Stories about Central Asia & Caucasus from July, 2006
Georgia: United National Exams
Ana praises Georgia's new higher education entrance exams, which are designed to limit opportunities for corruption and ensure that students entering higher education institutions are adequately educated and prepared for higher degrees.
Armenia: Hye Superstar
Zarchka reports on the outcome of “Hye Super Star,” Armenia's version of “Pop Idol.”
Georgia: Kodori
Vasili Rukhadze has a detailed and informative post on Georgia's recent capture of the Kodori Gorge from a rebel warlord, noting the significance of the event in Georgian and regional politics. He says that Georgia's success mark the beginning of a new era in Georgian politics.
Azerbaijan: Oil
At neweurasia, Delia explores whether oil revenues will be good or bad for Azerbaijan.
Uzbekistan: Revoked Licenses
The Long and Winding Road has a report on Uzbek pop musicians losing their licenses to perform in public after a journalist accused their lyrics of not being authentic Uzbek poetry and them of being bad musicians.
Kazakhstan: Nuclear Age
neweurasia reports on Kazakhstan's entry into the nuclear age, the construction of several nuclear power plants in partnership with Russia.
Georgia: Abkhazia Tensions Rising
Matt Jay and Sean-Paul Kelly report on the rising tensions between Georgia and the separatist region of Abkhazia.
Afghanistan: Religious Police
Azad Afghan says it is a terrible news that Afghan government decided to create a religious police [Fa]. The blogger adds Afghanistan had already suffered a lot because of religion.
Uzbekistan: Privatization
Ben Paarmann discusses plans for land privatization in Uzbekistan that, he says, will not likely do much to improve the economic situation in the country as it will not include the privatization of agricultural land.
Voices from the Caucasus
Russian tourists rest in the shade in the Novy Afon (New Athos) monastery near the capital of the Georgian breakaway region of Abkhazia – by eurutuf What follows is a roundup of notable blog conversations from the Caucasus that took place over the last week. For a change, how about...
Tajikistan: Intellectual Development
Vadim discusses why Tajikistan placed last in intellectual development amongst post-Soviet states on the World Bank's knowledge index.
Mongolia: Gandhi Statue
For Optimists and Philosophers reports on the unveiling of a Gandhi statue in Ulaanbaatar.
Russia & Armenia: Discriminatory Hiring
Nessuna reports on anti-Armenian discrimination in hiring for jobs in Russia.
Georgia: Excuse to Invade
Matt Jay rounds up news on Georgia's military operations against a local warlord who controls the Kodori Gorge, the only part of the breakaway region of Abkhazia controlled by Tbilisi. The blogger says that the escape of the warlord, Emzar Kvitsiani, into Abkhazia may provide Georgia to invade the region.
Armenia: Military Training
ArmYouth Blog discusses the possible motives for the introduction of military training at younger ages in Armenian schools.
Uzbekistan & Turkmenistan: Langston Hughes
Breed discusses the first reissue of Langston Hughes's 1934 book on his trip to Soviet Central Asia. The book was first published in 1934 and the reprint was created from the only copy known to still exist.
Caucasus: BTC & Israel
Ben Paarmann questions those that claim that controlling the Baku-Tblisi-Ceyhan pipeline and accessing Central Asian and Caspian oil is a hidden motive for Israel in its fighting in Lebanon.
Afghanistan: How to Face Taliban!
Afghan Warrior shares his idea about how Taliban can be defeated. The blogger says there are hundreds of international peacekeeping forces in the big cities but we need their presence more in the troubled areas to ensure security for the Afghans. He writes the increased presence of NATO forces in...
Tajikistan: Ahmadinejad in Tajikistan
Vadim reports on Iranian President Ahmadinejad's visit to Tajikistan and relations between Iran and Tajikistan.
Georgia: Havlabar
Akhtamar of ArmYouth Blog reports from Havlabar, Tbilisi's Armenian Quarter.
Armenia: Open Source
Nessuna reports that the opening of Microsoft's representative office and the passage of a new copyright law may encourage the adoption of open source software by Armenian companies.
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