LONDON (TCA) — The latest shift in Kazakhstan’s highest echelons of state power has almost immediately led to speculations concerning the eventuality that the head of state, now 76, but apparently still in good health as opposed to his ailing peer in Uzbekistan, is preparing the ground for his succession. Continue reading
10 years ago
LONDON (TCA) — Will the death of Uzbekistan’s longstanding ruler cause an “Uzbek Spring” with room for more public input and a less oppressive state apparatus, without hollowing out the state itself? As things look, the disappearance of one of the last remaining “Soviet heirs” and his replacement is an affair to be settled within a very narrow circle of men-behind-the-throne. That does not mean, however, that things on a slightly longer term could not change for the better. Continue reading
10 years ago
ALMATY (TCA) — Kazakhstan turned out to be the last Soviet republic to formally declare its independence on December 16, 1991, almost half a year after the bell for the USSR had tolled in Moscow. Although stagnant in the political domain, Kazakhstan made spectacular economic progress into the new century. But it remains exposed to setbacks as weak spots now appear to have remained in place. Continue reading
10 years ago
LONDON (TCA) — Many tend to agree that the story of Kyrgyzstan in post-Soviet times is the most interesting, that of Tajikistan the most hopeless and that of Turkmenistan, “the world’s last aristocracy”, the most boring. What they have in common is historic evidence that the availability of local resources does not generate overall domestic prosperity, and that elite, clan and corruption all have their own agenda. Continue reading
10 years ago
OSH, Kyrgyzstan (TCA) — Early in September, Tajikistan will mark a quarter-century of independence that followed the implosion of the USSR in 1991. Regretfully, Tajikistan represents the most dramatic case, having suffered from an all-out civil war following independence that lasted for most of the decade, and wounds from it still unhealed. The country’s economy is picking up between security problems and internal opposition. Continue reading
10 years ago
LONDON (TCA) — In Uzbekistan, the economy is currently growing thanks to the state’s continuing clout, the country may be at “crossroads” but that is where it can be expected to remain for some time to come. Continue reading
10 years ago
BISHKEK (TCA) — The month of August this year will mark a quarter century of so-called newly independent states following the implosion of the USSR. But transition to so-called market economy has not taken place as expected. The example of Kyrgyzstan, which is the first among post-Soviet Central Asian republics to mark its independence on August 31, demonstrates that the results are mixed. Continue reading
10 years ago
TASHKENT (TCA) — High levels of unemployment remain the main factor in persistent numbers of Uzbek citizens wandering out, mainly to the Russian Federation, looking for better paid jobs. But it looks as though an improving economy is now starting to make it more and more attractive for Uzbek migrant labourers to try their luck at home once more, despite the draconic grip by the state on economic activity and still rampant corruption and extortion. Continue reading
10 years ago
BISHKEK (TCA) — Labour migration is as old as human statehood: ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt and Rome benefited from it. But the process is dynamic with ups and downs accompanying changes in economic patterns. Russia’s economic recovery is thereby good news for those seeking jobs. And it does not necessarily hinder economic development in migrants’ homelands provided their public and private sectors apply the right strategy – as the case of Kyrgyzstan illustrates. Continue reading
10 years ago
OSH, Kyrgyzstan (TCA) — Afghanistan’s Taliban and the dreaded terror organisations Daesh and Al-Qaeda have launched a third offensive against the country’s border area with Tajikistan, following two earlier attempts to take control of the strategic area on Tajikistan’s southwestern border. The geopolitical impact of the place is enormous, and the danger of it falling into enemy hands becomes more and more acute by the day – leaving distant players in the broader conflict wringing their hands – and doing pretty little. Continue reading
10 years ago
