition fee.

Melis Myrzakmatov, the mayor of Osh, had to meet the students demand and promise that special committee will examine the issue while the cost of living in the dormitory and tuition fee will not be raised until the college administration improves the appropriate conditions.

Earlier Kubanychbek Joldoshev served as a correspondent of Kyrgyz Service of RFE/RL and Fifth TV channel.

Kyrgyzstan: The President’s son shared his plans on development, investment and innovation

On November 2 Maxim Bakiev, the new Head of Central Agency for development, investment and innovation (CADII) and the son of current president, shared about the plans of newly established agency in the White House of Kyrgyzstan.

It has to be mentioned that the agency is the new structure under President’s institute, established as a result of state management system reforms, proclaimed by Kurmanbek Bakiev. The agency is now headed by Maxim Bakiev, the younger son of the president; he attracted most successful young managers to his team.

According to Maxim Bakiev, the priority tasks include the appraisal of the country, including human and natural resources. Besides, CADII plans to implement the project with four most important parts.

The first one includes the establishment of state-run mortgage company that will build 150 thousand square meters of affordable housing and will issue loans to the clients, using the interest rate, not exceeding the rental income for the same housing.

The second part announces the establishment of state-run microcredit company that will issue loans to the farmers.

Third component is the establishment of state-run leasing company that will help local entrepreneurs acquire necessary equipment for long-term under leasing procedures.

The last component assumes additional capitalization of agricultural and production enterprise that will be able to purchase agricultural products from local farmers, based on the contracts, signed prior to the sowing of future crops; therefore, the state enterprise will become the regulator in the market.

It is interesting to note that the appointment of Maxim Bakiev as the Director of CADII, the part of President’s institute and directly subordinate to Kurmanbek Bakiev, produced wide public discussion about the ethical side in the light of the fact that prior to March events of 2005 the opposition forces, led by Kurmanbek Bakiev, had criticized the former Kyrgyz President Askar Akaev that promoted his kids to the parliament.

Uzbekistan: The parliament promises to create one million jobs in 2010

On October 29 the legislative house of Olyi Mazhlis (the parliament) of Uzbekistan approved jobs creation and public employment program for 2010, according to which 950 thousand new jobs will be created in the republic, Gazeta.uz reports.

Specifically, over 280 thousand jobs are to be established in service sector, 210 thousand jobs – in outwork and over 60 thousand jobs – in development of production and social infrastructure.

The program developers affirm that it is based on the results of current job market analysis, its development forecast until the end of 2009 and program of national economic development, scheduled to 2010.

Meanwhile, Uzmetronom.com reports that "basic arithmetic calculations prove inconsistency of governmental program. Assuming that each created job will pay twice as less as official average salary in the republic ($160) one will learn that the government needs to find $1 824 000 000. This is utopian and impossible amount for the state and business".

Uzmetronom.com believes that the deputies of Uzbek parliament are far away from reality and strive to implement presidential program on creation of additional jobs. According to the web site, governmental program manipulates the faked numbers.

Kyrgyzstan to pay back gas debt to Uzbekistan by December 1

Kyrgyzstan reached the agreement with Uzbekistan on paying back natural gas debt by December 1. This was announced by Ilias Davydov, the Energy Minister, at the session of Kyrgyz parliament, 24.kg news agency reports.

According to Davydov, Kyrgyzstan transferred $4.2 million to Uzbekistan on October 29 while the rest part of the debt will be paid off within November. Davydov also informed that Kyrgyz Prime-Minister Daniyar Usenov reached another agreement with Kazakh Prime-Minister Karim Masimov, according to which Kazakhstan will process advance payment for electricity, imported from Kyrgyzstan, in the amount of $18.4 million by November 10, 2009.

Meanwhile, Akylbek Djaparov, first Deputy Prime-Minister of Kyrgyzstan, informed that the consumption of natural gas in the country is shrinking. In a view of more expensive natural gas the industries prefer using solid fuel.

Turkmenistan: Andrey Zatoka is sentenced to 5 years of jail

The court in Turkmenistan announced its verdict on the case of environmental expert Andrey Zatoka. Ferghana.Ru learned that Zatoka was sentenced to five years of imprisonment in standard regime penal colony. The court convicted him on designed bodily injury under Article 108 of Criminal Code.

According to the court, average weight injury was caused to victim Kazakov by Zatoka in May of this year. The x-ray film, showing the broken hand of Kazakov and added as an evidence to the case, was produced five months ago. At that time after another dose of drugs, Kazakov fought with his neighbor and injured his hand. Obviously, Andrey Zatoka was not his neighbor… Hronika Turkmenistana

It has to be mentioned that Zatoka was condemned on intentional bodily injury of drug addict who had three convictions in the past. According to the environmentalist and his friends, the conflict was initiated by law enforcement bodies with special purpose to imprison prominent scientist and public figure.

Andrey Zatoka was detained on October 20 in the city market place when he was buying foodstuff for his birthday party. Andrey was attacked by unknown man. Zatoka attempted to avoid conflict but failed to do so – he was immediately stopped by policemen. Later on it was identified that "the victim" had broken hand and other injuries (although after the incident Kazakov was seen washing the cars and using both hands). Nonetheless, Zatoka was accused of intentional bodily injury.

Turkmen government already sued Zatoka. In January of 2007 he was sentenced by city court of Dashovuz to four years of conditional imprisonment. According to Zatoka’s colleague at that time "Turkmenbashi ordered to suppress all public figures in order to avoid Georgian, Ukrainian and Kyrgyz scenario. Building spy and calumniator networks, special services started with rural area. The project ended with the death of Niyazov".

Many organizations, human rights activist and public figures protested against the detainment of Zatoka. On October 23 the International Socio-Environmental Club (ISEC) demanded Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to defend RF citizen Andrey Zatoka. So far there is no information about the official response although RF embassy representative in Ashgabat noted that "the embassy keeps up with the event".

Tuvak Yagmyrov, the lawyer of Andrey Zatoka, is going to appeal against court decision tomorrow.

Turkmen authorities push on Andrey Zatoka’s case in the closed trial

The case of Andrey Zatoka, the prominent Turkmen environmental expert and Russian citizen, arrested in the city of Dashovuz, is scheduled to be considered in the court at 10am of October 29.

In the opinion of foreign missions, based in Turkmenistan, the authorities want to run the closed trial without the observers from outside. The point is that foreign diplomats in Turkmenistan need to direct the request to Interior Ministry and get back the official answer in order to be allowed to move around the country. However, due to state holidays they will not be able to receive the authorization on time since October 29 (the trial day) is the first business day after Independence Day holidays, celebrated on October 25-28.

It has to be mentioned that Andrey Zatoka was arrested on October 20 during the fight, initiated by local drug addict. Faked charges on bodily harm were imposed to him on October 23, Friday night, while the trial date was scheduled on the next day.

OSCE representatives will demand special authorization to travel around Turkmenistan and will do their best to arrive in Dashovuz as soon as possible.

Rapid progress in Zatoka’s case also surprised judicial system workers in Turkmenistan. One of them, interviewed by Eugenia (Andrey’s wife), was surprised to learn that it has been only four days between the date of "fight" (October 20) and accusation (October 24). What is the reason of such haste?

Vitalyi Ponomarev, the Head of the Memorial human rights center Central Asian program, notes that he cannot remember similar case. The investigation of criminal cases even in Asian countries takes up at least one month.

The picket in Moscow. Photo by International Socio-Ecological UnionThe picket in Moscow. Photo by International Socio-Ecological Union

At the yesterday’s picket in front of Turkmen embassy one of the posters said: "Investigation in 8 days? Stalin’s time"

Neither journalists nor human rights organizations are aware of official response from Russian government on Zatoka’s case. Today, the same-purpose picket will take place in Washington DC. On October 29 there will be also another picket in support of Turkmen environmentalist.

Uzbekistan: The number of deputy Prime-Ministers is down to six

On October 27 Rustam Kasymov, the deputy Prime-Minister of Uzbek government in charge of social issues, science, education, healthcare, culture and contacts with CIS partners, was released from his position, Uzmetronom.com reports.

Rustam Kasymov took over the position of President of University of World Economy and Diplomacy (UWED) whereas Kasymov’s functions were transferred to Abdulla Aripov, another deputy Prime-Minister for information systems and telecommunications as well as former Head of Uzbek Agency for communications and information (UACI). Therefore, the number of deputy Prime Minister chairs in the Uzbek government is down to six from seven.

Ad notam, Hakim Muhitdinov, the first deputy of Aripov, became new General Director of UACI.

Inevitable family rule in Kyrgyzstan
Another person with the last name of Bakiev joined the government in Kyrgyzstan. 32-year old Maxim started the preparation of his plan three years ago. Today, thanks to the state management reforms, proclaimed by his father, he became the official of Prime-Minister level. Ferghana.Ru believes that even if Kurmanbek Bakiev does not implement classic power transition to his son in any case Bakiev’s clan will ensure the control over key industries in Kyrgyzstan.

Movement Against Karimov in Europe
Movement Against Karimov was founded in Sweden. Its founder Mark Ruppert has its own score to even with the Uzbek authorities. He is determined to help the people of Uzbekistan to "rid itself of Karimov and his criminal clique that seized the country." Ruppert intends to go about it through legitimate channels, i.e. courts. Movement Against Karimov lawyers prepare a lawsuit to the Hague Tribunal in the hope that the latter will condemn Karimov's criminal actions and unseat him

Uzbekistan: Only one bookstore remained in Samarqand
Samarqand used to be one of the most "reading" cities in Uzbekistan. It is hard to believe now but in 90s each of three districts of the city had several bookstores. Samarqand’s pride was Book Center – three-storey bookstore. Today, such stores are reconditioned into food stores, drug stores and boutiques. The former Book Center now serves as the head office of biggest cellular provider

This side of Afghani border. Central Asia braces itself for attacks
Conference "Germany - Central Asia: partnership for security strategies" is under way in the capital of Tajikistan. Representative of security structures from Central Asian countries, Germany, Afghanistan, Pakistan take part. Their opposite numbers from Russia, China, France, Italy, Canada, United States, Great Britain, and Ukraine are observers. Representatives of international organizations (Interpol, UN Development Programme, OSCE, and European Union) are present too. Expected activeness of Talib gunmen on the Afghani-Uzbek and Afghani-Tajik borders is discussed

Two years of pain and weakness without Alisher
Two years ago on October 24, 2007 Alisher Saipov, the independent journalist and the publisher of Siesat (Politics) newspaper, was shot in the city of Osh in southern Kyrgyzstan. He was shot by a killer while waiting for taxi. The impertinent murder shocked not only small republic but also produced international protest. During his short professional life the son from simple family worked for several international news agencies. Two years later one can state that investigation of big crime made no progress while the real motives of the murder will be hardly ever announced to the public

Opposition activist against his will. Businessman Bahodir Choriyev's story
Businessman and opposition activist Bahodir Choriyev returned from the United States to Uzbekistan to fight the regime. Choriyev was spared the indignity of arrest on deplaning. He was thoroughly searched instead, advised to forget about ever leaving Uzbekistan again or even about visiting Tashkent, and told to settle in a small cottage in the Kamashi district wastelands far from nearby dwellings. Here is a story of Choriyev told by Sanobar Shermatova, RIA news agency expert, a story of how the Uzbek regime makes enemies

Uzbekistan: News from the Fields
In the mid of October the air temperature in the Republic of Karakalpakstan varies from +3 degrees in the night to +25 in the day. Under various temperatures the undersized cotton plant cracks down, forcing the cotton growers, especially kids, stay longer at the fields. Along with the employees of government-sponsored organizations they gather imponderable boxes (2-3 gram) every day. In order to gather one kilo of "white gold" they have to make at least 300 prehensile moves in the thorny bushes. At the same time, they eat third-rate macaronis

Turkmen thaw ended in scorching summer temperatures
Natalia Anurova-Shabunts, a citizen of both Turkmenistan and Russia, wrote an article for Ferghana.Ru that gives an account of life in Turkmenistan. How its citizens are denied permission to travel abroad, how students and instructors are compelled to wear uniforms, how state officials bully people into renouncing Russian double citizenship. And how officials of the Russian Embassy in Ashkhabad arrogantly refuse to take care of citizens of the Russian Federation. Living in Turkmenistan, the author refuses to adopt a nom-de-plume and speaks up on behalf of the "happy Turkmen people" under her own name which is what makes the situation unique

Uzbekistan: Film Industry Flourishes After a Decade of Post-Soviet Decline
Film industry is flourishing in Uzbekistan as low-budget movies starring famous singers and utilizing heart-wrenching plots are gaining popularity with the Uzbek audiences. However, widespread copyright piracy and shortage of investment remain major roadblocks for the industry’s development

Eight years of ISAF operations in Afghanistan. Who are the winners?
The Enduring Freedom operation was launched in the night of October 7, 2001. International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF), operating under NATO, have been present in Afghanistan for already 8 years. ISAF are represented by 39 countries, both inside and outside NATO. Ferghana.Ru addressed the experts on Afghanistan with simple questions: «What did America gain in this war? What was the benefit for EU? Is there any benefit for Afghanistan?»

