Mubinjon Tadzhiev – Central Asia’s “Fastest” Man Offers a Glimpse into Bukhara’s History
“10.4 seconds on 100 meters and ‘Finish’! You can’t imagine how exceptional it was back then. A sprinter from Uzbekistan!…
Read More
China’s Non-Intervention in Afghanistan
As the current stage of conflict in Afghanistan works its way towards a conclusion, China needs to decide its role…
Read More
The Fight for the Right to Speak Kyrgyz in Kyrgyzstan’s Capital
On October 22, Kyrgyzstani businessperson and political activist Umay Arykova published a video filmed by a young Kyrgyz man at…
Read More
Safer and Fairer: The Value of Cooperative Approaches to Fieldwork
A longer version was originally published on The CESS Blog. Recent commentaries on reflexivity and the role of emotions in…
Read More
Central Asia in Russia’s Afghan Strategy
Moscow’s main goal is to prevent the reemergence of a strong U.S. influence in the region.
Read More
The Growing Influence of the United Arab Emirates in a Complex Central Asian Region
With vast energy sources and favorable geography, Central Asia has been subject to intense rivalries between Russia, China, Iran, Turkey,…
Read More
The Avengers vs the Orcs: Social Media Nuances in Kyrgyzstan’s (Almost) Third Revolution
On 5 October protests against the parliamentary election results in Kyrgyzstan erupted and on the night of the 6th led…
Read More
Four Poems From “A New Diwan (H/T Alisher Navoiy)”
My collection A New Diwan (h/t Alisher Navoiy) is a sequence of 84 short poems inspired by Uzbekistan, its literature…
Read More
Dushanbe’s Potemkin Hotel: Nepotism and Public Integrity in Tajikistan
For over a decade, the empty shell of a multistory hotel has sat vacant on Rudaki Avenue, the central thoroughfare…
Read More
A Troubling Taboo: The Absence of Sex Education in Kazakhstan
Assel was 13 years old when her teacher attempted to educate her about sex. Visibly nervous, the teacher showed the…
Read More