Latest posts by Ben Paarmann from August, 2007
Turkmenistan: Prisoner amnesty
Bonnie Boyd notes that by releasing 11 prisoners who were allegedly implicated in a failed plot to kill his predecessor, the new Turkmen president Berdymukhamedov continues to move in the direction of reform.
Armenia: Bad sports organisation
Nareg on Life in Armenia is unhappy with the way a football game played during 4th Pan-Armenian Games was being organised.
Afghanistan: Western military involved in organised crime?
The editor of a satirical Afghan magazine thinks that Western troops are involved in drug trafficking and the smuggling of Afghan rugs. Is that merely satirical? Sanjar thinks there's a lot of truth in the allegations.
Afghanistan: Fear of kidnapping
Õnne Pärl says that although she has usually not been overly cautious while walking through Kabul, she is now alarmed by the frequent kidnappings of foreigners in Afghanistan.
Kyrgyzstan: Naryn
Ivar Dale takes his readers on a trip to Naryn, on which he meets characters that each tell their story of life in Kyrgyzstan's highest, coldest and poorest region.
Kyrgyzstan: Free trade effects
Ben Maritz says that the flood of cheap Chinese imports into Kyrgyzstan is at least partly responsible for the decimation of the Central Asian country's industrial base.
Tajikistan: Infrastructure development
Ian at Beyond the River says that Chinese infrastructure development in Tajikistan is more likely to win the hearts and minds of the local population.
Kyrgyzstan: Alaa-Chu
Tom Toomey tells the story of Chynara, a Kyrgyz teacher who freed her niece out of the hands of bride kidnappers.
Tajikistan: New legislation
At neweurasia, Madina lists several of the new laws and regulations that were stipulated by the Tajik government recently. Many of them are absurd and remind Madina of an 18th-century caliphate.
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.
Kazakhstan: Sham elections
Arthur concludes that Kazakhstan's parliamentary elections which took place this weekend were seriously flawed, both because of irregularities on voting day itself and, equally important, because of skewed media coverage of the poll's contestants. Plus: Bonnie Boyd writes a great backgrounder on the elections.
Georgia: Special Economic Zones
Social Science in the Caucasus agrees with a columnist that Georgia does not need Free Economic Zones.
Azerbaijan: Soviet Funk
English Russia posts a vintage video of famous Soviet-era singer Muslim Magomaev. The clip, besides showcasing a great example of Soviet funk music, also features a lot of footage of Azerbaijan's capital Baku made during these times.
Afghanistan: Situation in Herat deteriorating
Barnett R. Rubin retells a conversation he had with Homa Sorouri, a student from Western Afghanistan. According to Sorouri, the situation in Herat is deteriorating, and close family friends are affected.
Armenia: Sport fights
Both Zarchka and Onnik Krikorian originally expected to see exciting basketball games when they went to see the matches Glendale-Istanbul and Yerevan-Cairo respectively: But unfortunately, both games, which are part of the 4th Pan-Armenian Games, were the scene of fist fights between the opposing teams, casting a negative shadow on...
Kazakhstan: No surprises
KZBlog reports that the ruling Nur-Otan party of President Nazarbayev has reason to celebrate their landslide in Kazakhstan's parliamentary elections while the opposition is refuting the poll result.
Kyrgyzstan: Post-SCO reflections
Mirsulzhan Namazaliev shares some of his thoughts on the SCO summit which took place in Kyrgyzstan last week.
Tajikistan: Discussing Russian xenophobia
Vadim and his readers at neweurasia discuss the racist murder video which appeared on Russian websites last week (GV reported).
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.
Georgia: Offensive
After the alleged Russian attack on one of its radio stations, Georgia seems determined to move the case up to the UN, reports Joshua Foust at Registan.net.
Armenia: Pan-Armenian Games
Onnik Krikorian visited the opening ceremony of the 4th Pan-Armenian Games, in which 2,500 competitors from communities in Armenia and the Diaspora compete (more photos here).
