Our People > Stephen M. Bland

Stephen M. Bland

Senior Editor and Head of Investigations

Stephen M. Bland is a journalist, author, editor, commentator and researcher specialising in Central Asia and the Caucasus. Prior to joining The Times of Central Asia, he has worked for NGOs, think tanks, as the Central Asia expert on a forthcoming documentary series, for the BBC, The Diplomat, EurasiaNet, and numerous other publications. Published in 2016, his book on Central Asia was the winner of the Golden Laureate of Eurasian Literature. He is currently putting the finishing touches to a book about the Caucasus. www.stephenmbland.com

Articles

Culture Freeview Fridays Silk Road Treasures

Silk Road Treasures: A Few of My Favorite Things

Under the banner of "Silk Road Treasures", TCA’s people – journalists, editors, authors – share their personal experiences of Central Asia and her people, and by listing their favorite places, literature, films, art, architecture and archaeological sites, alongside encounters with customs and traditions, provide pointers for readers wishing to visit the region. Stephen M. Bland - Senior Editor and Head of Investigations Architecture: Bukhara - The Kalon Trinity [caption id="attachment_21936" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] The Kalon Mosque, Bukhara; image: TCA, Stephen M. Bland[/caption] From the ninth century Pit of the Herbalists to the Ismail Samani Mausoleum and the bird market, the old town in Bukhara isn’t really about its separate sights, it’s the sum of its parts, the timeless city permeated by an air of antiquity like a window into the past. That having been said, however, the jewel in the crown of Bukhara is the trinity of the Kalon Mosque, Minaret, and the Mir-i-Arab Madrasah. Built as an inland lighthouse for desert caravans, the Kalon Minaret - “great” in Tajik - was probably the tallest building in Central Asia upon its completion in 1127. The third minaret to have been built on this site, previous incarnations had caught fire and collapsed onto the mosque below, officially because of the “evil eye.” Also known as the “Tower of Death,” over the centuries the minaret has seen countless bodies sewn into entrail catching sacks and tossed from its 47-meter-tall lantern. Particularly popular during Manjit times, this practice survived until the 1920s. [caption id="attachment_21937" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] The lantern of the Kalon Minaret, Bukhara; image: TCA, Stephen M. Bland[/caption] Home of the first recorded use of the now ubiquitous blue tile in Central Asia, the 14 distinct bands of the minaret are majestic in the pink evening light, its scale and intricacy remarkable. While the sense of history lingers, everyday life continues unabated at its stout base, and when the heat of the day abates, head-scarfed babushkas sat chit-chatting on the cool stone steps of the Madrassa, while kids kick soccer balls against the ancient stones. Art: The State Art Museum of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, Nukus [caption id="attachment_21939" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Lev Galperin - "On his Knees"[/caption] Once a thriving agricultural center, Karakalpakstan is now one of the sickest places on Earth. Respiratory illness, typhoid, tuberculosis and cancers are rife, birth defects and infant mortality rates amongst the highest in the world. The deliberate destruction of the Aral Sea for irrigation purposes has caused toxic dust storms so vast they are visible from space, ravaging a 1.5-million-kilometre square area. Spreading nitrates and carcinogens, these storms used to hit once every five years, but now come ten times a year. Yet it is in the capital of Karakalpakstan, Nukus, that a remarkable collection of art has survived in part because of its inhospitable location. Risking denouncement as an “enemy of the people,” obsessive Ukrainian-born painter, archaeologist and art collector, Igor Savitsky spirited away thousands of avant-garde pieces banned in the Soviet Union....

