Stories about Central Asia & Caucasus from August, 2010
Armenia-Azerbaijan: More dialogue through film
With national television in Armenia and Azerbaijan controlled by the authorities or government-linked individuals, there is little opportunity for independent reporting. Now more objective and human interest stories can be found on the Internet.
Turkmenistan: WikiLeaks-like service in demand
Turkmenistan is a society so veiled in shadows that one wonders whether its own leaders believe in the government’s propaganda. For this reason, the country desperately needs a service like...
Kazakhstan: Does Astana Need Central Asia?
Megakhuimyak analyzes statistics and comes to a conclusion that Kazakhstan does not have strategic trade or investment interests in Central Asia, while the region itself turns out to be a...
Kazakhstan: Prison Riots
KZBlog writes about the disturbing news from Kazakhstan’s prisons, where – more and more frequently – inmates mutilate themselves or stage riots, claiming that they are routinely beaten and tortured.
Kyrgyzstan: Southern politician opposes central government
Nathan Hamm reports that Melis Myrzakmatov, the mayor of Osh, the largest city in the south of Kyrgyzstan, and a thorn in the side of the new government since it...
Afghanistan: Parliamentary Election Update
Joshua Foust provides an update on the upcoming parliamentary election in Afghanistan, specifying numerous worrying instances of violations and abuses of state resource by candidates, campaign staff, and government employees.
Afghanistan: The Helmand Food Zone Fiasco
Joel Hafvenstein writes about the British “Food Zone” program, which was considered to be a better effort comparing to other counternarcotics activties in Afghanistan. But “when examined closely, there’s no...
Turkmenistan: The former ruler's golden statue removed
M reports that the golden statue of Turkmenbashy, the country’s first dead President, atop the Arch of Neutrality was quietly pulled down in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, this week.
Kyrgyzstan: Economic roots of inter-ethnic clashes
Elina Galperin reflects on the possible economic reasons of the recent inter-ethnic clashes between Uzbeks and Kyrgyzs in the southern regions of Kyrgyzstan.
Armenia-Azerbaijan: Unbiased e-media coverage call for projects
There are just three days left until the deadline passes for the Eurasia Partnership Foundation's unbiased e-media coverage project for Armenian and Azerbaijani journalists and bloggers. Global Voices Online will...
Azerbaijan: Lilit
Gulara Azimzadeh's blog [AZ/EN/RU] reflects on a meeting between Armenia and Azerbaijani youth at an event in Georgia. In particular, she writes, although nationalists and a rhetoric of hatred exists...
Azerbaijan: Bloqosfer 2010
A site for Bloqosfer 2010 [AZ] to be held in Nabron, Azerbaijan, on 10-12 September has been launched at http://www.bloqosfer.com/2010. The hashtag #bloqosfer10 is used on Twitter.
Caucasus: Armenia, Azerbaijan risky countries to surf the Net
Writing on the AVG blog, the anti-virus company's chief research officer says that Armenia and Azerbaijan are the third and fourth most risky places to surf the web. Although the...
Armenia: LGBT blogger responds to radio station
Unzipped: Gay Armenia responds to an open letter published by a local radio station considered by many to be guilty of homophobia despite funding from international donors to spread European...
Armenia: Suicide soldier
Following the recent suicide of an officer in the Armenian army who is believed to have suffered from victimization and intimidation from fellow soldiers, Unzipped posts a photograph of graffiti...
Azerbaijan: An impossible dream?
The Önər Blog [AZ] ponders the state of the economy and society in oil-rich Azerbaijan, considering that the government doesn't offer any real hope for the future. While many are...
Azerbaijan: Reflections on Ramadan
Aaron in Azerbaijan, a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) blog, reflects on how Ramadan is observed in Azerbaijan. Although a secular republic, with many people not observing fasting, the blog...
Armenia: Homophobic radio station rewarded?
Having already warned against increasing levels of homophobia in society, including that recently shown by a local radio station in a project ostensibly meant to promote European integration and values,...
Caucasus: Observations on Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia
Fearcuairt contrasts the three South Caucasus countries and says that Georgians consider themselves part of Europe, Azerbaijanis feel part of Asia, and Armenians view themselves as a mixture of both....
Armenia-Azerbaijan: Dialogue through film
The free flow of information between Armenia and Azerbaijan since independence is obviously problematic given the still unresolved conflict over Nagorno Karabakh, but can new media move in to fill the gap?
Turkmenistan: Despite its wealth, govt owes money
Ekspeditsiya writes about Turkmenistan's request to China for a $4.1 billion loan to develop the huge and untapped gas field.
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