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
Protests in Kazakhstan: From Tariffs to Transition of Power
There’s no official statistics regarding the number of protests in Kazakhstan — the only source of information is publications in the media and data provided by non-governmental organisations
Dec 16 — “On September 19, at the OSCE human dimension implementation meeting, a representative of the General Prosecutor’s Office of Kazakhstan, Azamat Sargazin, reported that the country had faced over 750 protests with over 25 thousand participants. “Moreover, more than 86 per cent of these protests were held spontaneously, without any authorisation from local executive bodies. However, less than 3 per cent of the total number of participants was brought to administrative responsibility by court,” he said (as cited from Azattyk).” READ MORE: https://cabar.asia/en/protests-in-kazakhstan-from-tariffs-to-transition-of-power/
Parliamentary campaign in Kazakhstan: start without start
Regardless of the timing, the next parliamentary elections in Kazakhstan will be held in the new political environment
Dec 18 — “The political process in Kazakhstan has accelerated in anticipation of parliamentary elections. Despite the fact that the nominal period of their holding is 2021. At least this period is fixed in the electoral calendar. The authority, represented by Nursultan Nazarbayev, positioned as the leader of the nation – Elbasy, confirmed the constitutional terms of the electoral campaign. Nevertheless, here we must bear in mind that for the last 28 years, out of seven parliamentary campaigns, five were unscheduled. Even if the elections take place on time, then the remaining distance in any case is short. Therefore, political forces began active preparations for the upcoming “elections”. READ MORE: https://cabar.asia/en/parliamentary-campaign-in-kazakhstan-start-without-start/
The moral education of a young woman in Kazakhstan
In Central Asia, and Kazakhstan, female researchers trained in the west face traditionalism, poor compensation for work done and overlapping insider-outsider status
Dec 20 — “I was born into a multi-ethnic family in Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan, one year before the collapse of the Soviet Union. All my family members are mathematicians. It was no coincidence that they named me after one of Imperial Russia’s foremost female mathematicians, Sofya Kovalevskaya. From childhood, I dreamed of scientific discoveries, reading lectures to students, travelling the world and embracing the euphoria of the learning process. Being a dedicated student, I always received full support and encouragement from my family, teachers and academic community to pursue my dreams. To avoid hypocrisy, I should say that I certainly come from a position of privilege and opportunity. I studied in an elite private school, was home tutored in piano, opera singing, French and creative arts.” READ MORE: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/odr/moral-education-young-woman-kazakhstan/
Feature: Caspian oil producers face growing investor skepticism
In Kazakhstan, oil production is still considered broadly on the rise, but a hard-bitten industry is increasingly skeptical of the cost of projects
Dec 20 — “Three decades after gaining independence, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan face a growing struggle convincing investors and markets of the potential for significant new oil opportunities in the Caspian region. Recent months appear to have demonstrated the reduced allure of a region once seen as a trophy of the end of the Cold War and collapse of Soviet rule.” READ MORE: https://www.spglobal.com/platts/en/market-insights/latest-news/oil/122019-feature-caspian-oil-producers-face-growing-investor-skepticism
KYRGYZSTAN
What Are The Main Threats to The Freedom of Kyrgyz Media?
The level of freedom of speech in Kyrgyzstan can be described as slowly growing, but the growth is W-shaped with fluctuating ups and downs
Dec 13 — “It is easy to contemplate on the current state of press freedom in Kyrgyzstan in the language of statistics, as media experts usually do. The “Reporters Without Borders” ranking traditionally serves as the basis for the assessment. Kyrgyzstan ranks 83rd among 180 countries, thus improving its performance from 2018, when it occupied 98th place on the list. Note that the current ranking is also the best for all the time of World Press Freedom Index observations since 2002.” READ MORE: https://cabar.asia/en/what-are-the-main-threats-to-the-freedom-of-kyrgyz-media/
Kyrgyzstan’s black cloud, fueled by corruption and poverty
Like many of Kyrgyzstan’s ills, the bad air too is partly rooted in the country’s culture of corruption
Dec 16 — “It has become an annual routine. As soon as the heating season begins, a pall of grimy black smog descends onto Kyrgyzstan’s capital, Bishkek. There is no shortage of theories for the cause. Some pin the blame on the half million or so cars circulating in Bishkek. Others think the recently overhauled, coal-fired power plant is at fault. Perhaps the most commonly cited contributing factor, however, is the method used by many of the city’s harder-up residents to heat their homes.” READ MORE: https://eurasianet.org/kyrgyzstans-black-cloud-fueled-by-corruption-and-poverty
Kyrgyzstan: Partner of anti-corruption activist detained by security services
Alarm is growing in Kyrgyzstan that the government’s critics will face mounting intimidation
