Stories about Central Asia & Caucasus from December, 2011
Kyrgyzstan: Ravshan Jeenbekov and the Facebook Generation
Of all the divides in Kyrgyzstan’s fractious political society, one too often overlooked is the divide between generations. Unlike the famed North/South schism, which manifests itself in elections and street-protests,...
Bethlehem: Armenian and Greek Clergy Clash at Christmas
Armenian and Greek priests have once again clashed, but this time at the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem, much to the astonishment and amusement of social media users worldwide.
Armenia: Activists Demand Controversial Governor's Dismissal
Surik Khachatryan, the governor of Armenia's southern Syunik province, has been making headlines in the last month for all the wrong reasons. No stranger to controversy, activists are now demanding...
Kazakhstan: Reactions to Strike Crackdown as Police Brutality Video Emerges
Clashes in the town of Zhanaozen, Kazakhstan, on December 16-17, 2011, when a labour strike suddenly broke out in violence, looting and arson leaving at least 14 dead and hundreds...
Armenia-Azerbaijan: Garlic Wars
With tensions high between Armenia and Azerbaijan as a result of a still unresolved territorial dispute, the appearance of Azerbaijani garlic in Armenian supermarkets has made some local media hysterical.
Global Voices: Donate Today
2011 has been an extraordinary year for online content. Global Voices has been there as revolutions happened, dictatorships fell, and network effects rippled through the cities and neighborhoods of our...
Kazakhstan: Longtime Strike Bursts into Violence; State of Emergency Declared
As Kazakhstan was preparing for the pompous celebrations of the 20th anniversary of the country's independence, the seven month-long strike of employees sacked from the national oil company's subsidiary in...
Armenia: The British Ambassador's Facebook Diplomacy
An interactive Question and Answer session on Facebook by the British Ambassador to Armenia highlighted both the potential for social media as a tool for engagement as well as some...
Kyrgyzstan: “There Will Be No Winter”
Governments fall, parliamentary speakers come and go, and as one season fades another always begins. That, at least, was what Kyrgyz Internet users thought prior to former presidential candidate Arstanbek...
Uzbekistan: Playing Politics on Facebook
Facebook seems to have started playing an important role in Uzbek politics. However, so far it is more a tool for playing games with fake accounts, rather than an instrument...
Caucasus: Frozen Conflicts, Forgotten Lives?
Marginalized by society and deprived of a voice by the mainstream media, can new media offer an alternative to refugees and IDPs in the South Caucasus?
Video Highlights: Identity, Refugees, Conflict and Open Technology
A selection of Global Voices' recent and interesting stories including video from East Asia, Sub Saharan Africa, Central Asia - Caucasus and Latin America, selected by Juliana Rincón Parra.
Kyrgyzstan: President Inaugurated Amidst Ruling Coalition's Collapse
On December 1, 2011, in a ceremony replete with medieval references, Almasbek Atambayev was sworn in as Kyrgyzstan's fourth president, with cannons sounding a peaceful transition between two heads of...
About our Central Asia & Caucasus coverage
Maxim Edwards is the Eurasia editor. Email him story ideas or volunteer to write.
