Kyrgyzstan’s Eco-City: What are the Chances?
There is no shortage of ambitious projects undertaken now by the government of Kyrgyzstan’s president Sadyr Japarov – a leader who came to power following the popular revolt agains
In the developing world, the true cost of Covid may never be known
Just how many lives have we lost to Covid-19? In large parts of the world, that is a question to which we may never get an answer. Officially, as of August 2021, the global death t
As the U.S finally leaves Afghanistan, China could fill the vacuum
As the last American troops prepare to leave Afghanistan, Taliban militants continue to make gains. The insurgents have escalated their offensive against government forces this wee
Under the cover of Coronavirus, democratic backsliding
Democracy in decline
A new report by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) bears a sombre headline: global democracy has had an awfully bad year in 2020. The index is based on five categories: electoral process and pluralism, the functioning of government, political participation, political culture, and civil liberties.
Ankara & Brussels: Turkey cannot afford a confrontation
Turkey’s economy remains in dire straits. Its currency, the Lira, has lost thirty per cent of its value against the US dollar just this year alone.
All quiet in Turkmenistan
Earlier this month, as his neighbours struggled to contain the coronavirus, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov unveiled a golden statue of a sheepdog. It appeared a typical day in the secretive Central Asian country, where weirdness is the norm to the outside observer.
An end in sight for American presence in Afghanistan?
Last month, as the US presidential election was entering into its final stretch, President Donald Trump received an unexpected endorsement.
Vaccines hopes for Central Asia?
In Central Asia’s battle against COVID-19, might there finally be hope? The region has been hard hit by the pandemic, in part a result of inadequate healthcare, endemic corruption and poor enforcement of public safety measures.