Dec 20 — “The partner of an activist who has spearheaded a burgeoning anticorruption movement in Kyrgyzstan has been detained while seeking to fly out of the region from an airport in Kazakhstan. A lawyer for a Chinese national whose complaint to the Kyrgyz security services led to the detention said on December 20 that Syrgak Kenzhebayev had defrauded her client of $350,000.” READ MORE: https://eurasianet.org/kyrgyzstan-partner-of-anti-corruption-activist-detained-by-security-services
TAJIKISTAN
Tajik Children Undergo ‘Readjustment’ In Closed Schools After Attending Foreign Madrasahs
Some 3,400 Tajik students have come home from foreign madrasahs since 2010, when the president demanded parents bring their children back to prevent them from potentially becoming “terrorists”
Dec 14 — “Tajikistan is trumpeting the repatriation of children from Bangladesh who were studying at Islamic madrasahs, as the Muslim-majority country keeps strict tabs on religious education. But the return home for the children is not yet over as they have been put in schools for children with special needs to undergo what officials describe as an indefinite “readjustment” period.” READ MORE: https://www.rferl.org/a/tajik-children-undergo-readjustment-in-closed-schools-after-attending-foreign-madrasahs/30325710.html
Japan to invest $440,000 in Tajikistan’s social projects
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) since 2006 has been making a significant contribution to the development of the social spheres of Tajikistan
Dec 17 — “Japan will provide about $440,000 in grants for five new social projects to be carried out in Tajikistan. Five new projects worth a total of $435,900 were signed at the Japanese Embassy in Dushanbe on December 11, Tajik media reported. The documents were signed between Japanese Ambassador to Tajikistan Takayuki Miyashita and representatives of the beneficiary organizations.” READ MORE: https://www.azernews.az/region/159578.html
Tajik Woman Says Police Detained, Threatened Her Over Islamic Head Scarf In Anti-Hijab Raid
Tajikistan has banned the wearing of the hijab in schools, offices, and public places as part of a broader campaign against what authorities describe as religious extremism
Dec 18 — “A Tajik woman has accused Dushanbe police of insulting and threatening her after she was detained along with some two dozen others at a raid targeting women wearing Islamic headwear. Nilufar Rajabova says she was taken from a minibus by police and officials from the state Committee for Women’s Affairs on December 14.” READ MORE: https://www.rferl.org/a/tajik-woman-police-detained-threatened-islamic-head-scarf-in-anti-hijab-raid/30332633.html
TURKMENISTAN
Sick Turkmen Avoiding Treatment And Using ‘Alternative’ Methods Due To Pricey Surgery, Medicine
The price of medicines and hospital treatment has skyrocketed in Turkmenistan in recent years
Dec 16 — “Increasingly high prices for medicine and hospital treatment have forced many Turkmen to seek alternative options or, in some cases, even avoid lifesaving surgeries. The health care situation in Turkmenistan has worsened in recent weeks as epidemics of flu spread in rural areas, RFE/RL’s Turkmen Service reports, citing local residents and medics.” READ MORE: https://www.rferl.org/a/sick-turkmen-expensive-medicine-hospital-avoiding-treatment-alternative-medicine/30328253.html
Turkmenistan: Bowling for Ashgabat
In its ‘Akhal-Teke: A Turkmenistan Bulletin’, Eurasianet reviews the main news and events in the Central Asian country for the previous week
Dec 17 — “It looks like Turkmenistan does after all pay attention to its embarrassing international coverage, at least when the president’s image is at stake. In August, President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov drew much mockery, notably on Comedy Central’s Daily Show, for his trip down to the bowling alley. State television coverage of this publicity stunt showed the president making several strikes in a row, but it was clear that the achievement may have been courtesy of some unsubtle editing.” READ MORE: https://eurasianet.org/turkmenistan-bowling-for-ashgabat
The President controls the construction-in-progress of a motorway and a new shopping centre
Everything in Turkmenistan is under the strict control of the President
Dec 19 — “On 17 December,2019 President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedovinspected the capital and the construction-in-progress of a motorway Ashgabat-Turkmenabat. The state information agency TDH reports that together with the members of the Cabinet of Ministers, the mayor, the Chairperson of Turkmenistan’s Union of Entrepreneurs and Industrialists, the President inspected the shopping and entertainment centre, which is under construction on Tehran street, where the President “familiarized himself” with the project design of the new shopping centre.” READ MORE: https://en.hronikatm.com/2019/12/the-president-controls-the-construction-in-progress-of-a-motorway-and-a-new-shopping-centre/
UZBEKISTAN
Uzbek Farmers Get ‘Cluster’ Bombed By Reforms
Critics say agricultural reforms in Uzbekistan, where all farmland is state-owned, are merely enriching the shadowy owners of private companies
Dec 16 — “After 17 long years of growing cotton and vegetables on his farm in Uzbekistan, Abbas has decided to give up farming. He says President Shavkat Mirziyoev’s latest decree for Uzbekistan’s tightly controlled agricultural sector will force him to become a subservient contract employee of a new private “cluster” firm.” READ MORE: https://www.rferl.org/a/uzbek-farmers-get-cluster-bombed-by-reforms/30328781.html
