Central Asia

Kazakhstan Might Turn Out to Be Russia’s Next Ukraine

Viewpoint by James M. Dorsey*

SINGAPORE (IDN) – With Russian troops massing on Ukraine’s borders, it’s not only Ukrainians who worry about what President Vladimir Putin may have in store for them. It’s Kazakhs too.

For now, Kazakhs don’t have to be immediately concerned about Russian troop movements. What unsettles them is years of Russian rhetoric, spearheaded by Mr Putin’s repeated comments, stressing the ideological rather than the security aspect of the build-up against Ukraine and verbal assaults on Kazakhstan.

: Opinion Editor; THE WORLD; Central Asia; 07 January 2022

Photo. The CSTO Secretariat hosted the 34th meeting of the CSTO Ministerial Council Working Group on Afghanistan. Source: Collective Security Treaty Organization.

Russia’s Good Cop, Bad Cop Strategy In Afghanistan

Viewpoint by Andrei Kazantsev & Svetlana Medvedeva*

MOSCOW (IDN) — Russia has fundamental interests in Afghanistan. Three Central Asian countries—Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan—are members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). As a member of the CSTO, Russia guarantees the security of these three countries and maintains military bases and facilities on their territory.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 03 December 2021

Photo: Collage of Crafts (left) and Sohibdavlat Qalandarkhonova (right).

Tajikistan: Young Girl Out to Save The Community from Pollution

By Sharofat Shafieva

KHOROG, Tajikistan (IDN) — The city of Khorog is generally clean, but it has a problem with waste management. Residents leave their garbage on the streets and especially in public places. The central market is one of the places where there is a large garbage dump.

“Passing by garbage is very unpleasant. No matter how much the administration cleans the garbage, it still collects in one day. It is especially terrible in summer when a very bad smell appears,” notes Shafoat Jafoeva a regular visitor to the market. “The waste mostly belongs to the merchants, and it would be good if the sellers of the market find a better way to manage their waste”, she adds.

: Asia Editor; THE WORLD; Central Asia; 26 November 2021

The Contours of Central Asia’s Rapid Integration are Underlined by New Railway Agreements

Viewpoint by M.K. Bhadrakumar *

This article was produced in partnership by Indian Punchline and Globetrotter. M.K. Bhadrakumar is a former Indian diplomat. Source: Globetrotter

NEW DELHI (IDN) — The information war is so intense nowadays that unsung melodies are often more alluring that the sung ones. The lines from English poet Shelley’s famous ode To a Skylark come to mind — ‘In the broad day-light / Thou art unseen, but yet I hear thy shrill delight…’

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 17 November 2021

The Afghan Paradox: China, India and The Future of Eurasia After the Fall of Kabul

Viewpoint by Jorge Heine

This article was issued by Toda Peace Institute and is being republished with their permission.

WATERLOO, ON Canada (IDN) — One joke making the rounds in Kabul’s diplomatic circles these days is that the power transition in Kabul from the Ghani government to that of the Taliban was smoother than the one that took place in Washington D.C. earlier this year. That may be a (slight) exaggeration, but there is little doubt that the swiftness with which the Taliban entered the Afghan capital caught most observers by surprise.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 12 October 2021

Photo: King Mohammed Zahir Shah and the visiting Afghan delegation with Mao Zedong, Liu Shaoqi, Zhou Enlai and the Chinese leadership in Beijing on November 1, 1964. Wikimedia Commons.

China Resolute to Establish Geostrategic Foothold In A New Afghanistan

Viewpoint by BM Jain

The writer is a Professor of Political Science and the Editor-in-Chief of the Indian Journal of Asian Affairs.

NEW DELHI (IDN) — China is determined to establish a geostrategic foothold in the new Taliban-led Afghanistan. A decade ago, China forayed into Afghanistan’s strategic space by inking deals with the Afghan government in the mining, power and oilfields sectors—although Afghanistan’s chaotic political environment prevented any real progress. China then played a key role in facilitating peace talks with the Taliban from 2014. With the Taliban back in power, China can once again advance its interests.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 10 October 2021

Kazakhstan Has A Vested Interest In Afghanistan’s Stability

By Akhas Tazhutov

The writer is a political analyst. This article first appeared in Eurasia Review on October 1, 2021.

ALMATY (IDN) — What should be taken into account when analyzing the Kazakh government’s attitude and policies toward Afghanistan? According to Kazakh media reports, Kazakhstan’s ambassador to Kabul, Alimkhan Esengeldiev, met with the acting foreign minister in the Taliban (insurgent group banned in Kazakhstan) government of Afghanistan, Amir Khan Muttaqi, on September 26, 2021.

: Asia Editor; THE WORLD; Central Asia; 06 October 2021

Back to the Future with the Taliban?

Viewpoint by Amin Saikal

This article was issued by Toda Peace Institute and is being republished with their permission.

SINGAPORE (IDN) — The defeat of the United States and its allies and return to power of the Taliban in Afghanistan have changed the regional landscape. The configuration of forces has shifted in favour of Pakistan as the Taliban’s patron and China as a strategic partner of Pakistan, confronting India, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Central Asian Republics and the main power behind them, Russia, with certain policy quandaries. Yet not all is lost, as both Islamabad and Beijing may find that Afghanistan is a very difficult country to govern and sustain.

: Opinion Editor; SUSTAINABILITY; Peace & Justice; 04 October 2021

Photo: Flags of six CSTO member states. Source: Astana Times

Eurasian Military Alliance of Post-Soviet States Marks 30th Anniversary of Closure of Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site

By Radwan Jakeem

NEW YORK | NUR-SULTAN (IDN) — In a joint statement, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), comprising six member states, has highlighted the role of Kazakhstan’s First President Nursultan Nazarbayev, whose decree shut down the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site on August 29, 1991.

The statement was published by the press service of the Kazakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs on August 26 in the run-up to the International Day against Nuclear Tests, which this year is commemorated on the 30th anniversary of the closure of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site.

: Radwan Jakeem; SUSTAINABILITY; Peace & Justice; 27 August 2021

Photo: The UN has been supporting displaced families in Afghanistan, providing emergency shelter and protection. Credit: IOM/Mohammed Muse

UN Relocates its Besieged Staff from a Strife-Torn Kabul in Virtual Chaos

By Thalif Deen

NEW YORK (IDN) — As the US airlifts its diplomats and embassy staffers, along with thousands of local Afghan employees, from the chaotic capital of Kabul, the United Nations has followed in its footsteps by relocating some of its more than 300 international and 3,400 national staffers who were tasked with peacekeeping and humanitarian missions in Afghanistan.

UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said August 18 that some of these staffers were traveling from Kabul to Almaty, Kazakhstan, where they will continue their work remotely.