Uzbekistan: The students in the Tashkent Oblast do not go to secondary schools (photo)
Since September 20 the students of colleges and lyceums in Yangiyul rayon of the Tashkent Oblast in Uzbekistan have been working in the cotton fields. The local residents say that secondary school students in the remote villages of the same area also started the cotton season. Ferghana.Ru correspondents decided to learn more about the schoolchildren labor in harvesting raw cotton.

Uzbek field chronicle-2009: the Syr Darya children
Few days ago the secondary school children in the Syr Darya Oblast of Uzbekistan flooded the cotton fields just as their counterparts in other regions. Unlike in the previous years, this year the local authorities officially instructed to attract only 14 plus kids, 7th graders, for cropping of "white gold". Nonetheless, as well as in the previous years, one can also see12-13 year old working children. Ferghana.Ru correspondent gave a visit to Syr Darya on Tuesday in order to witness the current events.

Uzbekistan: Surkhandarya students pick cotton, ones in Ferghana continue their studies
Classes were suspended in the Surkhandarja region of Uzbekistan with the onset of cotton-harvesting. Senior pupils work the plantations, picking cotton (that earns the Uzbek treasury so much) and thus "aiding" their native state. The Ferghana regional authorities on the other hand decided to do without compulsory child labor for a change. It seems that the government of Uzbekistan finally deigned to notice the pressure the international community has been applying to it

Uzbekistan: "Wanted" Posters All Over Tashkent

Photos of criminals appeared in Tashkent for the first time in years. Notices in Uzbek and Russian attached to the photos indicate that these people are wanted for grave crimes (religious extremism). These "wanted" posters can be seen at practically every market in the capital of Uzbekistan and even at entrances to apartment houses

Tashkent's jubilee. It happens once every 2,200 years
Celebration of the Independence Day is always the central event of the year in Uzbekistan. Official media outlets boast of unprecedented successes and achievements a whole month before the festivities. Security structures and law enforcement agencies (Border Service, Interior Ministry, and National Security Services) go to a higher alert status. Completion of construction of some flamboyant object in Tashkent is reported (ahead of schedule, of course). Budget sphere employees, retirees, and businessmen find their wages and pensions on bank accounts mysteriously unavailable. This year, the powers-that-be decided to combine the Independence Day with celebration of the 2,200th anniversary of Tashkent

Ferghana.Ru news agency
Daily Central Asian news

 

Berlusconi applauds Kazakh men's virility!
London, November 07 : Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi told the president of Kazakhstan on Friday that a recent rise in the country's population was due to the virility of its menfolk.

Italy signs business deals with Kazakhstan
(MENAFN) Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi and Kazakhstan president Nursultan Nazarbayev signed new commercial agreements aimed at boosting bilateral ties, Reuters reported. Italy's oil giant E...

Kazakhstan Leader Visits Benedict XVI [2009-11-06]
Zenit.org ).- Kazakhstan is one nation that enjoys the peaceful coexistence of faithful from various religions, Benedict XVI and the Kazakhstani president observed today.The Pope was visited by Nursul...

Turkmen Case Highlights Plight Of Activists In Central Asia
A court in Turkmenistan has overturned a five-year jail sentence handed down last week to a biologist whose environmental organization was shut down by the state in 2003. The case marks the second tim...

Uzbekistan To Deliver Natural Gas To China
TASHKENT -- Uzbekistan says it has signed an agreement to export up to 10 billion cubic meters of natural gas to China, RFE/RL's Uzbek Service reports. Uzbek gas will be delivered when the second bran...

Alcohol Sales Banned Near Uzbek Schools, Mosques
The Uzbek government adopted a law on November 1 that bans the sale of alcoholic beverages near all educational and religious buildings in the country, RFE/RL's Uzbek Service reports.

Swine Flu Fears Helping to Keep Potential Hajj Pilgrims Home
Concerns about the spread of swine flu are creating an additional hurdle for Central Asian believers hoping to make the Hajj, or the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca. Some believers in the region say that C...

NATO and CSTO Likely to Come Face to Face
Email this article The North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s envoy to the South Caucasus, Robert Simmons, asserted on November 6 that NATO is not jockeying over Armenia with its Moscow-led counte...

Students Resent Introduction of Debit Cards
Email this article Students with state scholarships are the latest sector of the Uzbek population to be compelled to use debit cards under a highly unpopular government plan. For many, the forced use...

Justice Makes a U-Turn in Zatoka Case
Email this article Justice can take some unusual turns in Turkmenistan. In a do-over court proceeding, a regional court on November 6 threw out an earlier conviction of environmentalist Andrei Zatoka...

Journalist Attack Sparks Outcry
Email this article A violent incident in early November brings to eight the number of journalists attacked in Kyrgyzstan so far this year. Early on November 2, Kubanych Joldoshev of the Osh Shamy (&q...

Aliyev Claims That Oil Makes Baku Crisis-Proof
Email this article Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev believes that a prudent strategy of oil sales has helped Azerbaijan avoid getting caught up in the global economic crisis. "Even in the cris...

Judge Rules Defense Cannot Access Cell Phone Records
The high-profile prosecution of two Azerbaijani youth activists and bloggers continued on November 6, marking the beginning of the third month of proceedings. In addition to testimony from the alleged...

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World Bank Supports Improvement of Basic Education in Uzbekistan

Contacts:
In Washington: 
Kristyn Schrader  +1-202-458-2736
Kschrader@worldbank.org
In Tashkent:
 Matluba Mukhamedova
tel.: (998 71) 238 59 50
Email: mmukhamedova@worldbank.org 

          
WORLD BANK SUPPORTS IMPROVEMENT OF BASIC EDUCATION
IN UZBEKISTAN

Tashkent, October 15, 2009 - The World Bank and the Government of Uzbekistan today signed a US$28 million IDA credit for the second phase of Uzbekistan Basic Education Project (BEP 2). The project will continue supporting the Government of Uzbekistan’s efforts to improve the quality of basic education and increase the effectiveness of teaching and learning in the country.

The second phase of the Basic Education Project will build upon the capacity developed and lessons learned in the first phase of the project, which is still under implementation, to help the Ministry of Public Education to implement new activities and foster broad education reform.  Accomplishments of phase one include:

• a standardized assessment of student learning designed and implemented for grades 4 and 8;
• teacher training materials developed and facilitators and experts trained; 
• increased community involvement in school decision making at project schools; and
• per capita financing designed and implemented in two oblasts and Tashkent City

 “We are pleased that the second phase of the Basic Education Project has been signed today and that the Bank has the opportunity to continue to support the Uzbek Government’s program to raise the quality of basic education and improve the effectiveness of teaching and learning.  Important first steps have begun under phase one of the Project and phase two will build on and extend the capacity now being developed. We look forward to strong implementation and positive results in improving education for young people in Uzbekistan,” – said Loup Brefort, the World Bank’s Country Manager for Uzbekistan.

The Project, like the first phase, continues to have five closely related components grouped in two main areas. The first three components are targeted towards improvement of teaching and learning conditions in project schools and preschools in poor, rural areas.  The second area consists of two components that are oriented towards improving the efficiency, management and monitoring capacity of the sector, including developing a system of national assessment and implementation of per capita financing of schools.  The Project’s five components are:

• Providing Learning Materials and Resources for Grades Five to Nine in 1501 General Schools;
• Strengthening School-Based Training for Teachers and Principals in  Preschools and General Secondary Schools;
• Strengthening School Boards and Providing Competitive Grants to Selected Schools for School Improvement ;
• Improving Education Finance, Budgeting and Management; and
• Supporting Project Management and Results Management.

By the time both phases of the project are completed the young people of Uzbekistan should be benefiting from more effective teaching and learning in general secondary schools. New teaching and learning materials will be provided to project schools and preschools and assessment of student learning will be carried out on a periodic basis with reports and public discussion of results. Teaching practices should also be improved as a result of new interactive School Based Teacher Training. Transparency, predictability, efficiency, and equity in school education financing is expected to improve through expansion of per capita financing.

***

Uzbekistan joined the World Bank in 1992. The World Bank’s mission in the country is to improve people’s livelihoods through being a partner in economic reforms, supporting the modernization of the country’s social sectors and infrastructure, and sharing its knowledge and experience with the government and the people of Uzbekistan.

Total World Bank commitments to Uzbekistan amount to about US$ 780 million.

***

For more information on the World Bank’s work in Uzbekistan, please visit: http://www.worldbank.org.uz

World Bank Managing Director to Visit Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan

Media advisory For Immediate Release

TBILISI, October 15, 2009 - The World Bank Managing Director, Ms. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, will travel to Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan on October 17-21. The aim of her visit is to discuss with the respective governments, development partners and civil society the impact of the financial crisis in the South Caucasus and to find ways to help ease the crisis and enable sustainable economic growth. The World Bank is actively engaged in helping these countries address the challenges facing them.  

“One thing that the crisis has taught us all is our interdependence. While this has added to the global nature of the current crises, it is also a source of strength for investment and growth.  Working together with the governments, our development partners and civil society, the Bank is helping improve the lives of the people in the South Caucasus and elsewhere.  Together, we can help ease the crisis and enable the countries embark upon a new trajectory of growth, development and social progress,” says Ms. Okonjo –Iweala.

In all three countries Ms. Okonjo-Iweala will meet with the country leadership, senior government officials, civil society and private sector representatives, and visit World Bank supported project sites. She will make a field trip to IDA Fast-Track Operation sites and meet with project beneficiaries in Armenia. As part of her program in Georgia, she will visit an IDP settlement, a road construction site and a primary healthcare facility. In Azerbaijan, she will co-chair a high level Economic Policy Forum, visit a cultural heritage site and meet with women leaders.

The World Bank recently launched Country Partnership Strategies (CPS) in Armenia (June, 2009) and Georgia (September, 2009) and is currently preparing one for Azerbaijan. The Strategy for Armenia is intended to assist the country in resuming growth and reducing the impacts of the financial crisis on the poor. It also aims to help Armenia lay the foundation for a more competitive economy for rapid post-crisis growth.  The commitments to Armenia total approximately US$1.3 billion for 54 projects. The Georgia CPS prepared against the backdrop of twin crises – the August 2008 conflict followed by the global economic downturn – focuses on pressing post-conflict and vulnerability issues, and strengthening the foundations for competitiveness and growth in the future. The commitments to Georgia total approximately US$1.2 billion for 46 projects. The new CPS for Azerbaijan will build on the results and achievements of the current program that embraces investment operations for a total amount of US$2.2 billion. The new strategy will be prepared in close consultation with the government and civil society and designed to meet the country’s short and longer term priorities.

Please also find attached the Georgian version of Media Advisory and Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala's biography:

MediaAdvisoryGEO.pdf 

WBManagingDirectorBio.pdf 

______________

For information:
Armenia: Vigen Sargsyan vsargsyan@saleson@worldbank.org + 374 10 52 48 84
Azerbaijan: Saida Bagirli sbagirli@worldbank.org +994 12 92 19 41
Georgia: Inga Paichadze ipaichadze@worldbank.org +995 32 91 30 96

Kyrgyz Republic - Second Village Investment Project

Ukraine - Second Export Development Project

Kyrgyz Republic - Second Village Investment Project

Tajikistan - Cotton Sector Recovery Project : procurement plan

Launch Conference: Make Roads Safe Campaign Moldova

Contact: Victor Neagu, tel: (+373 68) 254141
E-mail: vneagu@worldbank.org 

Urgent Action is needed to combat the growing crisis of road deaths in Moldova. That is the message of a new campaign being launched today at the World Bank in Chisinau. The Make Roads Safe Moldova Campaign will bring together politicians, activists and specialists from throughout Moldova – along with international road safety experts - to find ways of making Moldova’s roads safe.

In 2008 in Moldova, 500 people lost their lives in road crashes and nearly 3,500 were injured. This represents an increase in fatalities of 30% and a 25% increase in those injured in just two years. The number of children killed on the roads more than doubled.

The Conference is being hosted by the World Bank with the support of the global Make Roads Safe Campaign. Public activities - initiated by the Automobile Club of Moldova and involving the Automobile Club of Transnistria - have already begun with the aim of raising public awareness of how to be a safe road user.

