Stories about Central Asia & Caucasus from April, 2011
Armenia: Starlet ‘upset’ about Turkish magazine cover
Ianyan comments on attempts by the Armenian lobby in the U.S. to scandalize the use of a photograph of American-Armenian starlet Kim Kardashian on the cover of this month's Turkish edition of Cosmopolitan magazine. Coinciding with the anniversary of the the 1915 deportation and massacre of ethnic Armenians in the...
Azerbaijan: Overbearing Landlords
Aaron in Azerbaijan recounts two upsetting experiences with renting apartments in Azerbaijan. The blog notes how irritating it can be when landlords appear anytime they want without notice or reason and even decide to stay overnight or impose their own way of keeping things in order.
Afghanistan: Violence against Aid Workers
Joel Hafvenstein reflects on the latest and earlier cases of violence against international aid workers in Afghanistan and says that it’s not quite right to talk about a steady increase in such violence.
Kazakhstan: Elections are over
Christya Riedel analyzes the outcomes of the presidential election in Kazakhstan, noting that they could be called “competitive, unpredictable and exciting” only with a large share of sarcasm.
Azerbaijan: Novruz Bayramı
Novruz, a holiday celebrated in Iran, Afghanistan and other countries, was once again also observed in Azerbaijan on 21 March although festivities started weeks before. This year was no different, and Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) in the former Soviet republic once again commented on the event.
Azerbaijan: Opposition leader's son sent to frontline
whatwaswritten says that the son of an opposition leader in Azerbaijan serving in the army has been sent to the front line following this weekend's protests in Baku, the capital. The post notes that some are alleging the move is part of an attempt to warn the opposition not to...
Azerbaijan: Chaos as Riot Police Intervene in 2 April Protest
Inspired by popular uprising in the Middle East and North Africa as well as continuing the wave of pro-democracy protests in Baku, the last being held on 12 March, the opposition's latest “unsanctioned” rally took place yesterday. Twitter provided coverage of the heavy-handed dispersal.
Kyrgyzstan: Interview with the former tycoon, now a criminal
Sabina Reingold interviews Eugene Gurevich, former director of MGN Group, which was managing most part of the state assets in Kyrgyzstan under the previous president Kurmanbek Bakiev. Gurevich fled the country after the popular uprising in April 2010 and has been recently sentenced in absentia to 15 years in jail.
Tajikistan: Russia raises petroleum prices
Christya Riedel reports that Russia has increased tariffs on oil and oil products exported to Tajikistan, putting the country's farmers at risk as they prepare for the spring planting season. Tajikistan receives 92.5% oil products from Russia.
Uzbekistan: Next on the List of Revolutions?
Last month, Alen Mattich at The Wall Street Journal produced and published an index of likely candidate countries ripe for an upheaval. The fact that Uzbekistan is 15th on the list, while Libya holds the 13th place, has provoked numerous articles in the local online media and in the blogosphere.
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