Stories about Central Asia & Caucasus from November, 2008
Afghanistan: Explosion in Kabul
Baktash Siawash, Afghan journalist and blogger, wrote that “a suicide bomber killed four Afghans in a blast near Afghanistan's parliament in Kabul on Sunday”.
Armenia: World AIDS Day & the Armenicum Fiasco
Armenia: Higher Education & Sciences prepares its readers for the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day and highlights the situation with HIV infection in the country. The blog also notes...
Armenia: Chess, Karabakh and Turkish Relations
West of Igdir comments on the latest developments in Armenia including a second victory for the country in the International Chess Olympiad, speculation over negotiations to resolve the conflict between...
Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan: Calling Attention to Tragedy
Window on Eurasia writes: “Kyiv’s efforts to call attention to Stalin’s terror famine on the 75th anniversary of that tragedy and especially its moves to gain international recognition of it...
Armenia: Bloggers Throw Funeral at Georgian Embassy
Carrying a black casket labeled “The Newborn Georgian Democracy,” a group of bloggers in Yerevan have marched toward the Georgian Embassy protesting what they call the destruction and desecration of Armenian cultural monuments in neighboring Georgia. Bloggers tell the story.
Georgia: Armenian Church Scandal
With the ever strengthening power of the Orthodox Church in Georgia causing concern for democracy and human rights activists, bloggers were first to report on attempts to seize a derelict Armenian church in the capital, Tbilisi.
Poland, Georgia: The Shooting Incident
A discussion of the shooting incident near the disputed Akhalgori area, which involved the presidents of Georgia and Poland – at the beatroot, here and here.
Russia: Circassian case for self-determination
Paul Goble of WindowonEurasia brings attention to demands of a Circassian youth group to found a Circassian Republic in the North Caucasus, thus increasing the risks of further ethnic tension...
Russia: Murder of Vladikavkaz Mayor
LJ user Zhurnal Cheloveka reports on [RUS] the murder of Vitaly Karaev, mayor of the North Ossetian capital Vladikavkaz.
Armenia: Eurovision Contenders
Esctime.com reports on speculation that Armenia's entry for next year's Eurovision Song Contest will either be U.S. rock band System of a Down or local pop singer Aramé. Meanwhile, in...
Mongolia: Coffee in Ulaanbaatar
Bilguun recommends some nice coffee shops in the capital of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar.
Afghanistan: Rocket Attack in Kabul
Joshua Foust says that reported roadside bomb and a rocket attack in Kabul didn't seem to be burning up the international agencies’ wires.
Afghanistan: Afghan Justice
Patrick Frost reports that the Afghan government has arrested 10 suspects in the Nov. 12 female student and teacher acid attack.
Azerbaijan: Eurovision Concerns
IN MUTATIONE FORTITUDO expresses it concern with recent local media reports speculating who might represent Azerbaijan in next year's Eurovision international song contest. The blog says that public money should...
Afghanistan: Meeting Sayed Pervez Kambakhsh
Nasim Fekrat, an independent Afghan journalist, met with imprisoned journalism student Sayed Pervez Kambakhsh in Pul-e Charkhi prison. He seemed disappointed and desperately waved at me. Only for a few...
Nagorno Karabakh: Compromise Necessary For Peace
Blogian provides background information and analysis on the latest developments in efforts to resolve the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh. The blog says...
Georgia: Junior Eurovision Success
Unzipped comments on this year's junior Eurovision international music competition and says that Georgia's win was well deserved. The blog notes that Russia gave full points to the country it...
Armenia/Azerbaijan: Journalists Under Attack
Beaten in Armenia and imprisoned in Azerbaijan, journalists in the ex-Soviet South Caucasus know the price of freedom. Some of them are even fighting from prison cells, wrestling state persecution and challenging societal intolerance for dissent. Bloggers tell the story of free speech in the South Caucasus.
Kazakhstan: Political Economy and Blocked Blogs
It has been more than a month since Kazakhstan’s telecom monopolist blocked access of the users to Livejournal, the most popular blog platform in the Central Asian country. At the...
Afghanistan: A Slice of Life at FOB Kalagush
Not your typical embed: Andrew Klavan spent a few days with Forward Operating Base (FOB) Kalagush. It's quite well-written: despite the requisite Kipling shout outs (though they make much more sense here, this being the literal setting of a famous Kipling novel and actual biography), he explains well the challenges the U.S. faces.
Afghanistan: Mired in Combat
An interesting pair of stories in the New York Times illustrate brilliantly just how complex the problems facing the United States in Afghanistan and Pakistan really are. The first is CJ Chivers' look at an embattled outpost in Nuristan...
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