The Make Roads Safe Moldova conference involves key players on road safety in Moldova. Speakers include:

•  Melanie Marlett - Country Manager for Moldova, World Bank
•  Ms Liliana Palihovici MP - Commission for Health and Social Affairs
•  Mr Dorin Chirtoaca - Mayor of Chisinau
•  Governor Mihail Formuzal - Bashcan of Gagauz Eri
•  Mr Calin Vieru MP - Ambassador for Make Roads Safe
•  Lord Dubs of Battersea - Chair, the UK All Party Parliamentary Group on Moldova
•  HE Keith Shannon - Ambassador of the United Kingdom to the Republic of Moldova
•  HE Dr Asif Chaudhry - Ambassador of the USA to the Republic of Moldova
• John Dawson - Chairman, iRAP (the International Road Assessment Programme)
•  Serghei Diaconu - President, Automobile Club of Moldova
•  Andrei Stebunov - Executive Director, Automobile Club of Transnistria
•  Emma MacLennan - Director, Eastern Alliance for Safe and Sustainable Transport

The conference will be an opportunity to discuss Moldova’s road construction programme and ensure safety is a high priority within these plans. It will also be an important prelude to the first United Nations Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety taking place in Moscow in November to which Moldova is invited.

Speaking at the Conference Mr Calin Vieru MP, Ambassador for the Campaign, said "This conference is just the start of what will be a very active campaign. We must work together to save lives on Moldova’s roads."

Notes to media: 

- The global Make Roads Safe Campaign is calling on the international community to recognise road traffic injuries as a global health epidemic. In 2008, as a result of the support of more than a million people around the world, the campaign secured UN approval for the first Global Ministerial Meeting on Road Safety which will be held in November 2009. See these links for further information:

http://www.makeroadssafe.org/Pages/home.aspx 
http://www.1300000.net/ 

-The campaign is supported by the FIA Foundation for the Automobile and Society, an independent UK registered charity which manages and supports international activities promoting road safety, environmental protection and sustainable mobility, as well as funding specialist motor sport safety research.

Vacancy Announcement - Financial Management Analyst
The World Bank Office in Azerbaijan is seeking for Financial Management Analyst 

The World Bank Office in Baku, Azerbaijan is looking for a Financial Management Analyst (FMA) with a bachelor degree in accounting, business, finance, economics, or relevant areas, and at least 3 years of directly relevant experience in financial management (FM).  The Financial Management Analyst will be assigned to the World Bank Office in Baku, on a two-year term appointment. The Financial Management Analyst is part of the Financial Management team of the Europe and Central Asia Region in Operations Policy and Services Department (ECSPS) of the World Bank Office in Washington, DC.

The Financial Management (FM) unit advises and supports Regional Management and staff on financial management in operations.  Specifically, the Financial Management unit is responsible for: (i) the fiduciary aspects of the Region’s overall lending portfolio, especially operational support and sound management in the area of financial management; (ii) policy advice to Government on financial management and accountability issues (in both public and private sectors); and (iii) capacity building to improve borrowers' financial management systems, including support for lending operations that focus on FM reform/development.

The Financial Management Analyst will work under the close supervision of a Financial Management Specialist (FMS) and/or the Regional Financial Management Manager (RFMM). He/She will assist the FM team in all FM aspects related to the World Bank’s operations in Azerbaijan, or as assigned by the RFMM. The Financial Management Analyst will contribute to the preparation and supervision of the funds administered by the Bank including loans and credits, project preparation facility advances, grants, project-related trust funds and other funds administered by the Bank ensuring compliance with the Bank’s audit and fiduciary requirements; and ensuring that the projects operations are carried out in accordance with sound financial management practices. The FM Analyst will perform as a member of the various Task Teams of the World Bank financed projects, and in addition leads special purpose initiatives.
Detailed Duties and Accountabilities, and Selection Criteria are available on vacancy announcement # 091748 at http:/www.worldbank.org/jobs.

Qualified candidates may apply on-line at http:/www.worldbank.org/jobs and choose vacancy # 091748.   Please note that you will need to register before submitting your application.  The closing date is 6:00 PM October 31, 2009.  Questions may be directed to Ms. Gamar Usifova at Gusifova@worldbank.org Ref: 091748.  Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Annual Meetings Confirm Poland's Interest in Continuing to Access a Broad Range of World Bank Services and Lending

Istanbul, 8, October 2009 — The Polish delegation to the World Bank-IMF Annual Meetings in Istanbul confirmed their interest in continuing to access a broad range of Bank, including both analytic and advisory services and lending, the Polish government and World Bank announced today. 

 "The World Bank has re-emerged as an important partner for Poland, providing both financial and analytic support that can help to strengthen the sustainability and quality of growth and public finances,” said Deputy Finance Minister Jacek Dominik, who took part in the discussions in Istanbul. “We value the Bank's global knowledge and aim to continue this partnership in the coming years."

The discussion in Istanbul is in line with the new Country Partnership Strategy for 2009-13 between Poland and the World Bank endorsed by the Bank's Board on June 30. Currently, discussions are ongoing on a third Policy Loan, a line of credit for small and medium-sized enterprises to be intermediated through the Polish banking system, and lending to the City of Warsaw to support sustainable transport infrastructure development. These three operations could total close to Euro 2 billion. In parallel, work is ongoing to develop further both subnational and fee-based cooperation, in line with an increasing focus on analytic and advisory work and sophisticated financial services as market conditions normalize and private sector growth resumes.

"The World Bank is happy to be able to assist Poland through these difficult times in the context of relatively sound macroeconomic and financial sector fundamentals and looks forward to discuss further Poland's plans to reduce the fiscal deficit and stabilize public debt over the medium term," said Thomas Laursen, Warsaw-based World Bank Country Manager for Poland and the Baltic Countries.

 

 

For more information about the World Bank Group, please visit www.worldbank.org 

 

Georgia - Additional Financing for First East-West Highway Project

Launch of World Bank Annual Report 2009: Year in Review

Dear Colleague,

I’m pleased to bring you  The World Bank Annual Report 2009 direct to your computer. Our electronic dissemination of the report was adopted for your convenient access, to decrease our environmental footprint, and especially to reach more people like you who share in our mission to end poverty worldwide. Click your language of choice to read about the Bank’s efforts in fiscal 2009—and the formidable challenges we’re working hard to overcome as we help our members rise to a better quality of life: 
Arabic, Chinese, English,  French, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.

We all know that the global financial and economic crisis is the greatest challenge, and will be for some time to come. The Bank has created new programs, fast-tracked funds from existing initiatives, and made record commitments to aid the most vulnerable during this emergency. At the same time, we have tended to our ongoing, long-term operations in climate change, health, infrastructure, and much more as we support efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

You’ll also read the inspiring stories of individuals we are proud to have assisted, and find multimedia components on the Annual Report Web site that provide more information about the Bank’s work.

So explore, learn, and enjoy. I encourage you to provide your feedback on the Annual Report and this dissemination method by emailing wbannualreport@worldbank.org. Thank you for your interest and your support.

Marwan Muasher
Senior Vice President, External Affairs

World Bank Annual Report 2009

World Bank and Eurasian Development Bank to Boost Cooperation

World Bank is looking for consultants for the GPF Grant "Institutions of Accountability"


REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST
(CONSULTANT SERVICES)

Russian Federation
GPF Grant "Institutions of Accountability"
Office of the Ombudsman for Transparent and Accountable Local Governance and Human Rights Protection at the Local Level

CONSULTING SERVICES: "Project Management"
TF No. 094325

The World Bank intends to apply part of the financing from the GPF grant for the project "Institutions of Accountability" for consultant services. The goal of the project is the creation of an innovative institutional space to support citizens activists participating in local self-government, helping them a) become more capable of defending their own rights and the rights of others, b) participate in the development and implementation of important administrative decisions, c) implement public control over the administration of municipal units and carry out monitoring of the quality of the services provided to the population, and d) act as mediators in conflict resolution between citizens and authorities through out-of-court procedures.

The four principle components of the project are:
1. Citizen participation in the implementation of local self-governance
2. Informing the population through modern means and strategies
3. Human rights education and protection
4. Mediation as a means of prevention and resolution of conflicts between citizens and authorities

Estimated duration of project implementation: November 9, 2009 - April 30, 2012.
Estimated duration of the contract - equivalent.

Services will include a range of project management activities throughout Perm Krai.

The project management firm will be responsible for finalizing the project strategy as well as creating and ensuring adherence to a timeline for project implementation. The firm will also coordinate implementation activities including the organization of trainings in the areas of human rights protection, mediation, and local governance. The firm will be responsible for liaising with project partners, both in Russia and internationally, including representatives of local self-governance, governmental bodies, and public organizations. It will also be responsible for the creation and publication of reports and other project materials, as well as their distribution. The firm will also be responsible for organizing project-related travel, supplying secretarial and translation services, and procuring for the centers the human and civil rights information and training and methodological materials necessary for the successful realization of all aspects of the project.

In addition, the project management firm will be responsible for working with the media and the development and distribution of informational materials for each project component. Excellent command of written and spoken English by key firm employees, who will collaborate with the World Bank and other international partners, is a necessary qualification for participation in the project.

The World Bank now invites eligible consultants to indicate their interest in providing the services. Interested consultants must provide information indicating that they are qualified to perform the services (brochures, description of similar assignments, experience in similar conditions, availability of appropriate skills among staff, etc.). Consultants may associate to enhance their qualifications.

A consultant will be selected in accordance with the procedures set out in the World Bank's Guidelines: Selection and Employment of Consultants by World Bank Borrowers (current edition).

Interested consultants may obtain further information at the addresses below during office hours.

Expressions of interest must be delivered to the addresses below by October 23, 2009.

World Bank, Washington Office
Attn: Dylan Myles-Primakoff
600 19th St. NW
Washington, DC 20006, USA
Tel: +1-202-473-6837
Fax: +1-202-477-3285
E-mail: dmylesprimakoff@worldbank.org
www.worldbank.org

C/C World Bank, Moscow Office
Attn: Svetlana Avakyan
36/1 Bolshaya Molchanovka St,
121069 Moscow, Russia
Phone: +7-(495) 745-7000 ext.2086/3086
Fax: +7-(495) 745-7002
E-mail: savakyan@worldbank.org
www.worldbank.org.ru

 

“The World Bank Group Beyond the Crisis”

Annual Meetings

Board of Governors of the World Bank Group

Remarks of

 

Robert B. Zoellick

President

The World Bank Group

 

Istanbul, Turkey

October 6, 2009

 

“The World Bank Group Beyond the Crisis”

 

Mr. Chairman, Governors, and Distinguished Guests:

Thank you for joining us at these Annual Meetings.  I want to express my particular thanks to the Chairman of the Board of Governors, Nguyen Van Giau, and to Agustín Carstens for his leadership of the Development Committee.  Agustín and I have worked ever more closely over the last two years.  I have deep respect for his skills as a Minister and as a thoughtful leader, and benefited greatly from his partnership and friendship.  This is Agustín’s last meeting as Chair of the Development Committee, although I know I will wish to call on his advice and judgment in days to come.

I look forward to working with Minister Al-Khalifa of Bahrain, who has graciously agreed to assume the Chair of the Committee.  Minister Al-Khalifa and I have worked together in earlier capacities, and I am delighted he has agreed to join us at this critical time. 

I also want to thank my colleague Dominique Strauss-Kahn.  Our two institutions have partnered closely over the last year, and I have much appreciated his insight, practicality and good humor.

I am grateful too, to the Turkish Government and the people of Turkey, who have been exemplary hosts for our Annual Meetings this year.  We have enjoyed seeing this fascinating city in a country that has accomplished so much.  Most of all, we thank the wonderful people of Istanbul and Turkey. 

I would like to take this opportunity to recall former World Bank President Robert McNamara.  He led and shaped the Bank for 13 incredible years.  He brought to this institution enormous energy along with the firm belief that the problems of the developing world could be solved.  He left behind him a formidable record: the effort to eradicate and prevent river blindness; the Bank’s first loan for nutrition; a focus on the rural poor; increased lending to agriculture; the publishing of the first ever World Development Report; and the opening of relations between the Bank and China at a crucial time in that country’s development – a reflection of both his foresight and leadership. 

Robert McNamara shifted the focus of the World Bank Group toward the goal of overcoming poverty worldwide.  It remains our core mission today, and ensures that Mr.  McNamara’s legacy in international development – and to the World Bank Group – lives on.

In his final years, when I spoke to Mr. McNamara, he remembered fondly the tremendous staff of the World Bank Group, a true collection of talents across cultures and lands.  His successors have expressed the same appreciation.  I want to add my thanks to theirs.  The people of the World Bank Group have risen to the challenge of crisis over the last year – with energy, creativity and strong sense of purpose for the client countries and people we are privileged to serve. 

We are also saddened by the recent passing of Minister Futa of the Democratic of Republic of Congo.  I would like to join the Chairman in extending my condolence to his family and the government of DRC. 

I would also like to express my deepest sympathies to the family of the former Finance Minister of Japan, Mr. Nakagawa. 

