Central Asia

Lee Jae-myung, right, of South Korea's governing Democratic Party is trying to mobilize young female voters who oppose the anti-feminist stance of his opponent, Yoon Suk-yeol.   © Reuters
6 March 2022
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Russia's Vladimir Putin meet in Moscow on Feb. 10, two weeks before the invasion of Ukraine. 
International relations

Ukraine war casts Kazakhstan's reliance on Russia in harsher light

Tokayev struggles to avoid angering 'unpredictable' ally -- and his own people

6 March 2022
Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov rides a horse in an Independence Day parade last September. He says it is time to transfer power to "young leaders." 
Politics

Secretive Turkmenistan speeds toward father-son power transfer

March snap election takes observers by surprise in rocky year for Central Asia

17 February 2022
Afghans line up outside a bank to take out their money after the Taliban takeover in Kabul, on Sept. 1, 2021.
Afghanistan turmoil

Biden faces pushback for splitting Afghan assets

President's unusual order on Afghanistan could worsen humanitarian crisis

15 February 2022
"Red Sands," Caroline Eden's travelogue-cum-cookbook focused on Central Asia, is elevated by her passion for her subject, a strong reportorial eye and arresting photography. (Nikkei montage; source photos courtesy of Quadrille Publishing) 
Arts

Books: Central Asian travelogue courts foodies and adventurers

Despite its title, 'Red Sands' is less about deserts than desserts

9 February 2022
Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin discuss plans for Uzbekistan's first nuclear power plant in 2018.
International relations

Central Asia's struggle to keep lights on fuels nuclear ambitions

Blackout-hit Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan eye atom in rush for grid upgrades

5 February 2022
The delayed TAPI gas pipeline promises to link Turkmenistan through Afghanistan to Pakistan and India, but security risks threaten this and other regional connectivity projects.
International relations

India's first Central Asia summit to focus on Afghan risks, trade

Shared security challenges loom over Thursday's talks and port, pipeline hopes

26 January 2022
A shipment of medical supplies from China arrives in Kazakhstan in April 2020. China has pledged an additional 50 million coronavirus vaccine doses to Central Asian countries.
International relations

China offers $500m in aid to Central Asia as Russian clout grows

Beijing rushes to catch up via summit after slow response to Kazakh unrest

26 January 2022
A damaged portrait of former Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev is seen at the city hall in Almaty on Jan. 10, after the country's largest city was rocked by protests.
Politics

Kazakhstan drive to close book on Nazarbayev era gathers pace

President Tokayev sidelines predecessor but true reform remains elusive

23 January 2022
As Eastern Europe edges closer to war, the U.S. and Russia are squaring off as China watches the outcome.
The Big Story

Ukraine crisis highlights superpowers' quarrel over spheres of influence

As Russia and the U.S. focus on Eastern Europe, China is taking notes for Taiwan

19 January 2022
Russian soldiers fold the national flag during a ceremony marking the beginning of the CSTO withdrawal from Kazakhstan in Almaty on Jan. 13.
International relations

Russian-led CSTO's Kazakhstan mission leaves lingering bootprints

Analysts see short deployment putting Moscow's security stamp on Central Asia

15 January 2022
Stream article image
Podcast

Asia Stream: Deconstructing the Kazakhstan Crisis

From mob violence to military intervention, we investigate the unrest in the Central Asian state

14 January 2022
Collective Security Treaty Organization peacekeepers guard an area in Almaty, Kazakhstan on Jan. 11. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
12 January 2022
A man sits on the steps of a building in Almaty on Jan. 9 as a vehicle, which was burnt during mass protests triggered by rising fuel prices, is seen in the foreground. 
Politics

Kazakhstan says has so far detained nearly 8,000 over unrest

Authorities blame violence on 'extremists' and 'terrorists'

10 January 2022
Disinformation from some of Asia's ruling elites can thrive on Facebook, TikTok and Twitter due to inequality-driven distrust and democratic declines, new academic research says. (Source photo by AP and Reuters)
Politics

Viral lies spread democratic decay from Thailand to Nepal: report

Asia needs structural change, not just tech crackdown, USAID-backed scholars say

9 January 2022
A burned car is seen in front of the mayor's office building which was torched during protests triggered by fuel price increase in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Politics

Kazakhstan crisis reveals risk to autocrats from high fuel costs

Strongmen stretch fiscal limits to rein in domestic energy prices

8 January 2022
Kazakhstan is one of the world's top hubs for cryptocurrency mining. (Source photos by AP and Reuters)
Cryptocurrencies

Kazakhstan turmoil slams bitcoin as key mining hub cut off

Internet shutdown and electricity shortages deal blow to world's No. 2 producer

8 January 2022
Russian servicemen board a military aircraft heading to Kazakhstan, at an airfield outside Moscow on Jan. 6.
Politics

Kazakhstan unrest rattles region as Russia steps in: What to know

CSTO intervention raises U.S. eyebrows; China calls turmoil 'domestic affairs'

7 January 2022
A police car burns during a protest against rising fuel costs following the Kazakh authorities' decision to lift price caps on liquefied petroleum gas in Almaty on Jan. 5.
Politics

Kazakhstan: Shots heard as troops, protesters clash in Almaty

Internet down; Central bank decides to suspend all financial institutions

6 January 2022
U.S. Marines are on guard during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on Aug. 20: policymakers in Washington have decided to leave the morass of middle Eurasia to others. (Handout photo from U.S. Marine Corps)
Opinion

2022 look ahead: Central Asia will cement its turn against the West

Expect China and Russia to step in and take advantage

30 December 2021
Although the U.S. Federal Reserve is starting to tighten its grip on credit, other central banks continue their shift to gold, reflecting global concerns about the dollar-based monetary regime.
Datawatch

Central banks accelerate shift from dollar to gold worldwide

More resilient to upcoming rate hikes, holdings rose to a 31-year high in 2021

29 December 2021
A cryptocurrency mining data center in Kazakhstan in November: The national grid operator says the industry's huge appetite for electricity has strained the country's supply.
Cryptocurrencies

Kazakhstan's crypto mining boom fizzles over power supply strain

Miners feel 'scapegoated' for creaky grid, start to shift overseas

28 December 2021
The Soyuz spacecraft carrying Yusaku Maezawa touched down on the steppes of Kazakhstan on Dec. 20. (Captured image from Roscosmos Youtube)
Aerospace & Defense Industries

Japanese billionaire Maezawa returns to Earth after 12-day ISS mission

Soyuz spacecraft carrying three crew members lands safely in Kazakhstan

20 December 2021
The India-funded Chabahar Port in Iran in early 2019. New Delhi wants the site to become a gateway to trade with Central Asia. (Photo by Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
International relations

Spotlight on trade gateway as India hosts talks with Central Asia

Sunday discussions look set to focus on New Delhi-funded port in Iran

18 December 2021
A rice field in Iran's Bushehr province is dry due to drought and unable to produce crops. (Photo by Tala Taslimi)
Agriculture

Drought forces traditional Iranian farmers off their land

Government looks to modernize farming practices, adapt to climate change

10 December 2021