The Central Asian republics have been shaped by the personality of their leaders since their independence from the Soviet Union. From Kazakhstan’s Nursultan Nazarbayev to Uzbekistan’s Shavkat Mirziyoyev, they all have developed…
Category: English
Samarkand University, the latest victim of Uzbekistan’s Timurid craze
Samarkand State University in Uzbekistan will soon celebrate its 600th anniversary despite not being even a century old. The higher education institution is the latest example of Uzbekistan’s efforts to identify with…
Prime Minister in Kyrgyzstan, a temporary job
On June 17 the Kyrgyz parliament confirmed Kubatbek Boronov as the country’s new prime minister. As a result, Boronov has become Kyrgyzstan’s 21st prime minister, a surprising high number of heads of…
Border disputes: old and new reactions
As recent border clashes in Central Asia have shown, the old-fashioned blame game is still being used by the parties involved in such events. However, a proactive diplomatic approach spearheaded by Uzbekistan…
What lies behind Dariga Nazarbayeva’s dismissal?
The removal on May 2 of Dariga Nazarbayeva, daughter of Nursultan Nazarbayev, by president Tokayev from her roles as senator and chair of the Senate came as a surprise. As many things…
Surnames and individual freedoms in Tajikistan
On April 29, the Tajik lower chamber, the Assembly of Representatives, passed a bill banning bans Russified family names and patronymics for newborns. This can be interpreted as a nationalistic move but…
Imposing the state language through fines in Uzbekistan
A draft bill in Uzbekistan that introduces fines for those civil servants not using Uzbek is the latest development involving language and nationalism in Central Asia, a region that is still coming…
Tajik and Turkmen migrant workers susceptible to ISIS
Coronavirus has introduced mass instability worldwide and can have especially dangerous political effects in regimes that do not acknowledge the presence or threat of the pandemic. Undoubtedly, coronavirus has had a significant…
Presidential elections next for Tajik president’s son?
Tajikistan is making the headlines these days for coronavirus-related news. Or lack of to be more accurate. The country is one of the few in the world that claims it has no…
Uzbekistan’s coronavirus measures disproportionately affecting its at-risk populations
Most of the countries in Central Asia have taken strict and swift measures to battle the COVID-19 pandemic. Uzbekistan reported its first cases of the virus on March 15th and responded with…
Football in times of coronavirus
Sports, like many other aspects of everyday life, have come to a standstill in the world as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Football junkies have no other option but to re-watch…
The growing importance of English in Uzbekistan
As Uzbekistan becomes more open, Uzbeks, especially university students, are embracing the United States and the rest of the Western world. The most effective and beneficial way young Uzbeks are welcoming and…
After senator, what is next for the Tajik president’s son?
On March 27 an important event took place in Tajikistan’s power structure that did not attract much attention amid the coronavirus pandemic. The president’s son, Rustam Emomali, took another step in his…
Ashgabat, the apple of the regime’s eye
The latest developments in Turkmenistan as a result of the coronavirus have demonstrated once again that the capital, the marbled pride and joy of the regime, takes priority over the rest of…
What is in a name? The (re)naming of cities in Central Asia
For centuries, London has been London, Paris has been Paris and Rome has been Rome. Despite revolutions, wars and upheavals, the names of those cities have remained the same after evolving naturally…
Turkmenistan and Tatarstan, more than just a special relationship
On February 17th Turkmenistan’s new Minister of Industry and Construction Operations paid a visit to the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan, part of the Russian Federation. This in itself should not…
The Shaybanids, Central Asia’s last great dynasty
Timur, or Tamerlane as he is also known, has monopolised a large part of Central Asian history, overshadowing other fascinating characters and periods that shaped the region. His historical significance, coupled with…
With detainees avoiding deportation to China, is Kazakhstan’s approach to Xinjiang changing?
In the last days, three ethnic Kazakh Chinese citizens have avoided deportation back to China after fleeing Beijing’s repressive campaign in Xinjiang. While these are positive developments, questions remain on the reasons…
A majolica façade: Central Asia’s fabricated political parties
In the last weeks, the Uzbek people have gone to the polls to elect their representatives for the Oliy Majlis, the lower house of parliament. The nation was able to choose between…
Nazarbayev, Kazakhstan’s face to the world
Nursultan Nazarbayev formally gave up power on March 2019 but it is no secret that the former president has been pulling the strings in the background ever since. While his involvement in…
Interview with Carlos Hernández, a Spanish journalist inside Turkmenistan
Carlos Hernández (Madrid, 1969) is an award-winning Spanish journalist with a wide international experience. Recently he has become one of the few foreign journalists that has been able to enter Turkmenistan incognito….
Graphomania among the Central Asian leaders
It is not uncommon for politicians to write books. Once they have left the reins of power, one can expect them to write their memoirs in which they justify their past deeds…
The Barber of Ferghana
The governor of the province of Ferghana, in Uzbekistan, has been caught once again in his crusade against beards and Islamic attire just months after he was reprimanded by the Senate. In…
Nazarbayev, not settling into retirement
In an unexpected move that confirms problems in the ruling elite, former president Nursultan Nazarbayev has decided to grant himself new powers at the expense of the current head of state, Kassym-Jomart…
Tajikistan, a tool in China’s security policy
During the second week of August, Chinese troops openly carried out military drills together with their Tajik counterparts in southern Tajikistan. A situation which would have come as a surprise a decade…
Atambayev, another power junkie in Kyrgyzstan
On the 8th of August, Kyrgyz security forces detained former president Almazbek Atambayev in his residential complex in the outskirts of Bishkek after failing to do so the previous day. The official…