***** ***** *****

 

A year ago, we came together at a time of turmoil.  Today, that turbulence is far from over.

As a result of the global crisis, we estimate that 90 million more people will be living in extreme poverty by the end of next year; up to 59 million more people will lose their jobs this year; and an additional 30,000 to 50,000 babies may die in Sub-Saharan Africa.  

Behind these numbers lie human stories:

-- Aoy Puon is a garment factory worker in Cambodia.  Since the crisis hit, her monthly salary has been cut in half. Today she can’t make enough to send money home to her family who depend on her income.  48 garment factories have had to close in Cambodia over the past year, and 62,000 workers have lost their jobs – 90 percent of them women.  Aoy is now worried that she will lose her job. 

-- Zagd is a herder in Mongolia, where the financial crisis has caused livestock prices to plummet.  Meanwhile, food costs increase daily, so Zagd can no longer afford to buy flour, rice, or sugar.  For herders like Zagd, there is no pension or social benefit money – instead, with decreased income, the only recourse is to cut consumption.  As one herder says, “I do not buy sugar because it is expensive. We do not use vegetables. We do not go out, therefore we do not need many clothes…In the winter time, we do not buy wood and coal.”

-- Lindiwe is 28 and lives in a shanty town in southern Africa.  She's HIV positive and has TB.  She was turned away from the NGO clinic that provides treatment for these diseases, because donor funding has dried up as a result of the financial crisis, and the NGO has run out of drugs.  Prospects for additional funding look bleak: a recent World Bank and UNAIDS survey found that 1 in 5 developing countries have experienced cutbacks on anti-retroviral treatment programs, and 33 countries expect the impact to worsen over the next year.  For Lindiwe, time is running out: "I am scared of dying and leaving my little girl alone," she says.

Jobs lost and lives destroyed.  Girls forced out of school.  Families who need to decide which meal to cut out of their day.  Children malnourished.  Human progress reversed, often irretrievably.

While we talk of recovery, the personal pain of poverty is all around us.

In cities, villages, valleys, and plains; on Main Streets and communities with no streets we hear a common refrain: “Don’t let this happen again.” 

Sadly, we cannot make that promise.  We cannot crisis-proof our world.  Indeed, if there is one thing that is assured about the future, it is that there will be another upheaval.  But with leadership and cooperation, we can learn lessons from the past crisis, and we can look ahead.

We need to look beyond emergency response, to actions to “build back better” -- actions that can endure.  That work is up to us in this room.  Cooperation at times of crisis is the easier part.  Cooperation when no longer staring into the abyss is the challenge.

Seeds of Crisis 

Before looking to the future, we need to understand the past.  Today’s upheaval did not occur from nowhere.  The seeds were planted earlier.

The last 20 years have witnessed a huge economic shift.  The breakdown of the planned economies in the Soviet Union and Central and Eastern Europe, the economic reforms in China and India, and the export-driven growth strategies of East Asia all contributed to a world market economy that vaulted from about 1 billion to 4 or 5 billion people.  This shift offers enormous opportunities.  But it has also shaken an international economic system forged in the middle of the 20^th Century, with patched-up changes in the decades since.

Some seeds of today’s troubles were sown by the responses – or lack of them – to the financial crises of the late 1990s.  After the Asian financial crisis, developing countries determined they never again wanted to be exposed to the tempests of globalization.  Many “insured” themselves through managing exchange rates and building huge currency reserves.  Some of these changes contributed to imbalances and tensions in the global economy, but for years governments muddled through amidst generally good growth. 

Central banks failed to address risks building in the new economy.  They seemingly mastered product price inflation in the 1980s, but most decided that asset price bubbles were difficult to identify and to restrain with monetary policy.  They argued that damage to the “real economy” of jobs, production, savings, and consumption could be contained once bubbles burst, through aggressive easing of interest rates.  They turned out to be wrong.

Regulators and supervisors of financial institutions were no longer grounded in reality.  Financial innovation and competition vastly expanded services – including to companies and families often shunted aside in the past – but the alluringly simple design of “rational markets theory” led regulators to take a holiday from the realities of psychology, organizational behavior, systemic risks, and the complexities of markets and humans.

Even as we learn these harsh lessons, we need to anticipate and build. 

In 1944, the delegates at Bretton Woods seized a moment to shape a new global arrangement. They spent three weeks in New Hampshire developing a system of rules, institutions, and procedures for financial and commercial relations in the world economy.

That world has changed enormously over the past 65 years.  The current upheaval is changing the landscape yet again.

Already, we can see potential shifts in power and institutions and international cooperation.  In part, the shifts will depend upon how the parties adapt to new circumstances; in part, upon the rapidity of the recovery;  in part, upon changes in who holds the world’s capital, technology, and human resources and what they do with them; in part, upon how countries cooperate – or do not.

The Changing Context

Just over 10 years ago, during the Asian financial crisis, the world’s primary concern was whether China would hold its currency peg to help stabilize the falling economic dominoes.  Today, China ranks with the world’s major economies and acts as a stabilizing force in the global economy.  Together, China and India account for 8.5 percent of world output.  They and other developing countries are growing substantially more rapidly than developed countries.

The United States has been hit hard by the crisis.  But it is a resilient nation.  Its future will depend on whether and how it will address large deficits, recover without inflation that could undermine its credit and currency, and overhaul its financial system to preserve innovation while adding to safety and soundness.  The United States also needs to help people adjust to change, so that it can maintain its greatest trump card: openness to trade, investment, people, and ideas.  

Japan is the first leading industrial power to experience a political upheaval in the wake of the crisis. The election of the Democratic Party of Japan could create a sustainable two-party democracy for the first time in the country’s history. 

It is not clear that the old export model of growth will meet Japan’s and the world’s needs or be sustainable in a more “balanced” global economy that does not rely so heavily on the U.S. consumer.  An aging Japan will have new consumption needs.  A global economy with more poles of growth could offer Japan new markets, especially for its impressive capabilities to use energy efficiently.

Central and Eastern European economies suffered strong blows.  And their problems are far from over.  The good strategic news is that the European states, for all their internal debates and negotiations, have recognized their interdependence.  Under stress, this time, Europe did not splinter. 

South East Asia may also have been given a boost by the crisis – depending on how opportunities are seized.  The region lies at a geographic crossroads between India and China, two rising powers.  ASEAN seems to have recognized the moment, and has taken actions to deepen its integration even while reaching out to others.  Given the sizeable weight of Indonesia and the rising influence of Vietnam, their sound performance amidst economic turmoil has stood in sharp contrast to a decade ago.

For others, the long-term impact of the crisis may depend upon commodities, especially oil prices, which, in recent years, gave high returns. When the oil price is at $100, these countries are strong.  When it is at $30, most are in serious trouble.  This reliance on oil and commodities is a precarious basis upon which to build an economy in a world that is struggling to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels, and in which commodity prices gyrate as investors move in and out of an “asset class.”  Will countries use these returns wisely – to diversify and build broader-based economic development? These are the questions for Russia, countries in the Gulf, and some countries in Latin America and Africa.

Prior to the crisis, the growth rates of a number of African countries were achieving impressive levels with consistency.  Coming out of the crisis, there could be new opportunities.  Some Chinese manufacturing firms are considering shifting their basic production to Africa.  China’s African prospects – which include resource development and infrastructure – are likely to be complemented by others.  Brazil is interested in sharing its agricultural development experience.  India is building railways.  These are the early days of a trend that will build.

Understanding shifting power relations is fundamental for shaping the future -- as the Bretton Woods’ delegates appreciated.  The political basis for that system was forged through a shared experience in failed responsibility after World War I and a clear assessment of power after World War II.  Change those power relations -- and the nature of the markets that connect them -- and the system looks out of touch.

What Next: Responsible Globalization?

The old order is gone.  We should not waste our time and tears lamenting it.  Today we must build anew.  Today we can put in place the foundations for a “New Normal” of growth and responsible globalization. 

Globalization has helped sustain high economic growth in many countries and lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty.  Yet the growing linkages between economies have also played a central role in turning a financial crisis in the developed world into a global crisis that is driving millions back into poverty.  The pace of climate change is accelerating, with poorest countries hardest hit. Diseases such as SARS in 2004, or this year’s H1N1 virus, start as localized outbreaks but  quickly become global threats.  Their virulence has only been intensified by increased travel and open borders.

We cannot and should not turn the clock back on globalization.  Nor are publics demanding that we do so.  But we can and must reform it to curb the damage it can wreak while expanding the enormous benefits that responsible globalization can provide to millions.

What Would it Take to Build Responsible Globalization?

First and foremost, we must recognize that developing countries are key to the solution today, progress tomorrow, and prosperity in years to come.  

Two weeks ago, in Pittsburgh, world leaders embraced the G-20 as the premier forum for international economic cooperation among the advanced industrialized countries and rising powers.  This is a good start.  But the G-20 cannot be a stand-alone committee.  Nor can it ignore the voices of the over 160 countries left outside.  The G-20 should operate as a “Steering Group” across a network of countries and international institutions with a broader membership.  It should recognize the interconnections among issues and foster points of mutual interest, without being either hierarchical or bureaucratic.  It should be connected to our G-186 here in this room.

Forecasters expect lackluster growth and continued high unemployment for a number of years.  The U.S. consumer can no longer be the main engine of economic demand.  Europe and Japan appear constrained; China can assist, but its credit growth could pose problems next year.  With access to finance, other developing economies can help boost a global recovery.  Many have the fiscal space to borrow, but cannot get the volumes they need at reasonable prices without crowding out their private sectors.  The World Bank Group and regional development banks can assist.  Enhanced financial regulation and supervision that shift incentives from short-term casino capitalism to long-term productive investment will help.

Second, leaders must emphasize that a balanced and inclusive global economy needs multiple poles of growth – and not just adding China and India.  Countries in Latin America, Southeast Asia, and a wider Middle East can assist in the future if they invest today.  Over time, investments in Africa, a market of almost a billion people, can integrate its markets and become another source of growth.

To build multiple poles of growth, we need to remove bottlenecks and boost productivity through investments in infrastructure and energy, private sector expansion, and regional integration linked to open markets.  New poles of growth can be customers for the capital goods, services, and technology of developed countries.

Third, leaders must commit to making growth sustainable.  As the World Bank’s recently released World Development Report on development and climate change points out, developing countries not only face 75-80 percent of the potential damage from climate change, but over 1.6 billion of their people still lack access to electricity.  Developing countries – and their interests – must be at the table.  They need incentives and financing to encourage low carbon growth by adopting technologies, implementing energy efficiencies, and investing in forestation. 

Fourth, we must put in place mechanisms to protect the most vulnerable.  Two weeks ago at the Pittsburgh Summit, the G-20 leaders re-iterated their support for a new $20 billion food security initiative launched at Italy’s G-8 meeting.  They called upon the World Bank Group to work with donors and organizations to develop a multilateral trust fund to scale-up agricultural assistance to low income countries.  Too often, bilateral aid concentrates resources in specific sectors and countries.  But with this more comprehensive, multilateral approach we can pool resources and better support innovative efforts to tackle food security all the way along the food chain and build sustainable agricultural systems.  Paper pledges, however, will not put seeds in soil or food in hungry mouths.  Hunger and famine – as the present drought in East Africa shows – are an ever-present threat.  So we must move quickly to turn this initiative into reality. 

Food, fuel, and now financial crises have derailed progress towards the Millennium Development Goals, reversing years of gains.  We must fill a gap in the global financial architecture by offering insurance to the poorest countries that they will not be left defenseless in the face of overwhelming shocks.  The World Bank Group will work to flesh out the proposal for a Crisis Response Facility, endorsed by the G-20 and the Development Committee, that can be ready to offer quick and effective assistance for the most vulnerable and fragile countries, many of which are just emerging from conflict.  From targeted safety nets to SMEs and microfinance, we can help buffer those with the least cushion from the greatest upheavals. 

We must also work toward a hand-off from government stimulus to private sector demand, investment, and trade, by offering a counterweight to financial and trade protectionism.  IFC has just launched a new Asset Management Corporation that manages funds to invest in banks, equity, infrastructure, and debt restructuring.  We can help build developing country financial markets, while channeling capital from sovereign, pension, and other asset management funds to productive private sectors in developing countries. 

The Role of the World Bank Group

Last year, the Bank Group stepped up to the crisis and delivered a record $59 billion of financial assistance.  IBRD commitments almost trebled to $33 billion.  IDA also reached a record high of $14 billion; over 50 percent of new IFC projects were in IDA countries.  Support for infrastructure – critical to recovery and jobs – reached $21 billion; we scaled up assistance of $4.5 billion for safety nets and other social protection programs to cushion the most vulnerable.

IFC combines strong innovation with resource mobilization; we have launched initiatives on bank capitalization, trade finance, infrastructure, and microfinance.

