Stories about Central Asia & Caucasus from September, 2008
Afghanistan: The Battle of Ashgabat
Joshua Foust links to the Columbia Journalism Review piece on the shootout in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, where a group of alleged radical Islamists entered in a clash with...
Afghanistan: Weapons of Insurgents
Nasim Fekrat reports on the fact that the Taliban insurgents use US-made Stinger anti-aircraft guided missiles. Just a few weeks ago, there was a deadly US helicopter crash caused by...
Armenia: Victor Hambartsumian Remembered
Armenian Higher Education & Sciences comments on government plans to commemorate the work of leading scientist and astrophysicist Victor Hambartsumian who died in 1996. The blog notes that the traditional...
Armenia: Pro-Government Youth Group Formed
Unzipped comments on stumbling upon what looks like the start of a series of anti-smoking actions staged by a new pro-government youth movement. The blog says that Miasin appears to...
Georgia: Rock for Peace
This is Tbilisi Calling comments on Friday's free concert held in the Georgian capital by Canadian soft rock star Bryan Adams. The blog by British journalist Matthew Collin says the...
UK: Azerbaijani Gay Artist Deported
Unzipped: Gay Armenia reports that gay Azerbaijani artist Babi Badalov has been deported from the United Kingdom to Azerbaijan. The blog also says that faced with protests, the British Midlands...
Russia-Georgia: The Spoils of War
Robert Amsterdam writes about alleged war profiteers following Russian troops into Georgia.
Russia-Georgia: Reflections on Russian Military Operations
Wu Wei reflects upon the Russian military operations against Georgia following the escalation in South Ossetia into full-scale war and poses questions about mistakes made on both sides.
Russia-Georgia: Arkady Babchenko interview
From the Frontline directs attention to a translation of an interview from Neue Zürcher Zeitung with Russian Novaya Gazeta journalist and photographer Arkady Babchenko about his coverage of the war...
UK: Azerbaijani Gay Artist's Deportation Update
Unzipped: Gay Armenia reports that following pressure on Azerbaijani Airlines, the details of Azerbaijani artist Babi Badalov's deportation from the UK have been changed. The blog calls on concerned individuals...
Armenia: Turkish Visitors
Unzipped quotes news reports saying that 300 Turkish citizens visited the Genocide Memorial and Museum in Yerevan on the sidelines of this month's World Cup qualifying football match between Armenia...
UK: Gay Azerbaijani Artist Faces Deportation
Unzipped: Gay Armenia reports that gay Azerbaijani artist Babi Badalov faces deportation from the U.K. this weekend. The blog has chronicled concerns about the persecution of people such as Badalov...
Armenia: Competing Opposition Ideologies
Unzipped comments on statements from the leader of the Marxist party in Armenia that God and Russia are considered to be the solution to the problems faced by most of...
Mongolia: First Paralympic Gold
Bilguun reports that Baatarjav Dambadondog brought the first Paralympic Gold medal for Mongolia in Men's Individual Recurve.
Kazakhstan: National Football Team's Coach Sacked
Adam reports that Kazakhstan football federation decided to fire Dutch coach Arno Pijpers and replace him with a German one.
Tajikistan: The Host with the Most Problems
Patrick Frost, in the wake of the Dushanbe’s Shanghai Cooperation Organization 2008 summit, analyzes the difficult situation in Tajikistan, citing energy crisis, political instability and poverty.
Tajikistan: More than $1 Billion Funnelled Out
Ian writes that continuing controversy over nontransparency of Talco, the Tajikistan's leading enterprise that produces aluminum, and how it diverted more than a billion dollars abroad into some private hands.
Turkemenistan: Real Street Battle. Imaginary Islamists?
Kayumars Turkistani reports on the alleged overnight battle between government forces and “Islamic Militants” in the capital of Ashgabat, which resulted in approximately 20 policemen killed in the battle.
Afghanistan: Herat Bombing
Azar Balkhi reports that a rival tribes provocation allegedly was behind the US air-strikes which killed up to 90 civilians in a village in western Afghanistan.
Russia: BP gets off scots free?
Steve LeVine of The Oil and The Glory comments on the apparent reasons why BP seems to have reached an agreement on its Russian assets in TNK-BP.
Azerbaijan: Gay Artist Detained in UK
Unzipped: Gay Armenia reports that gay Azerbaijani artist Babi Badalov has been detained by British police. Badalov is currently seeking asylum in the United Kingdom and the blog posts details...
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