1 month ago

Russia Diplomacy Belarus

Kazakhstan Summons Belarusian Ambassador After Lukashenko’s Criticism

In a significant development, Kazakhstan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has summoned the Belarusian Ambassador in response to critical remarks made by Belarusian President, Aleksandr Lukashenko. This incident highlights underlying tensions between Kazakhstan and Belarus - two nations with a shared historical backdrop and intricate political ties – and are emblematic of wider diplomatic rifts across the post-Soviet landscape. Kazakhstan and Belarus have long enjoyed a multifaceted relationship which dates back to their time within the Soviet Union. Both are members of several regional organizations, including the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), which aim to foster economic and political cooperation among former Soviet republics. Kazakhstan ranks second in terms of foreign trade of the Republic of Belarus within the CIS countries, with exports to Belarus totaling $153.07 million in 2023. Since gaining independence in 1991, Kazakhstan and Belarus have navigated their transition to sovereign states with varying degrees of success. After brutally crushing a series of mass demonstrations in 2020-21, Lukashenko’s Belarus has drawn ever closer to its patrons in the Kremlin. Prior to suppressing these protests following what were widely deemed to be rigged elections, Lukashenko was perhaps best known in the popular Western consciousness for his suggestion that Covid could be cured by riding a tractor and drinking vodka. In sharp contrast, in recent years, following the demise of long-standing former-President Nazarbayev and his clique, Kazakhstan has followed a very different trajectory, seeking to rein in corruption, guarantee the rule of law, and adopting a multi-vector approach to its foreign policy as its global standing rises. In this latest incident, the diplomatic strain was triggered by President Lukashenko's public criticism of Kazakhstan. During an interview with Russian state television, Lukashenko stated that: “We are not starting to cheat like some post-Soviet states. They want to take something from Russia, but give nothing in return… It won't work that way… The time is not far away when you will come to the same Russia and ask for support and help. There is no one else to ask... Something happened in Kazakhstan - who was asked? China, India and Pakistan are nearby… No. Here, ‘Putin, Lukashenko – help!’ And we [CSTO troops] were transferred there.” In a statement released following a meeting between Belarusian Ambassador Pavel Utyupin and Kazakhstan’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Murat Nurtleu, Kazakhstan expressed concern over Lukashenko’s statement and offered up a rebuke: “Kazakhstan pursues a balanced and peaceful foreign policy in accordance with the UN Charter and the fundamental norms of international law,” the statement reads. “Our country is firmly convinced that all disagreements between states should be resolved by political and diplomatic means. In the current geopolitical conditions, the foreign policy course of the country developed by the head of state has proven its effectiveness.” The summoning of the ambassador is an oft-used diplomatic tool in addressing grievances, whilst also opening a channel for dialogue and resolution. As members of the EAEU, both countries benefit from mutual trade agreements,...

1 month ago

ISS Space Exploration Baikonur Cinema

Unveiling the Magic: Behind the Scenes of “Baikonur”

Space continues to capture our imagination and inspire our stories, as we try to make sense of this vast final frontier. In the last part of our series on Baikonur, we explore its depiction within cinema. In 2011, German filmmaker, Veit Helmer released Baikonur, a story about space, scavenging and misguided love that was shot within the region. TCA spoke to him about filming in this heavily restricted landscape. TCA: What was the inspiration behind your film, Baikonur? What drew you to this subject matter? Helmer: I was fascinated by the actual place, or what I knew about it; a hidden city with such a glorious past. Whilst researching, I found out about the scavengers who collect the pieces which fall on the steppe when the rockets are heading to space. To tell both stories at the same time intrigued me: space exploration and hunting for scrap metal. TCA: Given you also directed Absurdistan and Tuvalu, would it be fair to say you’re drawn to far-flung places? Helmer: Yes, I love to explore and find locations which haven’t been filmed before. But compared to the locations of my previous films - Tuvalu, which was shot in Bulgaria, and Absurdistan, which was shot in Azerbaijan - to travel to Baikonur was a much longer journey. [caption id="attachment_21684" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] Still from the film, "Baikonur," Alexander Asochakov as "Gagarin" leaving, villagers standing near yurt; image: Veit Helmer[/caption] TCA: As stated in the tagline of your film, “Whatever falls from heaven, you may keep. So goes the unwritten law of the Kazakh seppe. A law avidly adhered to by the inhabitants of a small village, who collect the space debris that falls downrange from the nearby Baikonur space station.” The village scavengers portrayed in your film are based in reality; how did you find out about them, and what was your experience with them? Helmer: It was very funny reading the first review from Kazakhstan, where a young journalist wrote that the film is based on the old Kazakh law “Whatever falls from heaven, you may keep,” which in reality was an invention by my screenwriter, Sergey Ashkenazy. But as this fable seems to feel so real, I never tried to dispel that myth. When writing the screenplay, Sergey and me went to Zheskaskan and the surrounding steppe, talking to the hunters of the scrap metal. It was not an ideal moment, because Roscosmos started to collect the debris themselves and the local villagers’ activity became illegal. The new reality was not villages against each other, but villagers against Roscosmos. [caption id="attachment_21685" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] Still from the film, "Baikonur," Alexander Asochakov as "Gagarin" (center) cleaning assembly hall in Baikonur ; image: Veit Helmer[/caption] TCA: As a Western filmmaker you were granted a unique opportunity to film within Baikonur - what did you observe of the landscape? What were the highlights of this experience? Helmer: There was a saying among the early cosmonauts that the Central Asian steppe was for them...