We expect a new IBRD record of $40 billion or more this fiscal year.  Demand for IBRD lending is now clearly moving significantly beyond the $100 billion level that the Development Committee called for in its Communiqué last year.  IDA countries are also facing significant financing gaps.  We estimate that financing shortfalls to cover at-risk core spending on health, education, safety nets, and infrastructure amount to some $11.6 billion for the poorest countries.

I know that budgets in developed countries are constrained.  But responsible globalization requires responsible stakeholders.  We can and must do more. 

What is the Role for the Bank Group in a New Post-Crisis World?

A well capitalized World Bank Group would be positioned to play a leading role in the global response to the challenges of globalization, development, and financial crisis. 

We have a global, local, and cross-sectoral presence with the skills to work with public and private sectors, middle income and low income countries.  We have a repository of global best practice in development that we continually upgrade; world-class risk management and banking competencies; and the capabilities to leverage our balance sheet.  We have a leadership role in the growing global public goods agenda, and a worldwide catalytic and convening power.  All these factors make the World Bank Group unique among the multilateral development banks.

Four key drivers are likely to shape the Group’s post-crisis role:

Driver 1 will be traditional and innovative development finance.  There is strong demand from the Bank Group’s clients for the institution to come out of the crisis well-capitalized and to be able to sustain the delivery of a critical mass of financing to support global economic growth and to overcome poverty.  The World Bank Group can play this role in several ways.  We can contribute to fiscal stimulus and protecting core spending in countries that are not in a position to implement counter-cyclical policies; we can help to boost global demand to support global recovery; we can finance and support trade; we can assist the private sector to assume the critical handoff from the governments’ crisis response actions; and through investment, we can help to build multiple poles of growth with responsive, accountable public sectors and dynamic private sectors.

The second driver will be delivering knowledge products.  The Bank Group is a repository of global best practice in development, combining implementation experience, research, and learning, drawing on both public and private sectors.  As such, clients are looking to us to connect and customize multiple sources of practitioner knowledge and innovation.

The third driver is the global public goods agenda – pressing global challenges such as climate change, and communicable diseases that require an institutional response that is multi-sectoral, combining policy advice and investments with a global reach grounded in country programs. Already the Bank Group is mobilizing significant financing through the Climate Investment Funds.  We can play a key role in technology transfer, working with clients on low carbon growth strategies, and in strengthening health systems where we are now scaling-up our work.  The Bank Group can also support the public goods of resilient and dynamic trading and financial systems, based on multilateral rules.

The fourth driver is future crises – those that we can’t foresee today but know will happen: it might be a pandemic, a natural or man-made disaster, or an economic or social crisis.  In response, the Bank can mobilize its full range of skills and instruments for the benefit of its shareholders, as it has done recently in the food crises, or in response to the Indian Ocean tsunami or financial crises in Mexico and East Asia. 

The World Bank is pursuing a number of financial measures to make the most of our capital, including a loan price increase; working with countries so we can use the shares they purchased with national currencies; a selective capital increase linked to changes in “voice”; tight budget discipline; and a possible increase in pricing for longer maturity loans.  These measures emphasize the mutual responsibilities and contributions of all our members.  But they may not be enough.  If the IBRD continues its lending at the current rate, by mid-2010 it will be capital constrained.  IFC is limited now. 

Of course the future is uncertain.  If the recovery falters, or simply struggles slowly, should we risk a World Bank Group already stretched to the limit and unable to lead?  In the face of the next crisis – another food emergency, the next epidemic – can we afford to have a World Bank Group that has to hold back?  I thank the Development Committee for committing yesterday that it will ensure that the World Bank Group has sufficient resources to meet further development challenges, and that it will reach a decision on this issue by Spring 2010.  This is an important step forward in the first General Capital Increase for the World Bank in twenty years.

The Reform Agenda

To serve the changing global economy, the world needs agile, nimble, competent, and accountable institutions.  The World Bank Group will improve its legitimacy, efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability, and further expand its cooperation with the UN, the IMF, the other Multilateral Development Banks, donors, civil society, and foundations which have become increasingly important development actors.  We know well the importance of advancing multiple reforms to address shareholder requests, improve performance, and build support with your legislatures. 

Our efforts include:

·  Improving development effectiveness, with a focus on the results agenda, decentralization, gender, investment lending reform, and human resources;

·  Promoting accountability and good governance, including with our global anti-corruption efforts, an improved transparency and disclosure policy, and the soon-to-be-released recommendations of the Zedillo Commission; and

·  Continuing to increase cost efficiency.

But we must go further.

The Bretton Woods system was forged by 44 countries at a time when power was concentrated in a small number of states.  The great waves of decolonization were just stirring; the few developing countries were seen as objects, not subjects, of history.  That world is long passed. The new realities of political economy demand a different system.

If developing countries are part of the solution, they must also be part of the conversation.  The international system needs a World Bank Group that represents the international economic realities of the 21^st Century, recognizes the role and responsibility of growing stakeholders, and provides a larger voice for Africa.  

The first phase of the reforms to enhance the voice and representation of developing and transition countries in the Bank Group was completed a year ago, with an additional Board seat for Sub-Saharan Africa and an increase in the voting power of developing countries at IBRD to 44 percent.  I am pleased that yesterday the Development Committee stressed the importance of securing a further increase in voting power for developing countries of at least an additional 3 percent – bringing developing countries to at least 47 percent, for final decision at our Spring Meetings next year.  We must continue to be ambitious.  We should try to see if we can increase the share of the developing countries toward 50 percent over time, even as the emerging economies share the responsibilities of assisting poorer countries with their development.  The World Bank Group should more accurately reflect the world around us.

Conclusion

Mr. Chairman: The old international economic order was struggling to keep up with change before the crisis.  Today’s upheaval has revealed the stark gaps and compelling needs.  It is time we caught up and moved ahead.

We need a system of international political economy that reflects a new multipolarity of growth.  It needs to integrate rising economic powers as “responsible stakeholders” while recognizing that these countries are still home to hundreds of millions of poor and face staggering challenges of development.  It needs to engage the energies and support of developed countries, whose publics carry the heavy burdens of debt, competitive anxieties, and feel that the new powers must share responsibilities.  It needs to help offer a hand to the poorest and weakest countries, the 900 million people who still live without access to safe water, and the “Bottom Billion” trapped in poverty because of conflict and broken governance.

Yet it won’t happen by itself. 

The question is whether leaders can cooperate in steering these changes.  They will be drawn to the interests of the national publics they represent, as they should.  Yet they will also be challenged to recognize and build common interests, not only case-by-case, but through institutions reflecting a “Responsible Globalization.” 

Bretton Woods is being overhauled before our eyes. This time, it will take longer than three weeks in New Hampshire. It will have more participants. But it is just as necessary.  The next upheaval, whatever it may be, is taking form now. Shape it or be shaped by it.

World Bank reforming to meet new challenges, Zoellick says

Contacts:

In Istanbul:

David Theis

(202) 203-0601

dtheis@worldbank.org 

 

ISTANBUL, October 6, 2009 – The World Bank is pursuing an ambitious program of reform to enable the institution to become more efficient and effective while also gaining more legitimacy among the developing countries that it serves, World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick said.

 

In a speech at the start of the Annual Meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund in Istanbul, Turkey, Zoellick said the World Bank’s reforms would focus on improving development effectiveness, promoting accountability and good governance, and continuing to increase cost efficiency.

 

“To serve the changing global economy, the world needs agile, nimble, competent, and accountable institutions,” Zoellick told the meeting of the Board of Governors of the World Bank Group. “The World Bank Group will improve its legitimacy, efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability, and further expand its cooperation with the UN, the IMF, the other Multilateral Development Banks, donors, civil society, and foundations which have become increasingly important development actors.”

 

Zoellick noted that when the World Bank was established in 1944, the world was different from today. The institution was formed by 44 countries whereas its membership today stood at 186. The developing countries of today were mostly still colonies. This system had long passed and the political economy of the 21st century demanded a changed order that reflected the growing role of developing countries. They were now a source of potential economic growth that could lead to a more balanced world economy.

 

“If developing countries are part of the solution, they must also be part of the conversation.  The international system needs a World Bank Group that represents the international economic realities of the 21st Century, recognizes the role and responsibility of growing stakeholders, and provides a larger voice for Africa,” Zoellick said.

 

The World Bank’s shareholders supported reforms that would give developing countries at least 47 percent of the voting shares in the institution. Zoellick said shareholders should go beyond this to achieve a 50 percent share for developing countries.

 

Reform was inevitable as the world was changing so quickly, Zoellick said. “The old international economic order was struggling to keep up with change before the crisis.  Today’s upheaval has revealed the stark gaps and compelling needs.  It is time we caught up and moved ahead.”

 

The High Level Commission chaired by former Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo, which Zoellick set up last year to look at more far reaching reforms of World Bank governance, is expected to submit its report later this month.

 

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Tajikistan - Persistent Organic Pollutants Elimination, Mitigation and Site Management Project

IFIs pledge continued drive to support Central and Eastern Europe through recovery

The World Bank Europe and Central Asia Region   News Release No.  2008/ECA    Contacts: Washington:  Michael Andrew Jones (202) 473 2588 mjones2@worldbank.org

text text text

Reforms are Necessary with or without the IMF and the World Bank

 

Contact in BH:

Jasmina Hadžić (+ 387 33) 251-502
jhadzic@worldbank.org

 

 

ISTANBUL, October 5, 2009 – World Bank management from Europe and Central Asia department (ECA), met with the delegation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BH) led by Prime Minister Špirić in Istanbul on October 3-4 on the occasion of the Annual Meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), to discuss the status of the economy and of the World Bank supported programs in BH.

 

The world is dealing with the effects of the worst recession since World War II.  Its impact has been felt no more severely than in the Eastern and Central Europe, where talks of any recovery are still very premature.  And BH is no exception.  In Istanbul, the World Bank management commended the BH authorities for designing measures to stabilize budgets and cope with the impact of the global economic crisis.  These measures, described in the letter of intent (LOI) sent to the IMF, allowed BH to obtain financial commitments from the IMF and other international financial organizations, including the World Bank.

 

“It is of paramount importance that BH fully implements the measures it has committed to pursue under the Stand-By-Arrangement with the IMF.  Failure to do so would give a serious blow to the country’s credibility, the chances of a fast recovery, and would seriously endanger public finances, including transfers for the most vulnerable categories”, said Jane Armitage, the Country Director for the Southeast Europe group of countries.

 

The projected budget deficit in 2009 would amount to about 2 billion KM if no measures had been introduced to reduce it, and the World Bank delegation stressed the fact that - like in almost every other country of the world in these days – BH has some hard choices to make to balance expenditures with available resources, promote economic growth and protect the most vulnerable. In the LOI the authorities committed also to work to improve the equity of public spending in cash-transfers for social and veterans programs – following the principle that more funds should be provided to beneficiaries who are most in need - in a transparent and sustainable manner.

 

“These reforms are necessary, now more than ever in a country with one of the highest levels of expenditure on these benefits as percentage of GDP in Europe and Central Asia region. Reforms are necessary with or without the IMF and the World Bank – said Jane Armitage.   Leaving things as they currently are, is not only unsustainable, but, also, unfair.  A larger share of funds spent on social and veteran programs benefits the richest fifth of the population than the poorest fifth”.

 

The WB delegation confirmed its commitment to work on these reforms with the authorities for the successful negotiation of a Development Policy Loan of about US$100 million and related technical assistance. However it reiterated that approval of this financing is subject to the prior adoption of legislation in support of these reforms in both Entity parliaments.

 

 

 

 

 

IFIs pledge continued drive to support Central and Eastern Europe through recovery


 

World Bank Group Private Sector Leaders Forum Announces New Measures to Improve Women’s Economic Opportunities

Contacts:

In Washington: Alejandra Viveros 1 (202) 473-4306

Aviveros@worldbank.org 

 

ISTANBUL, October 4, 2009 –World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick and Managing Director Ngozi N. Okonjo-Iweala met today with global business leaders in order to continue expanding economic opportunities for women worldwide. At an event co-hosted by the Hüsnü M. Özyeǧin Foundation in the margins of the World Bank-IMF Annual Meetings, the leaders discussed the impacts of the ongoing economic crisis on women, and announced new partnerships to support women around the world.

 

“At this time of economic turmoil, investing in women is critical,” said Mr. Zoellick at the meeting. “A host of studies suggest that putting earnings in women’s hands is the intelligent thing to do to aid recovery and long-term development. Women usually reinvest a much higher portion of their earnings in their families and communities than men, spreading wealth beyond themselves.”

