Nathan Hamm · October, 2006

Latest posts by Nathan Hamm from October, 2006

Kyrgyzstan & Azerbaijan: Pollution

  19 October 2006

Ben Paarman notes that Kyrgyzstan's Mailuu Suu has been listed as one of the ten most polluted sites on earth by a US environmental group. Elsewhere in Central Asia and the Caucasus, a site in Azerbaijan makes the list.

Turkmenistan: Monument to Irony

  19 October 2006

Registan.net notes that Turkmenistan's president has unveiled a building shaped like a book that is a gift to the country's media and dedicated to free media. The author notes that this is quite an irony as independent journalists are a rarity in Turkmenistan.

Kazakhstan: R&D

  18 October 2006

Ben takes a look at Kazakhstan's pledge to boost research and development spending to 5% of GDP by 2012 and says that for the spending to have its promised impact, it will have to be accompanied by structural reforms.

Afghanistan: Getting There

  18 October 2006

The latest edition of “Ask Carpetbogger” informs readers on how one gets to Afghanistan. As an added bonus, there's a post on buying carpets in Kabul that also discusses the deteriorating situation in the country.

Mongolia: Drinking Water

  18 October 2006

At A Year in Mongolia, Alexa discusses an impressive-sounding World Bank proposal for increasing access to and affordability of water in Mongolia only to find out that the same plan tried elsewhere achieved little.

Central Asia: IMT Phony?

  17 October 2006

A Tajik official has claimed that the Islamic Movement of Turkestan is merely a fabrication of the Uzbekistani government. Sean Roberts analyzes the news and whether or not the IMT likely exists.

Armenia: No Visa

  16 October 2006

Notes From Hareinik reports on what it calls “corruption…in play” possibly leading to the denial of visas to those behind Yerevan's popular New Delhi restaraunt.

Georgia: Making Their Case

  13 October 2006

Registan.net discusses the savviness of Georgia's president in making the country's case and gaining sympathy in the West that enhances its power in its ongoing conflicts with Russia.

Armenia: Genocide Bill Fallout

  13 October 2006

Blogrel outlines some of the impacts and consequences of the passage of France's law against denying the Armenian genocide. While the author is happy the bill passed, he hopes that it ultimately fails in the interests of free speech.