Radical Islamic militants from Central Asia have ceased to be a local phenomenon. They have become a kind of ‘jihad academy’.

The recent unprecedented events in Uzbekistan proved, that Karimov's system is disintegrating and manoeuvres for succession are well underway.

The collapse of the USSR brought about conditions conducive to the dynamic development of relations between Central Asia and China. These relations have evolved from deep mistrust to the continually growing Chinese presence primarily in…

The Customs Union summit revealed crisis of the Russian project of integration instead of success, which is so desired by the Kremlin before EaP summit in Vilnius

The President of China, Xi Jinping, toured Central Asia between 3-13 September, visiting Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and finally Kyrgyzstan, where he took part in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit. It was the first…

In 2009, Vladimir Putin, the then Russian prime minister, gave impetus to the establishment of closer relations within what was then a still narrow group of three countries: Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus. Close co-operation is expected…

The deportation from Italy of the wife and daughter of the wanted Kazakh opposition figure Mukhtar Ablyazov, in violation of the official arrest procedure, has led to a scandal that threatened to bring down the Italian government. The…

On 26 June president Almazbek Atambayev signed the law which terminated the agreement signed with the US relating to the use of the Manas Transit Centre. The law was adopted amid an atmosphere of intense American-Russian rivalry in…

The launch of gas production in Tajikistan (possibly at a level of several billion m³ annually) will be of fundamental significance for the country and will change the balance of power which has thus far been in place in…

In recent months the situation in Kyrgyzstan has systematically deteriorated and over the last two weeks violent protests have been held both in the north and south of the country. Despite the growing internal problems and further…