In the meeting of the global Private Sector Leaders Forum, comprised of 21 companies committed to promote women's economic empowerment, the leaders talked about the need to protect women from the adverse effects of the economic crisis, and shared experiences on successful programs designed to support women’s economic opportunities in key areas, such as targeted lending programs; inclusion and diversity initiatives to promote women into corporate leadership roles; and the training of business women in developing countries.

Highlights of new partnerships and initiatives announced at the event include:

 

-          The Ozyegin Foundation and Goldman Sachs will expand the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women program to Turkey.

-          Boeing announced Forum member efforts to track and spend $2 billion over the next three years on goods and services from women-owned businesses in supply chains.

-          Belcorp announced a partnership with the World Bank to train 50,000 women in financial literacy in Latin America.

-          McKinsey presented their new research, “The Business of Empowering Women,” which maps out potential business sector contributions across women’s life cycles. 

 

According to the participants, these initiatives are crucial as the world sets about rebuilding economies around the world. Research shows that during economic crises, girls are the most likely to be withdrawn from school and be put to work to help their families. And adult women face the risk of suffering disproportionately from the jobs lost since they constitute between 60 and 80 percent of export manufacturing workers in developing countries, a sector expected to shrink due to fall in demand.

 

“Women and girls need to be protected because they are suffering disproportionately from the economic recession,” said World Bank Managing Director, Ngozi N. Okonjo-Iweala. “But more importantly, women can be the engine for recovery. If done right, we can emerge from the crisis with healthier growth and be on a faster track to reducing poverty and boosting development."   Investing in improving women’s lives is critical,”

The Private Sector Leaders Forum is a public-private partnership between the World Bank Group and some of the world's leading private sector companies. The partnership supports the World Bank Group’s Gender Action Plan to promote women's economic empowerment and gender equality.

Launched in January 2008 during the World Economic Forum in Davos, the Forum is comprised of:

• Eduardo Belmont, President, Belcorp
• Lloyd Blankfein, Chairman and CEO, The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.
• Henryka Bochniarz, Vice President of Boeing International and President of Boeing Central and Eastern Europe, Boeing
• Frank J. Brown, Dean, INSEAD
• John T. Chambers, Chairman & CEO, Cisco
• Kristin Clemet, Chair, Company: Norfund
• Samuel A. DiPiazza, CEO, Company: PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)
• Rick Goings, Chairman and Chief Executive, Tupperware Brands Corporation
• Kevin L. Kelly, CEO, Heidrick & Struggles
• Sung-joo Kim, Chairperson & CEO, Sungjoo Group/MCM Group
• Yang Lan, CEO, Sun Media Investment Holdings LTD
• Wendy Luhabe, Founding Member, Women Private Equity Fund
• Marilyn Carlson Nelson, Chair, Carlson
• Hüsnü M. Özyeǧin, President, Hüsnü M. Özyeǧin Foundation
• Lynn Taliento, Partner, Washington DC Office, McKinsey & Co.
• Elena Viyella de Paliza, President, Grupo Inter-Quimica, S.A. Monte Rio Power Corp.
• Nitin Paranjpe, CEO and MD of the Hindustan Unilever Ltd & Group Vice President of Unilever in South Asia
• Mark Parker, President & CEO, Nike
• James S. Turley, Chairman and CEO, Ernst & Young
• Mona Zulficar, Senior Partner and Chair of the Executive Committee, Shalakany Law Office

 

#

  

 

To get more information on the World Bank’s work on gender, please visit: www.worldbank.org/gender   

Europe and Central Asia World Bank
Europe and Central Asia World Bank

 

Azerbaijan: Judge Rules Youth Activists Can't Access Cell Phone Records
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Tajikistan: Business Climate Improving, But Corruption Remains an Obstacle to
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Turkey: Ankara Pressing Ahead with Diplomatic Make-Over
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BY WILLIAM O'CONNOR Organized crime is making inroads into Kyrgyz schools. This trend is forcing students like Turgunbek, a 16 year old at Bishkek’s School Number 67, to worry just as much about carving out a safe spot in the school’s pecking order as he does about his studies.

Turkey: Soccer Diplomacy Plays Out During Turkish-Armenian Cup Qualifier
A EURASIANET PHOTO ESSAY BY MONIQUE JAQUES The Turkish and Armenian national teams met for a World Cup qualifier on October 14. The outcome on the field turned out to be of secondary importance to the action in the stands. Turkish President Abdullah Gul and his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sargsyan watched the match from a VIP box, hoping to boost a reconciliation initiative to end almost a century of enmity between the two nations. Turkish fans, meanwhile, were generally upbeat about the rapprochement, but that didn’t stop some from trying to show solidarity with Turkey’s ally Azerbaijan.

Afghanistan: Rethinking the Af-Pak Strategy
It is true that Afghanistan and Pakistan are fighting a common enemy in the Taliban and al Qaeda. But the nature of insurgency and engagement is quite different in the two countries. The Pakistani military is fighting an insurgency mainly against its own people. It’s different in Afghanistan: government forces are fighting both local militants and terrorist mercenaries that primarily infiltrate from, and are trained and equipped by, elements from across the country’s southeastern border.

Kyrgyzstan: Bishkek and Tashkent Weigh Gas and Water Concerns
BY ALISHER KHAMIDOV What’s more valuable in Central Asia, natural gas or water? Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan may soon find out. A recent Uzbek move to cut gas supplies has many Kyrgyz worrying about how to stay warm this winter. But experts say the gas cut-off may end up being counterproductive for Tashkent because it will encourage Kyrgyzstan to develop its hydro-power generating capacity. That would be a development which potentially causes a significant reduction in the volume of water flowing into Uzbekistan.

Kazakhstan: Domestic Politics Bubbling as Astana Prepares to Assume OSCE Chair
BY JOANNA LILLIS Domestic critics of President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s administration in Kazakhstan are rising again. The opposition’s revival may create an internal challenge for Nazarbayev and increase international attention on Kazakhstan’s democratization process, as Astana prepares to lead the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in 2010.

Turkey: Fans Tense ahead of Turkey-Armenia game
BY NICHOLAS BIRCH The October 14 soccer match between Turkey and Armenia is going to be a tense time for Mehmet Guzelsoz. "Did they really have to chuck this fireball into our laps while the whole world was watching?" asks this 39-year old chairman of Texas, an 8,000-strong fan cub in Bursa, the Turkish city where the game will take place. "Why didn’t they give us Turkey versus Spain?"

Afghanistan: Central Asian States Now Allowing Military Cargo Bound for US, NATO Forces
Signaling a sense of strategic urgency to counter recent Taliban gains, the Northern Distribution Network is being adapted to handle the transit of weaponry and hardware destined for US and NATO troops fighting in Afghanistan.

Turkmenistan: More Empty Talk about the Resumption of Gas Exports to Russia?
BY REGIS GENTE Turkmenistan has proven a fickle energy-export partner for all foreign companies trying to do business there. Yet, a Kremlin spokesperson’s recent statement that Russia would resume natural gas imports as soon as the end of October, confirms that hope springs eternal when it comes to the question of Ashgabat and energy.

Azerbaijan: Baku Hopes Turkish-Armenian Rapprochement Means Deal on Karabakh
BY SHAHIN ABBASOV On the eve of the October 10 signing of protocols for reconciliation between Turkey and Armenia, Azerbaijani officials have muted expectations that a rapprochement between Yerevan and Ankara can translate in a breakthrough in the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process.

Georgia: Using Tea to Promote Peace in the South Caucasus
One of the few things that all residents of the South Caucasus have in common is a love of tea. Betting on local tea-drinking customs, a group of regional manufacturers hopes that a joint tea brand -- involving individuals and entities from Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, as well as the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Nagorno-Karabakh -- may help ease feelings of enmity in the region.

Georgia: After Decades in Exile, Meskhetian Turks Return to Lost Homeland
A EURASIANET SLIDESHOW BY TEMO BARDZIMASHVILI Roughly 65 years ago, Osman, a 90-year-old Meskhetian Turk, lost his home in Georgia to Stalin’s dictat. Now, after a lifetime in Central Asia, Osman, along with hundreds of other Meskhetian Turks, is trying to come home again.

Kazakhstan: Convicted Rights Activist Files Appeal
BY CATHERINE A. FITZPATRICK Prominent human rights activist Yevgeny Zhovtis of Kazakhstan, imprisoned in September on a vehicular manslaughter charge, is appealing his conviction. Zhovtis’ legal team is basing the appeal in part on an assertion that the court was biased against the defendant.

Azerbaijan: Defense Hits Snags in Youth Activist Trial
BY MINA MIRADOVA The presiding judge in the trial of two Azerbaijani youth activists rebuffed a fresh motion to set the pair free on bail. Trial testimony on October 7 dealt an additional setback to the defense, as an expert witness failed to clearly corroborate the defendants’ contention that they did not assault two individuals in a Baku café back in July.

Afghanistan: Women Strive to Make Voices Heard in Strategic Debate
BY AUNOHITA MOJUMDAR Women have struggled to make their voices heard in Afghanistan. It turns out that many Afghan women’s rights activists are ardent supporters of a strong US military presence in the country. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the commander of US forces in Afghanistan, might do well to broadcast their opinions amid the continuing debate over US war strategy.

Kyrgyzstan: Prime Minister Chudinov Pledges Action on Stalled Adoptions
BY LAURIE RICH Kyrgyz Prime Minister Igor Chudinov has promised US legislators that he will urge his country’s parliament to expedite the adoptions of 65 Kyrgyz orphans by American families.

Turkey: IMF Meeting in Istanbul Marked by Police-Protester Confrontation
A EURASIANET PHOTO ESSAY BY JONATHAN LEWIS The Tsarist-era Russian anarchist gadflies Mikhail Bakunin and Peter Kropotkin are widely credited with coming up with the slogan "anarchy is the mother of order." But on October 6, protesters mainly demonstrated that anarchy is the progenitor of destruction.

Uzbekistan: Officials Forcing Entertainers to Sing Praises to the Government -- or Else
As it struggles to keep a lid on political dissent while also trying to keep the wheels from coming off the economy, the government of Uzbekistan is co-opting the country’s entertainment industry. Local show-biz personalities are being forced to conform to the state’s wishes, and those who don’t get with the program are having the plugs pulled on their careers.

Armenia: Karabakh Talks Poses Big Challenge for Armenian-Turkish Rapprochement
Recent comments by Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan on the status of the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh suggest that the peace process remains at an impasse. That, in turn, could complicate Armenian-Turkish reconciliation efforts.

Armenia: Archeologists Say They’ve Found Remains of World’s Oldest Human Brain
A EURASIANET PHOTO ESSAY BY GAYANE ABRAHAMYAN An Armenian-American-Irish archeological expedition claims to have found the remains of the world’s oldest human brain, estimated to be over 5,000 years old. The team also says it has found evidence of what may be history’s oldest winemaking operation. The discoveries were made recently in a cave in southeastern Armenia.

Turkmenistan: Gazprom Won’t Be Buying Gas from Ashgabat for the Rest of ’09
Gazprom and the government of Turkmenistan have tried to turn over a new leaf in their contentious energy relationship. But the page is proving to be uncommonly sticky.

Afghanistan: New Supply Route May Create Fresh Headaches -- Expert
The opening of the US- and NATO-backed Northern Distribution Network (NDN), a second resupply route for coalition forces fighting in Afghanistan, may be a mixed blessing for Central Asia. On the one hand, it has the potential to ease a logistics bottleneck, but it also threatens to become a magnet for Islamic militant violence.

Armenia: Yerevan in Uproar Over Protocol Signing Date with Turkey
BY MARIANNA GRIGORYAN Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s announcement that Turkey and Armenia on October 10 will sign protocols on diplomatic normalization ties is having an unsettling effect on domestic politics in Yerevan. Some Armenian opposition politicians are complaining that the signing-date announcement makes a mockery of a parliamentary debate on the issue, scheduled to take place on October 1.

Caspian Basin: Pentagon Web Initiative Sparks Debate on Best Methods for Winning Hearts and Minds
BY DEIRDRE TYNAN A US Defense Department Internet initiative is stoking a debate among experts about whether the Pentagon is overreaching.

Georgia’s Abkhaz IDP Schools Keep Dream of Return to Abkhazia Alive
A EURASIANET PHOTO ESSAY BY MOLLY CORSO Nearly 20 years after Georgia’s disastrous war against Abkhaz separatists, Georgian children whose families fled the breakaway region still study in segregated schools designed to keep the memory of Georgian-controlled Abkhazia alive. Now that the dream of reunification seems to be fading, critics fear that the schools’ existence will complicate efforts to integrate displaced families into mainstream Georgian society.

Azerbaijan: Karabakh IDPs Emerge to Promote Baku’s Peace Plan
BY SHAHIN ABBASOV Azerbaijani Internally Displaced Persons from Nagorno-Karabakh have emerged as a potential new lever of influence for Baku in its protracted negotiations with Armenia over a conflict-resolution plan for the disputed territory, analysts say.

