Politics

A cryptocurrency mining company's data center in Kazakhstan on Nov. 6: Such operations have fueled an "abnormal" rise in the country's energy demand.
Cryptocurrencies

Crypto influx from China pushes Kazakhstan toward nuclear power

Energy-rich nation, now the No. 2 currency miner, is suddenly thirsty for juice

24 November 2021
A train leaves Kars train station on the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway connecting Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan. Turkey looks to access Azerbaijan through a shorter route that cuts across Armenia. (Anadolu Agency)
Transportation

All-Turkic corridor heralds rise of new Eurasian political bloc

Turkey-led group has potential to disrupt Russia-China power balance

17 November 2021
The leaders of the Organization of Turkic States (formerly the Turkic Council) begin discussions in Istanbul on Nov. 12. 
International relations

'Turkic world' wants a voice in the new global order

Erdogan-led bloc vies for influence with China and Russia in Central Asia

13 November 2021
Armenian kids walk the dusty backstreets of Yeraskh. (Photo by Hugh Bohane)
International relations

Nagorno-Karabakh war wounds still open a year after ceasefire

Armenians say small arms fire still the norm near Azerbaijan border

10 November 2021
Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has presided over economic -- but not political -- liberalization.
Politics

Uzbekistan election spotlights economic reforms, static politics

Popular leader Mirziyoyev considered a shoo-in with no room for real opposition

22 October 2021
The cargo center in Termez in southern Uzbekistan is a base for trade with Afghanistan. The Uzbek government has proposed extending a railway from there to as far as the southern Afghan city of Kandahar. (Photo by Yohei Ishikawa)
Interview

Afghanistan should be regional trade hub, says top Uzbek senator

Politician Safoyev says neighbor needs north-south transport corridor

21 October 2021
A man rides in a car filled with produce Oct. 18 at a market in Kabul. Afghanistan faces an economic collapse due in part to inflation and a weak currency.
Afghanistan turmoil

Afghanistan faces 30% economic slump under Taliban rule: IMF

Neighboring countries likely to bear financial burden of refugee crisis

20 October 2021
Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Japarov has steadily strengthened the power of his office over the past year.
Politics

Kyrgyzstan faces 'hard winter' as Japarov marks 1 year at helm

President's power grows while analysts warn on freedom and living costs

15 October 2021
Central Asian states, already known for restrictions on online dissent, are clamping down further.
Politics

Big Brother-style internet controls expand in Central Asia

New Kazakh and Kyrgyz laws raise fears for press and personal freedom

26 September 2021
Afghans walk on a street in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 22.
Afghanistan turmoil

Resurgent Taliban and shaken economy upend life in Afghanistan

Heavier reliance on opium production and drug trade likely as international aid ceases

30 August 2021
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and his government have launched an ambitious diplomatic campaign aimed at stabilizing the region around Afghanistan. (Source photo by Reuters)
Afghanistan turmoil

Pakistan lobbies neighbors to push for inclusive Afghan government

Islamabad ready to offer recognition if Taliban forms multiethnic regime

26 August 2021
On Afghanistan, "we should act together as an international community, both the Muslim and non-Muslim world," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tells Nikkei. (Photo courtesy the Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Interview

Turkey to decide on Taliban recognition after government forms: foreign minister

Cavusoglu warns nation 'cannot shoulder wave of refugees,' calls for EU cooperation

19 August 2021
Taliban forces patrol a street in the western Afghan city of Herat on Aug. 14.
Afghanistan turmoil

Taliban capture major city in northern Afghanistan, draw closer to Kabul

Capital packed with rural refugees, while Western troops evacuate embassies

15 August 2021
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, left, and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi attend a summit in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on July 16. Afghanistan's neighbors are calling for greater economic assistance to the country.
17 July 2021
Joint Russian-Tajik drills near the Afghanistan border: Moscow has sought to strengthen its 201st military base in Tajikistan, its largest facility in Central Asia.
International relations

Russia fortifies Central Asia military clout before US Afghan exit

Moscow plays up terrorism but experts see possible American bases as motivator

27 May 2021
Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet in Moscow on Feb. 24: They are due to meet again in Sochi.
International relations

Fresh off gold mine seizure, Kyrgyzstan president heads for Russia

Problems pile up for Japarov as Tajik border dispute simmers after deadly clashes

24 May 2021
U.S. forces and Afghan commando patrol Pandola village in the Achin district of Jalalabad, east of Kabul, Afghanistan. 
International relations

Afghan pullout raises fears in US of China's 'unfettered access'

Pentagon admits 'number of countries' have potential to exercise influence

23 May 2021
Combines harvest a wheat field in Kazakhstan: The issue of land ownership is extremely sensitive in the country.
Politics

Kazakh ban on foreign farmland sales fails to quell China distrust

Defiant opposition ready for new protests despite getting its way

14 May 2021
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attend a joint news conference in Istanbul on Apr. 10: they reaffirmed their strategic partnership.
Opinion

Erdogan and Putin battle it out for control of the Black Sea

Tussle adds to growing list of places where the veteran strongmen are squaring off

26 April 2021
A man receives a COVID-19 vaccination in Germany: Currencies in countries where vaccine rollouts have made progress have fared better than those where they have lagged.
Markets

Coronavirus vaccination rate now on investors' radar

Pound and dollar rise as vaccines boost give UK and US economies

18 April 2021
In this Sept. 11, 2011 file photo, U.S. soldiers sit beneath an American flag raised to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks at Forward Operating Base Bostick in Kunar province, Afghanistan.
International relations

Top US envoy Blinken makes unannounced visit to Afghanistan

Trip comes a day after Biden announced all remaining US troops will leave country

15 April 2021
Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Japarov votes in the constitutional referendum in Bishkek on April 11.
Politics

Kyrgyz referendum grants Japarov full power: preliminary results

Armed with revised constitution, president faces pressure to keep promises

12 April 2021
Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov takes part in his inauguration ceremony in Bishkek in January. Just a few months earlier, he was in a jail cell.
Politics

Kyrgyzstan power play culminates in Sunday constitution vote

President Japarov poised to gain virtually total control in 'huge shift'

10 April 2021
An Azerbaijani flag on an oil platform in the Caspian Sea: Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan reached a deal in January to jointly develop a Caspian Sea oil field.
International relations

Turkey's Central Asia tug-of-war with Russia intensifies

China and US also active in pursuing resources and regional clout

9 April 2021
Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov arrives for the Japanese emperor's enthronement in 2019: His succession plans are stirring speculation as his son rises through the ranks.
Politics

Is Turkmenistan's secretive presidency becoming a family affair?

Son of Berdymukhamedov 'the protector' rises amid political and economic changes

27 March 2021