Pannier and Hillard’s Spotlight on Central Asia: New Episode Out Now

As Managing Editor of The Times of Central Asia, I’m delighted that, in partnership with the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs, from October 19, we are the home of the Spotlight on Central Asia podcast. Chaired by seasoned broadcasters Bruce Pannier of RFE/RL’s long-running Majlis podcast and Michael Hillard of The Red Line, each fortnightly instalment will take you on a deep dive into the latest news, developments, security issues, and social trends across an increasingly pivotal region. This week, the team will be discussing a series of major developments across the region, from unusual trade figures linking Afghanistan and Central Asia to the expansion of border fencing and fortifications between two Central Asian states. We also look at the arrest of one country's anti-corruption chief on corruption charges, the suspicious death in custody of a man accused of attempted assassination, and Kazakhstan's shifting position on peacekeeper commitments in the Middle East. The episode also explores Turkmenistan's growing role in assisting foreign evacuations out of Iran, before turning to the main story: the war in Iran and the implications it may have for Central Asia, alongside renewed fighting between Afghanistan and Pakistan in some of the heaviest clashes seen since the U.S. withdrawal. On the show this week: Stephen M. Bland (The Times of Central Asia).