Turkey: Is Ankara Set to Become a Vital Player in Revamped US Anti-Missile Shield?
BY YIGAL SCHLEIFER Speculation is building in Turkey over whether Ankara will play a part in a revamped US missile-defense network, one designed mainly to contain Iran. Conjecture is being fueled by two recent developments: the Obama administration’s decision to scrap the construction of an anti-missile shield in Central Europe, and Turkey’s own announcement that it intends to purchase its first missile-defense system.

Afghanistan: Russia Genuinely Concerned that America is Losing It
A EURASIANET COMMENTARY BY MARK KATZ Russia is allowing US military equipment destined for Afghanistan to pass through Russian airspace without charging a transit fee, thereby saving the Pentagon an estimated $133 million per year. Some in Washington and other Western capitals hope Moscow’s stance is a harbinger of broader US-Russian cooperation to come, especially on Iran. But others suspect the Kremlin has ulterior motives, wanting to trade cooperation on the Afghan re-supply effort for American acquiescence to a controlling role for Russia in the Caucasus and Central Asia.

Kazakhstan: Nazarbayev President-For-Life Trial Balloon Draws Lots of Darts
BY JOANNA LILLIS Kazakhstan is buzzing with speculation in the wake of a proposal floated earlier in September to make Nursultan Nazarbayev president for life. The timing of the suggestion is just a little awkward for Astana, given that Kazakhstan will soon take over the chair of Europe’s leading democratization group -- the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

Uzbekistan: Officials Mum on Terror Trial
In Uzbekistan, justice may not be blind, but officials in the judicial system seem to turn mute when asked for details about legal proceedings.

Kyrgyzstan: US and Kyrgyz Legislators Seek Way to End Adoption Delay
BY LAURIE RICH The 65 American families whose adoptions of Kyrgyz orphans have been stalled for more than a year are picking up political support in both the United States and Kyrgyzstan, as they hope to bring their ordeal to a quick conclusion.

Kyrgyzstan: On Anniversary of Language Law, Kyrgyz-First Policies Encounter Harsh Criticism
BY CHINGHIZ UMETOV On this, the 20th, anniversary of the adoption of Kyrgyz as the state language, government language policies remain a source of contention in Kyrgyzstan.

Afghanistan: Balkh Governor Trumpets Security Warning for Northern Afghanistan
BY AUNOHITA MOJUMDAR When Afghan President Hamid Karzai appointed General Atta Mohammad Noor as governor of the northern province of Balkh in 2004, the move seemed motivated by a presidential desire to curb the influence of Abdul Rashid Dostum, then the most powerful warlord in Northern Afghanistan.

Afghanistan: Pentagon Strives to ’Wrest the Information Offensive’ away from the Taliban
The NATO-led International Security Force in Afghanistan (ISAF) is preparing to launch a media offensive aimed at reducing deaths, both military and civilian, from improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

Armenia: Which Way is Up for the Armenian Economy?
BY MARIANNA GRIGORYAN The Armenian government is predicting the imminent return of sunny days for the country’s economy. But talk to Armenians outside the capital of Yerevan and their forecast calls for extended periods of gloom.

Kyrgyzstan: Soviet-Era Boom Town Literally Being Sold for Scrap
A EURASIANET PHOTO ESSAY BY DAVID TRILLING Nestled high in a stunning valley with an abundance of mineral deposits, residents of Min Kush once had many reasons to boast.

Afghanistan: Despite Fraud, Female Electoral Participation Registers Gains
BY RICHARD WEITZ Amid the blight that is Afghanistan’s ongoing election fraud scandal, there is a bright spot: the August presidential and provincial council elections showed that more Afghan women than ever participated in the political process.

Uzbekistan: Cash Crunch Causing Retail Gridlock
A summer-long shortage of cash in Uzbekistan’s portion of the Ferghana Valley shows no signs of abating, and the phenomenon appears to be spreading to other parts of the Central Asian nation.

Mongolia: Herders Move with the Seasons
BY JOANNA LILLIS Fall is approaching, and Mongol and Kazakh herders in the Altay Mountains of western Mongolia are on the move. The herders migrate four times a year, taking with them all their possessions -- animals, yurts, furniture, milking stools, and other equipment. This year, the summer has been especially trying, thanks to a blizzard that hit the valleys around Tavan Bogd in mid-August, killing livestock and migratory birds. In this EurasiaNet slideshow, correspondent Joanna Lillis explains how the herders coped with nature’s surprise.

Central Asia: Pentagon Plans for Deployment of Special Forces to States Outside Afghanistan
BY DEIRDRE TYNAN The US military is preparing for a worst-case scenario in Central Asia. The Pentagon is presently developing plans covering the potential deployment of elite Special Forces to Central Asian states other than Afghanistan.

Afghanistan: Democratization Process Threatened as Façade of International Unity Crumbles
A EURASIANET COMMENTARY BY AUNOHITA MOJUMDAR The international community is bitterly divided as it struggles to find a solution to the democratization dilemma posed by evidence of widespread fraud in the recent presidential election.

Central Asia: New Report Calls for Education Policy Changes for Special Needs Children
Despite almost 20 years of educational reforms in Central Asia, children with special needs continue to face hardships in Central Asia. A new review of regional education policies by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is recommending that governments in the region do more to integrate children with special needs into a mainstream educational environment.

Azerbaijan: First Day of Baku Blogger Trial Features State Witness with Faulty Memory
Testimony began on September 16 in the high-profile prosecution of two Azerbaijani youth activists and bloggers on charges of hooliganism. Defense attorneys ridiculed one of the government’s chief witnesses, alleging that officials didn’t do a good job in coaching his responses. The trial is seen by civil society activists both inside and outside Azerbaijan as a pivotal case concerning free speech in the South Caucasus country.

PACE: Russia’s Membership in Key European Human Rights Organization Challenged
Europe’s top human rights body will consider suspending Russia’s membership in retaliation for Moscow’s refusal to withdraw its forces from the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and to retract its 2008 recognition of the two territories as independent states.

Kyrgzystan: Turkmen Student-Visa Controversy Creates Void at One Bishkek University
BY AZAT JENISH The academic year is getting underway at American University of Central Asia in Bishkek, but only about one-third of the expected contingent of Turkmen students is in position to begin classes. That’s because the Turkmen government is continuing to prevent dozens, if not hundreds, of students from going abroad for their higher education.

Armenia: Nationalists Launch Hunger Strikes against Turkey Reconciliation Deal
BY MARIANNA GRIGORYAN The tentative Armenian-Turkish plan for diplomatic normalization has sparked Armenia’s oldest political party, the nationalist-oriented Armenian Revolutionary Federation, to take to the streets with sit-down protests and hunger strikes. Public support for the party’s criticism that the Armenian government risks selling out Armenia’s national security interests appears to be spreading, even though it remains far from uniform.

Georgia: Ethnic Georgian District in Abkhazia Becomes Election Issue
BY PAUL RIMPLE For many in the breakaway region of Abkhazia, Russian recognition of Abkhazia’s independence means the promise of economic development and a guarantee of security against Georgia. But in Abkhazia’s predominantly ethnic Georgian district of Gali, Russian recognition has come to mean renewed emphasis on assimilation into Abkhaz society.

Central Asia: Rising Taliban Threat Prompt Regional Border Cooperation
A joint operation, involving the border services of every Central Asian state except Turkmenistan, is underway. The operation aims to enhance security along Central Asia’s southern frontier in response to the rise of Islamic militant activity in northern Afghanistan.

Uzbekistan: Arbitrary Land Redistribution Feeds Discontent
Local officials in Uzbekistan are manipulating regulations aimed at improving the efficient use of agricultural land to reward friends, relatives and political allies. This arbitrary action threatens to diminish crop production at a time of profound economic distress, and fuel popular distrust of the government.

Turkey: Government Using "Tax Terror" to Muzzle Independent Press -- Critics
BY YIGAL SCHLEIFER Is the Turkish government trying to break the back of a media conglomerate that has served as its most vocal opposition by slapping it with a whopping $2.5 billion tax penalty?

Afghanistan: Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan Fighters Active in Kunduz
BY DEIRDRE TYNAN Afghan government troops and foreign forces have gone on the offensive against Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) militants who are active in northern Afghanistan.

Uzbekistan: Nukus Contemporary Art Museum Survives amid Hardship
Lost in the rough of present-day economic hardship and environmental degradation, Uzbekistan’s state art museum in Nukus is a little-known treasure that houses a trove of the Soviet era’s unacknowledged cultural heritage. The museum, which contains perhaps the best collection of Russian avant-garde art outside of Moscow, recently celebrated 25 years since the death of its remarkable founder.

Azerbaijan: Blogger Trial in Baku Boosting Local Interest in Internet
BY MINA MIRADOVA Azerbaijani media watchdog organizations do not share the optimism recently expressed by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe that two young video bloggers imprisoned for hooliganism will be released from jail soon.

Afghanistan and Pakistan: Examining the Obama Administration’s Eurasian Strategy
BY RICHARD WEITZ As concern about troop numbers in Afghanistan grows in Washington, the Obama administration remains optimistic that its strategy can, over the long-term, foster important economic, political, and military gains in South and Central Asia.

Turkey: Whither the Bulwark of Secularism?
A EURASIANET PHOTO ESSAY BY JONATHAN LEWIS For decades the Turkish military has seen itself as the chief pillar of Turkish society, always ready to step in should civilian leaders stray from secular orthodoxy, as established by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey. Now, feeling increasingly threatened legally and organizationally, generals are taking steps to remind government leaders that, as an institution, the Turkish military retains a powerful policy voice.

Kazakhstan: Zhovtis Case Turning into Test of Astana’s OSCE Credibility
BY JOANNA LILLIS Domestic and international pressure on Kazakhstan appears to be building as the case of prominent human rights activist Yevgeniy Zhovtis, who was convicted earlier in September of vehicular manslaughter a car that killed a pedestrian, is moving into the appeals phase.

Kyrgyzstan: New Military Base Plans Fuel Uzbekistan’s Ire
BY ALISHER KHAMIDOV Bishkek’s recent agreement with Moscow to create a new military base in southern Kyrgyzstan is complicating relations among Central Asian states. Uzbek and Tajik leaders are questioning the logic behind the Kremlin’s decision, and are warning that a new base could turn into a source of regional instability.

Kyrgyzstan: Adoption Reform Leaves Kyrgyz orphans, American families, in Limbo
Last November, Suzanne Boutilier was sitting outside a Kyrgyz orphanage, cradling the slight 6-month-old baby girl she was set to adopt. She sang to her daughter-to-be and kept returning to a Carly Simon tune with the refrain "Lovin’ you is the right thing to do," and every time she came to the chorus "Even though you’re 10,000 miles away," she would sob.

Uzbekistan: Authorities Link Tashkent Shootout in August to Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan
BY DEIRDRE TYNAN Authorities in Uzbekistan contend that Shaukat Makhmudov, one of three men killed in a Tashkent shootout in late August, was a top figure in the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. Makhmudov, officials add, is suspected of orchestrating assassinations earlier in the summer and was one of the alleged masterminds of 1999 bombings in Tashkent.

Mongolia: Boom Times Ahead for Some Gobi Desert Villages
BY JOSHUA KUCERA Khanbogd, a remote town in southern Mongolia, has no paved roads, electricity only 5 ½ hours a day, and a single restaurant that is closed on Saturdays. But its location, not far from what is about to become the biggest copper mine in the world, means that it is about to undergo a transformation so rapid and expansive that no one -- not mining company officials, outside experts or residents themselves -- can predict what will happen to their quiet hamlet.

Afghanistan: Dark Days for Democratization Hopes amid Burgeoning Electoral Fraud Controversy
BY AUNOHITA MOJUMDAR Two developments on September 8 seem likely to plunge Afghanistan into a long and debilitating battle over the country’s electoral process and the government’s very legitimacy. The crux of the unfolding problem is that the country’s two main electoral institutions appear at odds with each other.

Afghanistan: Northern Distribution Network Grapples With Growing Security Threat
The escalating insurgency in northern Afghanistan is threatening American and NATO efforts to develop the Northern Distribution Network (NDN). As the NDN gains greater strategic importance, observers warn it will increasingly become the focus of attacks. And such potential strikes could have consequences for Afghanistan’s northern neighbors in Central Asia.

Armenia: Fugitive Businessman Comes in From the Cold
BY MARIANNA GRIGORYAN One of Armenia’s most prominent entrepreneurs, who also happens to be a major supporter of opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrosian, is now in custody after spending more than a year in hiding. The fugitive businessman, Khachatur Sukiasian, has expressed a desire to clear his name of charges that he helped instigate political violence in March 2008.

