Stories about Central Asia & Caucasus from December, 2006
Central Asia: Environment
KZBlog looks at several environmental issues in Central Asia, ranging from the decline of the Aral Sea to gas burning in the oil-rich Caspian region.
Turkmenistan: Fair Play
Peter reports, along with pictures, that Turkmen President Niyazov has officially inaugurated a theme park named after himself.
Armenia: Election Update
Onnik Krikorian has the latest updates on the 2007 Armenian parliamentary elections, including the news that a popular war hero got arrested for allegedly plotting a coup d'état.
Central Asia: Clanism
Sean Roberts posts the transcript of his recent speech on clan politics in Central Asia, and James adds his two cents.
Kazakhstan: Norman Foster
Both The Registan and neweurasia report on a new landmark to be built in Kazakhstan's capital Astana – a 150 meter high transparent tent designed by star architect Norman Foster.
Turkmenistan: Death in Exile
At neweurasia, Peter notes the death in exile of an early victim of purges in Turkmenistan.
Uzbekistan: Social Protection
Registan.net reports on the Uzbek president's Constitution Day speech, in which he announced the theme for the new year.
Kazakhstan: Czech Musician
Leila writes about a Czech musician eager to learn about her roots in Kazakhstan.
Armenia: Earthquake Anniversary
Onnik Krikorian marks the 18th anniversary of the 1988 Armenian earthquake that killed 25,000 and continues to impact northern regions of the country.
Voices from Central Asia
Anara – by teokaye Anara is one of the ‘youth at risk’ that took part in the weekend trip. Instead of going to school, she supports her family by collecting plastic bags at Dordoi bazaar, a massive clothing market made up of thousands of containers. Kyrgyz-US relations The killing of...
Armenia: Sad Times for the Media
Onnik Krikorian reports on methods of controlling the media in Armenia and Armenian diaspora communities.
Armenia: Staying Warm
Notes From Hareinik writes about strategies for heating one's home in Armenia.
Kyrgyzstan: Status Revision
Kyrgyz Report says that the shooting of a citizen of Kyrgyzstan by a guard at the US airbase in the country has prompted the country's president to call for a revision of the legal status of the US troops there so they can be tried in Kyrgyz courts.
Uzbekistan: Contentedness
How happy are Uzbeks? Not nearly as happy as a new opinion poll claims they are says Registan.net.
Mongolia: Respect & Customer Service
Using an experience from a hotel in Beijing, Tom Terry discusses how Mongolian authorities could have combined realism and respect for the public in their bungled recent hijacking drill.
Kyrgyzstan: Death at Ganci
Tolkun Umaraliev reports on the shooting of a fuel truck driver by a US Air Force guard at Manas Airport in Kyrgyzstan, which he says could spark anti-American sentiment.
Georgia: New Passport
Kaukasus gives a glowing review of Georgia's new passports.
Kyrgyzstan: Democracy's Failure
Registan.net says that criticizing the supposed adoption of “US-style democracy” for Kyrgyzstan's ills overlooks much more realistic sources of the country's problems.
Armenia: No Anthem
As of today, Armenia has no national anthem. Onnik Krikorian explains why.
Kyrgyzstan: Asian Games
Inga writes about watching the opening ceremonies of the Asian games on Kyrgyz television as well as about some of the athletes from Kyrgyzstan competing in the games.
Armenia: Teaching English
Zarchka writes about her experiences teaching English for the past month in a Yerevan school.
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