Stories about Central Asia & Caucasus from June, 2006
Uzbekistan & Kazakhstan: Cars as Indicators
neweurasia writes on cars as social, political, and economic indicators in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
Afghanistan: An American Soldier
AfghaniDan, a US soldier in Afghanistan, talks about his experience & daily life in this country. The blogger writes “the gardens in the governor's compound give you a good idea of how different life is for the power brokers in Afghanistan, much like anywhere else for that matter. People may...
Afghanistan: Militias
Afghan Warrior discusses the Afghan government's plan to recruit tribal militias and argues that it is the wrong direction for Afghanistan.
Mongolia: Omnogovi
Luke Distelhorst has photos of a recent trip to Omnogovi, Mongolia, where he went to help install equipment for a radio station.
Armenia: Notes from the Blogosphere
Onnik Krikorian carries a roundup of discussions in the Armenian blogosphere.
Kazakhstan: The Week in Review
Leila of neweurasia rounds up the week on their Russian language Kazakhstan blog in English.
Armenia: Dual Citizenship
Christian Garbis writes about dual citizenship in Armenia and the Armenian diaspora. He asks why some people want Armenian citizenship when the only major difference between that and special residency status is the right to participate in politics.
Armenia: Businesses Threaten to Close
Christian Garbis writes that the appreciation of the Armenian dram has led some Armenian businesses to threaten to close up in Armenia and move to neighboring countries.
Kazakhstan: OSCE Chairmanship
Adam Kesher of neweurasia writes about Kazakhstan's bid for the OSCE chairmanship in 2009 (RUS).
Mongolia: Protest Claims Life
Yan notes that a protester in Mongolia has died after a confrontation with security forces. The protest was over mining issues and Yan says that the ongoing public debate over mining in Mongolia could stand to be more civil.
Georgia: The Paradox of Choice
Sue of SueAndNotU writes about Georgia's regional food specialties and remarks that the constant availability of foods in the United States denies Americans some of the great pleasures of unavailability.
Turkmenistan: Scorned
Peter says that Turkmenistan's president has lost patience with foreign powers making plans for his country without consulting him and notes that this is translating into opportunities for Russian and Chinese companies.
Kazakhstan: Freedom House
Ben Paarmann looks at Freedom House's assessment of Kazakhstan and finds it lacking.
Kazakhstan: Kazcosmos Guest Workers
Leila of neweurasia translates a Russian language post about Kazakhstan's entry into the space industry. The country has launched two of its own satellites from its launching facilities at Baikonur and now it has plans to woo foreign aerospace professionals to work in Kazakhstan.
Armenia: A320 Crash Investigation
Nessuna notes that the analysis of the black box from the Armenian jet that crashed near Sochi recently is finished, but says that it does not answer all the questions about the crash. She also says that the results of the investigation should be public.
Turkmenistan: Local Elections
Peter of neweurasia discusses the upcoming local elections in Turkmenistan and their potential significance as a sign of limited democratization.
Armenia: Interview with Christine Allison
Onnik Krikorian interviews Christine Allison, a researcher curently in Armenia studying the oral history traditions of Kurds.
Kazakhstan: Sarsenbaev Public Hearing
Aldiyar reports on a public hearing on the conclusions of the preliminary investigation into the murder of the Kazakh opposition politician Altynbek Sarsenbaev.
Armenia, Georgia: Tourism Promotion
Onnik Krikorian discusses Georgian and Armenian plans to promote tourism to their countries to Western audiences.
Armenia: Stale Bread Strategy
Irina Petrosian writes about the use of the “strategy of stale bread” in Armenia that shopkeepers use to create loyal customers.
Uzbekistan: The Coke Wars
Ben Paarmann discusses the latest round in the wrangling over Coca-Cola in Uzbekistan. The country's bottling company was formerly owned by the former son-in-law of the country's president, and the former owner is now suing Coca-Cola for not backing him when the Uzbek government took his stake in the country...
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