Stories about Uzbekistan from August, 2007
Uzbekistan: Karimov forever
At Registan.net, Nathan Hamm thinks that Uzbekistan's president Islam Karimov will stay in power beyond his constitutional term.
Uzbekistan: Sarcastic sociologists
Jamiyat doesn't find much else than sarcasm in a recently published opinion poll that says, above all, that the president of Uzbekistan, Islam Karimov, is doing an astonishingly good job.
Central Asia: Amusement parks
You kind of always wanted to visit the ubiquitous amusement parks in Central Asia and the Caucasus, but just never dared to go inside, right? Joshua Kucera takes you on a photo tour.
Central Asia: Clan-tastic
Christine Quirk looks at how clans shape political behaviour and in how far they make it difficult to enfranchise groups who might have different viewpoints or are far down on the clan power structure.
Central Asia: Which port to choose?
As a landlocked region, Central Asia is reliant on other countries’ maritime infrastructure to integrate with world markets. On Registan.net, Kayumars Turkistani evaluates two potential seaports, Gwadar in Pakistan and Chabahar in Iran.
Uzbekistan: Against Tajik plans
Uzbekistan stands out to loose most if Tajikistan was to go ahead with the construction of new hydro-power plants. The two rivers in question, Syr Darya and Amu Darya, provide most of the water for Uzbekistan's cotton sector. Jamiyat wonders about the potential consequences.
Uzbekistan: Are dogs enemies?
Jamiyat says that Uzbeks don't hate dogs, despite recent media coverage claiming the contrary.
Uzbekistan: Helping Russia
Jamiyat writes that Uzbek businessman Gafur Rakhimov has helped Russia win its bid for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.
Uzbekistan: Getting a Tajik visa
Joshua Kucera writes about his ordeal of trying to get a Tajik visa in Uzbekistan's capital Tashkent.
Uzbekistan: Rumours and deception
Information is hard to get by in Uzbekistan. Check out the rumour mill in this week's blogosphere buzz: Will new license plates pave the way for corrupt officials to get nice kickbacks? Has a human rights activist sent a letter from prison? What is the UNDP in Uzbekistan up to?
Kyrgyzstan: SCO summit
The members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) will send their heads of state to Kyrgyzstan next week. While the Kyrgyz bloggers are amazed by the beautification of their capital ahead of the summit, Western bloggers ponder the significance of the SCO's growth.
Central Asia: Cultural intelligence
Nathan Hamm shares his thoughts on a New York Times article which argues that while knowledge of the nomadic social legacies of the Central Asian countries is important, an overemphasis on “cultural intelligence” can lead to misguided and stereotypical policy analysis of the region.
Uzbekistan: Pop music everywhere
Don't like pop music? Don't go to Uzbekistan in the summer, advises Joshua Kucera.
Uzbekistan: Google censoring opposition?
Jamiyat reports that the website of an Uzbek opposition party has been filtered by the Russian version of Google: “Visiting this website may harm your computer.”
Central Asia: Carrying money
Joshua Kucera describes that with the highest denominations being worth less than a dollar, men have to wear fancy leather purses for carrying their money throughout Central Asia.
Uzbekistan: Swiss banker
Craig Murray is not surprised to see a photo of Uzbek president Karimov's daughter and Nathaniel Rothschild, whose family's Swiss banking branch allegedly harbours much of the Uzbek first family's wealth.
Uzbekistan: Uzbeks abroad
Jamiyat collects some media mentions of Uzbeks abroad and finds that almost all of them are highly negative.