Georgia: South Ossetians Cling to Arms
A EURASIANET PHOTO ESSAY BY KAREN MIRZOYAN Guns have been a fixture of life in Georgia’s breakaway region of South Ossetia for almost 20 years, needed by citizen-soldiers in the fight for their sovereignty. But now with Russian troops protecting the territory, the South Ossetian leadership is trying to disarm the population. As this EurasiaNet photo essay by Karen Mirzoyan shows, many Ossetians are unwilling to part with their guns.

Kazakhstan: Rights Activist Calls Guilty Verdict "Political Setup"
BY JOANNA LILLIS Yevgeny Zhovtis, one of Kazakhstan’s leading human rights activists, was found guilty on September 3 of vehicular manslaughter and sentenced to four years in prison. Prior to the reading of the verdict, Zhovtis denounced his two-day trial as a "political setup."

Kazakhstan: Rights Activist’s Manslaughter Trial Opens amid Intense International Scrutiny
BY JOANNA LILLIS One of Kazakhstan’s most prominent human rights activists went on trial September 2, charged with causing death by dangerous driving. The trial has cast a spotlight on Kazakhstan’s judicial system. It is also being viewed as a litmus test of Astana’s commitment to democratic procedures, coming as it does just four months before Kazakhstani officials take over the helm of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

Turkey Reconciliation Deal Cause for Controversy in Armenia, Azerbaijan
BY HAROUTIUN KHACHATRIAN AND SHAHIN ABBASOV After years of mud-slinging, Turkey and Armenia appear ready to restore diplomatic ties, but the initial reaction within Armenia suggests that the process could meet with strong political opposition. Watching closely from the sidelines, Turkish ally Azerbaijan, meanwhile, states that it expects Turkey to keep its word -- no diplomatic ties with Armenia until territories bordering the disputed region of Nagorno Karabakh are returned to Azerbaijani control.

Armenia, Turkey Prepare to Open Border
Late on August 31, Turkey, Armenia and mediator Switzerland released a protocol on "The Establishment of Diplomatic Relations" that acts as a guideline for Ankara and Yerevan to sign an agreement on diplomatic recognition.

On Turkey-Armenia Border, Slight Hope for Change
A EURASIANET AUDIO SLIDESHOW BY SOPHIA MIZANTE The Turkey-Armenia border has been closed since 1993. A EurasiaNet photographer spent two weeks capturing what it's like for those who live on both sides of the line.

Abkhazia Maintains "We Do It Our Way," Despite Russian Aid
BY PAUL RIMPLE Abkhazia celebrated the first anniversary of Russia's 2008 recognition of its independence with its borders guarded by Russian soldiers and its seaside resorts packed with Russian tourists. Abkhaz officials claim that it is a relationship between equals. But an August 29 announcement that the Russian Federal Security Serviceis Coast Guard will monitor Abkhaziais Black Sea coastline has again demonstrated the contradictions inherent in that assertion.

Uzbekistan: Tashkent Shootout Stokes Fears of Independence Day Clashes
Reports of shootings in Tashkent on the evening of August 29 have sparked fears the Uzbek government is using the cover of independence celebrations to crack down on alleged militants.

Afghanistan: Election Endorsement Threatens to Harm International Community’s Credibility
BY AUNOHITA MOJUMDAR In a hurry to score quick public relations points, some international observers and foreign diplomats cast Afghanistan’s August 20 presidential vote as an unequivocal triumph for the democratization process. But that initial rush to endorse the integrity of the process may well come back to haunt the international community, as reports of electoral irregularities continue to surface.

Eurasia: Bracing for a Technological Counter-Revolution
A EURASIANET COMMENTARY BY STEPHEN BLANK The advent of social networking platforms such as Twitter and Facebook has changed the nature of political dissent. But as this summer’s unrest in Iran and China has demonstrated, authoritarian-minded governments have done their homework, and have kept pace with the revolution in communications.

Afghanistan: Narco-Cartels a Growing Threat, UN Drug Agency Warns
BY AUNOHITA MOJUMDAR A report released September 2 by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has good news and bad news about narcotics cultivation and trafficking in Afghanistan. The good news is that 800,000 Afghan farmers have stopped cultivating poppies; the bad is that those who continue to grow illicit crops are becoming more efficient, and traders are forging stronger ties with criminal and insurgent groups, as well as corrupt officials.

Georgia: Ex-Jailor-in-Chief Tapped to Head Defense Ministry
A former prison boss, who has been both credited and criticized for a clampdown on organized crime in Georgia, has been nominated as the country’s latest defense minister.

Mongolia: Ulaanbaatar Performs Strategic Juggling Act with US, Russian Military Maneuvers
BY JOSHUA KUCERA Mongolia, a nation with abundant mineral wealth, has emerged in recent days as a showcase for the US-Russian rivalry. The Mongolian military has found itself in the unusual position of participating in separate joint exercises involving US and Russian troops going on at the same time.

Kyrgyzstan: Artists Use Creative Dialogue to Foster Social Change
A EURASIANET PHOTO ESSAY BY JOHN COUPER On a recent summer’s day, visitors to the recently opened Koldo Art Gallery in central Bishkek watched professional artists create new work, inspired by the art of children with physical and mental handicaps. The event was designed to foster interaction between children, artists and the public, enabling all involved to find new strengths, and to help open minds.

Uzbekistan: Washington Denies Interest in Returning to Khanabad Airbase
US diplomats are steadfastly denying that the American military seeks to return to the Uzbek air base at Karshi-Khanabad.

Afghanistan: Internationals Claim Victory While Afghans Cry Fraud
BY AUNOHITA MOJUMDAR Diplomats have rushed to declare Afghanistan’s August 20 presidential and provincial council elections a success, while downplaying credible reports of disenfranchisement and widespread electoral irregularities. The apparent reluctance to acknowledge circumstantial evidence of substantial vote-rigging could have damaging, even irreparable consequences for Afghanistan’s democratization process, some experts contend.

Azerbaijan: Fresh Charges Brought against Detained Bloggers
Azerbaijani prosecutors have charged detained youth activists and video bloggers Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizade with causing "mild injury" to an unspecified victim, the pair’s defense attorney told an August 24 news conference in Baku. The two young men were originally charged with hooliganism in what has become a cause célèbre for free speech rights in the South Caucasus.

'Nothing is More Persistent than the Temporary': Documenting a Troubled Economic Transition
Red Journey By Nick Hannes A EURASIANET BOOK REVIEW BY LAURIE RICH Belgian photographer Nick Hannes’ photo book, "Red Journey," sets out to show the lives of people dealing with the looming questions that dog all the nations of the former Soviet Union: What happens when one day you wake up and discover your heroes aren’t heroes at all? Your past isn’t your past? How do you rebuild a house when the foundation is irreparably cracked?

Afghanistan: Presidential Election Essential for Legitimizing Kabul Government
BY RICHARD WEITZ Initial tallies suggest that incumbent Hamid Karzai and former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah are in a tight race in Afghanistan’s presidential election.

Afghanistan: Government Declares Elections Success Amidst Mixed Turnout
BY AUNOHITA MOJUMDAR Counting the ballots in Afghanistan’s second presidential and provincial council elections has begun. Despite some reports of attacks and election irregularities throughout the country, polls closed on August 20 without any major violent disruptions by insurgents.

Afghanistan: "Corruption is Eating Our System"
A EurasiaNet Q&A with Presidential Contender Abdullah Abdullah INTERVIEW CONDUCTED BY CAMELIA ENTEKHABI-FARD Afghans braved Taliban threats and other problems to cast ballots August 20 in the country’s presidential election. Initial estimates suggested that turnout on August 20 would be lower than in the 2004 presidential vote. On the eve of the election, EurasiaNet caught up with one of the prominent presidential candidates, Abdullah Abdullah, to get his impressions of the campaign and the meaning of the election for Afghanistan.

Armenia: Wave of Hacker Attacks Blamed on Azerbaijan, Turkey
BY MARIANNA GRIGORYAN A surge in hacker attacks on several Armenian government and private websites has prompted Armenian information technology experts to demand that Armenia’s Internet security become a matter of state security.

Afghanistan: Uncertainties and Fear Loom Day Before Vote
BY AUNOHITA MOJUMDAR Polling for the second presidential and provincial council elections in Afghanistan will open early on August 20 in a milieu of competing hopes and fears, uncertain logistics and precarious security conditions. The 2009 polls also take place in a state of political flux unprecedented since the forced removal of the Taliban in 2001.

Georgia: IDPs Have Found Homes, but Not Work
A EURASIANET PHOTO STORY BY MOLLY CORSO The Georgian government created housing in a matter of months for the thousands of families displaced by the 2008 war with Russia. But nearly a year later, one key question remains -- how to provide the work these families need.

Uzbekistan: Inflation Worries Prompting Tashkent to Consult Soviet Playbook
Inflation fears are prompting Uzbek officials to resort to an old Soviet trick -- trying to drastically curtail the amount of cash in circulation. Such draconian government measures, however, risk creating a crisis atmosphere, some analysts caution.

Turkey: Educational Reforms Reflect Changing Balance of Power in Ankara
BY NICHOLAS BIRCH Recent educational reforms that make it easier for students at religious schools to attend university have sparked celebration among conservative Turks, anger among secularists, and shrugs of indifference among some education officials who are disgusted with the way politicking has overshadowed what they see as a need for a complete overhaul of the education system.

Afghanistan: Vote May Disenfranchise Women
BY AUNOHITA MOJUMDAR With only three days before presidential and provincial council elections in Afghanistan, the Independent Election Commission is sending out desperate appeals. In nearly a quarter of the country’s provinces, despite repeated pleas, the Afghan institution charged with managing the elections has been unable to recruit enough women to staff polling stations. Female staff members are necessary for searching women coming to vote, an essential part of the security matrix in polling stations across the country. Unless they are recruited -- rapidly -- in many areas women may be unable to cast their vote.

Azerbaijan Mum about Israeli Spy Plane, Satellite Projects
BY SHAHIN ABBASOV A month and a half after Israeli President Shimon Peres’ trip to Azerbaijan, both Baku and Tel Aviv are keeping mum about reported plans for the joint manufacture of reconnaissance planes and satellites.

Turkey: Ankara Grapples with Dropout Conundrum
BY DANIEL KOEHLER At the age of 17, Mazlum is mature beyond his years. He has been contributing to the family income since the age of eight and is known in his predominantly Kurdish neighborhood as a conscientious citizen. Mazlum’s formal schooling, however, is severely lacking. In his third year of primary education, he left school after his teacher hit him for speaking Kurdish on school premises. He can read and write and his Turkish is fluent, but he has been unemployed for a year and has had much more difficulty finding work than his more educated relatives. "I wouldn’t be in this position if I’d stayed in school," he says with visible regret.

Tajikistan: Festival Connects Central Asian Musicians
A EURASIANET SLIDESHOW BY DAVID TRILLING Under sharp shale peaks glowing golden-grey in the mid-summer sun, musicians from four Central Asian countries gathered in Tajikistan’s remote Badakhshan Province recently to perform and exchange their respective musical traditions, and enjoy a slice of watermelon.

Turkey: Is Ankara Trying to Tame the Russian Bear?
BY NICHOLAS BIRCH There is an odd little detail at the back of a 1928 statue depicting Turkey’s founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, standing in Istanbul’s central Taksim Square: found among the adoring crowd of figures surrounding Ataturk, a group dominated by children and peasants, are two stern-faced men with stars on their bronze lapels. They are two Red Army generals Mikhail Frunze and Kliment Voroshilov.

Fergana Valley: Stringent Border Measures Fuelling Tension in Enclaves
BY ALISHER KHAMIDOV A recent clash on the Kyrgyz-Uzbek border is highlighting a simmering social problem found in and around the Fergana Valley’s many isolated enclaves. Public frustration is mounting over the inability of officials in the region to grapple with border-related issues, experts say.

Georgia: Opposition Arrests, Beatings Spark Fresh Controversy
BY MOLLY CORSO Less than one month after Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili pledged to step up democratic reforms, human and civil rights monitors state that a disturbing pattern of arrests, beatings and kidnappings involving opposition members and supporters has developed in Georgia over the past four months.

Russia: Central Asia’s Female Labor Migrants Grapple with Uncertainty
BY WILLIAM O'CONNOR According to some calculations, nearly half of the estimated 300,000 Kyrgyz workers in Russia are female. The number of Tajik and Uzbek women seeking work is growing, analysts say. While the flood of Central Asian men to Russia’s cities in search of work has been well documented, the past few years have also seen a quiet upsurge in female labor migrants.

Kyrgyzstan: US Air Hub at Manas Busier Now than Before
BY DEIRDRE TYNAN The American air hub outside Bishkek may have a new name -- the Manas Transit Center -- but its operational capabilities remain largely unchanged. The new lease agreement covering activities at the American facility does not differ substantially fro