What Recent Protests in Uzbekistan Really Tell Us
Nascent protests in Uzbekistan, many sparked by energy shortages, indicate some government weaknesses but also greater tolerance
Dec 17 — “Protests in Uzbekistan are a rare event given the country’s authoritarian history. The iron fist of Uzbekistan’s security forces under President Islam Karimov suppressed most public or digital expressions of discontent. After current President Shavkat Mirziyoyev began his tenure, careful digital protests directed against government officials and government policies began to emerge. Three years after Mirziyoyev took over, in the fall of 2019, small public protests are emerging.” READ MORE: https://thediplomat.com/2019/12/what-recent-protests-in-uzbekistan-really-tell-us/
Uzbekistan’s Parliamentary Elections: Business As Usual (Except For One Thing)
In many ways, Uzbekistan’s upcoming parliamentary elections look like they will be very similar to the previous elections
Dec 19 — “Anyone expecting Uzbekistan’s upcoming parliamentary elections to establish President Shavkat Mirziyoev’s credentials as a reformer will probably be disappointed. Uzbekistan’s previous parliamentary elections were heavily staged events with predictable outcomes. The only competition between the parties registered for the vote was the battle to see which pro-government party could heap the most praise on the president and his policies during the campaign.” READ MORE: https://www.rferl.org/a/qishloq-ovozi-uzbekistan-parliamentary-elections-expectations/30334047.html
AFGHANISTAN
Is Afghanistan becoming America’s 21st century Vietnam?
The US continues to force Western style democratic practices on Kabul
Dec 17 — “The US-Taliban talks for ending war in Afghanistan resumed after a three month hiatus in Doha recently. The talks restarted after a surprise announcement by President Donald Trump during his Thanksgiving visit to Afghanistan in which he again called for a ceasefire with the Taliban. The two sides have continued to maintain informal contacts during the period talks remained suspended.” READ MORE: https://gulfnews.com/opinion/op-eds/is-afghanistan-becoming-americas-21st-century-vietnam-1.68515051
Outsiders will not fix Afghanistan
After nearly two decades and billions of dollars, it is time the United States and the allied countries leave Afghanistan to the Afghans
Dec 19 — “President Trump is reportedly preparing to announce a withdrawal of 4,000 troops from Afghanistan. This comes as negotiations between the United States and the Taliban restarted before being suspended again as a result of the Taliban assault on Bagram Airfield. All this comes on the heels of a new World Bank report arguing that even with some sort of ceasefire, the Afghan government would still need significant foreign aid for many years to spur economic growth.” READ MORE: https://thehill.com/opinion/international/475343-outsiders-will-not-fix-afghanistan
From Vietnam to Afghanistan, all US governments lie
In part, the lies about Afghanistan have been in plain sight for years, courtesy of the media and the Special Inspector General
Dec 21 — “The Washington Post has, after more than two years of investigation, revealed that senior foreign policy officials in the White House, State and Defense departments have known for some time that the U.S. intervention in Afghanistan was failing. Interview transcripts from the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, obtained by the Post after many lawsuits, show that for 18 years these same officials have told the public the intervention was succeeding.” READ MORE: http://theconversation.com/from-vietnam-to-afghanistan-all-us-governments-lie-128695
WORLD
China Looks to Central Asia as an Economic Alternative
China is actively looking for partners to show that the BRI is a truly international project, rather than simply a geopolitical expansion plan
Dec 18 — “The United States and China reached a limited trade agreement on Friday, narrowly avoiding the White House-imposed December 15 deadline, which would have seen tariff increases on $156 billion of Chinese goods. U.S. President Donald J. Trump has heralded the December 13 deal as “phenomenal.” Under its terms, Chinese negotiators agreed to purchase more U.S. agricultural products, including soy beans and farm equipment, while the U.S. agreed to cut down tariffs on $120 billion of Chinese goods (Tranche 4A) from 15 percent to 7.5 percent.” READ MORE: https://thediplomat.com/2019/12/china-looks-to-central-asia-as-an-economic-alternative/
China’s Soft Power in Central Asia
As anti-Chinese sentiments have grown in Central Asia countries in recent years, China is increasing its cultural and educational presence in the region with the purpose to facilitate the achievement of Beijing’s economic and political goals in this part of the world
Dec 19 — “On October 17-18, 2019, the 7th China-Central Asia Cooperation Forum, was held in Nanning, Guanxi province. The goal of the Forum was to further strengthen ties between China and the countries of Central Asia. Aside from its economic and security related interests in the region, China is also hoping to improve its image with the help of soft power influences, among populations where Sinophobic sentiments are strong. Despite several reports and information on Chinese projects with this aim, the question remains how effective China’s soft power in Central Asia really is.” READ MORE: http://cacianalyst.org/publications/analytical-articles/item/13599-chinas-soft-power-in-central-asia.html
