Weekly Digest of Central Asia
BISHKEK (TCA) — The Publisher’s note: Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, Central Asia was the scene of intense geopolitical struggle and the Great Game between the British and Russian Empires, and later between the Soviet Union and the West, over Afghanistan and neighboring territories. Into the 21st century, Central Asia has become the area of a renewed geopolitical interest, dubbed the New Great Game, largely based on the region’s hydrocarbon and mineral wealth. On top of that, the region now is perhaps the most important node in the implementation of China’s One Belt, One Road initiative through which Beijing aims to get direct access to Western markets. Every week thousands of news appears in the world’s printed and online media and many of them may escape the attention of busy readers. At The Times of Central Asia, we strongly believe that more information can better contribute to peaceful development and better knowledge of this unique region. So we are presenting this Weekly Digest which compiles what other media have reported on Central Asia over the past week. KAZAKHSTAN Book review | Dispelling the myths and caricatures that haunt Kazakhstan Eurasianet’s reviewer describes Joanna Lillis’s Dark Shadows as the first serious book about modern Kazakhstan for a general reader Jan 15 — “For all that Kazakhstan is widely touted as an up-and-coming economy, its history, culture and politics remain poorly understood in the English-speaking world. Popular accounts are few and far between, and generally consist either of oily hagiographies of Nursultan Nazarbayev, or well-meaning, self-consciously quirky travelogues by writers who have spent at most a couple of months in the country, and who do not speak a word of Kazakh, or even Russian.” READ MORE: https://eurasianet.org/book-review-dispelling-the-myths-and-caricatures-that-haunt-kazakhstan Kazakhstan: People vs. Police The reputation of Kazakhstan’s police is low and the police force badly needs reform Jan 16 — “A graceful star on the ice and a model citizen away from it, figure skater and Olympic bronze medalist Denis Ten was the antithesis of the streak of rottenness running through Kazakhstan’s law enforcement system. When Ten was fatally stabbed in central Almaty last July while confronting men trying to steal his car mirrors, public opinion turned bitterly against a police force whose standing has long been in the doldrums.” READ MORE: https://eurasianet.org/kazakhstan-people-vs-police Kazakhstan advocates closer ties between EU and Eurasian Economic Union Kazakhstan’s deputy foreign minister says that greater cooperation between the EEU and the EU will allow for the entire Eurasian region’s potential to be fully realized, including Central Asia Jan 17 — “A senior official from Kazakhstan, one of the five members of the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), has called for greater cooperation between EEAU and the EU, ultimately aiming to create a single economic space from the Atlantic to Pacific. A Commission spokesperson, however, was much more cautious and said such relations remain a long-term goal but depend on “political decisions of EU members” and the implementation of the Minsk peace agreement (for Eastern Ukraine).” READ MORE: https://www.euractiv.com/section/central-asia/news/kazakhstan-advocates-closer-ties-between-eu-and-eurasian-economic-union/...