2 months ago

Baikonur Cold War Space Exploration

Baikonur: An Alternative Journey Into Space

The moon landing is imprinted on the Western collective psyche, but Baikonur is not. Like most children growing up in the U.S., I watched William Shatner on Star Trek, and when we think of space, we think of Neil Armstrong and NASA, not Kazakhstan. However, on April 12, 1961, the first man in space, Yuri Gagarin, took off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in what is now Kazakhstan. Like WWII, however, space is the subject of parallel narratives, and the “Space Race” was an integral part of the Cold War. Baikonur Is a Place of Firsts Baikonur is a place of firsts - the first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, the first dog, Laika, the first higher living organisms to survive a journey to outer space, Belka and Strelka, the first man, Yuri Gagarin, and the first woman, Valentina Tereshkova, all took off from Baikonur. Originally constructed during the Cold War as a missile test site, the area was chosen for several reasons; it’s isolation from densely populated areas and proximity to the equator made it easier to launch rockets, and the flat landscape ensured radio signals would not be disrupted. The battle for control over space between the U.S. and the Soviet Union was both ideological and military in nature. Baikonur was baptized in Cold War misinformation tactics. Located thirty kilometers south of the launch facilities, the closest town was originally known as Tyuratam. In 1961, Soviet officials swapped its name with a town located some 350 kilometers away, “Baikonur,” to misdirect Western intelligence. A fake spaceport constructed from plywood was erected in the “real” Baikonur to deceive enemy spy planes. In the early 1960s, the Soviet Union's covert actions allowed it to advance its space program faster than the United States, which faced public and media scrutiny. While U.S. space missions were broadcast live, exposing any failings, the USSR could operate clandestinely, protecting its missile technology and maintaining a strategic edge. A key example is the R7 rocket used to launch Yuri Gagarin into space; the largest intercontinental ballistic missile of its time, its details were closely guarded. [caption id="attachment_21512" align="aligncenter" width="1622"] Fifty year commemorative stamp of the first woman in space, Kazakhstan, 2013[/caption] “Space Race” Propaganda Another tool of Cold War propaganda was the flight of Valentina Tereshkova, the “First Lady of Space.” Prior to her journey to the stars in June 1963, Tereshkova had worked on an assembly line in a textiles factory. Her parachuting experience with a local paramilitary flying club proved crucial in her selection. In her three-day flight, the every-woman clocked up more space hours than all American astronauts up to that time combined. Tereshkova may have been a propaganda tool dispatched for Western audiences as proof of gender equality in the USSR, but it would be a nineteen year wait for the next female cosmonaut. In 2007, at the age of seventy, Tereshkova volunteered for a one-way mission to Mars. Having turned to politics as her primary concern following her spaceflight, in...

2 months ago

Migrants

Despite Labor Shortages, Kyrgyzstan Continues to Round-Up Undocumented Migrants

Kyrgyzstan is grappling with a severe labor shortage, yet the government continues to crack down on undocumented migrants. Police raids in Bishkek over the past few days have resulted in the detention of 28 Bangladeshi nationals, who face administrative penalties and were fined for working without valid documentation. This crackdown, however, comes despite an urgent need for laborers, the head of the construction agency in the Kyrgyz Republic stating that the construction industry alone urgently needs at least 10,000 workers. The tension between labor shortages and the crackdown on migrant workers has been an ongoing theme of President Japarov’s tenure. Since March, Kyrgyz authorities have intensified efforts to find and deport illegal migrant laborers, with some 1,500 Pakistanis and 1,000 Bangladeshis apprehended. This campaign reflects the nationalist policies promoted by Japarov and his longtime ally Tashiyev, emphasizing Kyrgyz traditions and customs, which have gained them significant popularity. The support of young Kyrgyz men, who are a crucial pillar for Japarov and Tashiyev, is evident in their backing of measures to curb undocumented migration. The situation escalated on May 17-18, when unrest broke out in Bishkek, leading to the hospitalization of 41 people. The unrest underscored splits within the government, with Deputy Cabinet Chairman Edil Baisalov labeling the attackers as "hooligans," while President Japarov defended the actions of "patriotic youth" who demand strict measures against illegal migrants. The violence targeted foreign students and workers, exacerbating tensions and prompting diplomatic concerns, as seen in the meeting between Kyrgyz Deputy Foreign Minister Almaz Imangaziev and a Pakistani delegation discussing the safety of foreign nationals. Despite assurances from the Kyrgyz government that such incidents would be prevented in the future, the crackdown on migrant workers continues, highlighting the complex interplay between labor needs and nationalist policies. President Japarov has vowed swift action against any threats to state integrity, signaling a tough stance on both undocumented migration and internal dissent. This ongoing tension reveals the challenges Kyrgyzstan faces in balancing economic demands with political and social stability.

2 months ago