Eurasianet

Obsessing about sports, building bridges, and speaking up for China. This and more in our weekly Turkmenistan briefing.

The 20-year-old informant for Russia’s security services was sent to Tbilisi to report on the many exiles here. Now, he says, he’s come clean.

The country’s pro-Europe elite sees a millennia-old history of belonging to Europe. Will it matter for Georgia’s EU aspirations?

Far from Turkmen people acquiring new rights, there is every reason to believe things are poised to get worse on at least one front, if that is even possible. Our weekly briefing.

The annual focus on Pride parades makes queerness a geopolitical issue. And that does not help Georgia’s LGBTQ community, which faces violence and economic marginalization.

The mass slaughter of animals in the syncretic pagan-Christian Lomisoba festival is out of step with 21st-century mores, some Georgians argue.

Georgia pledged it would protect the Chorokhi Delta, a unique ecosystem and one of the country’s best spots for birding.

European governments are complaining about Georgian call centers fleecing their elderly citizens.

Doing business with Russia and Kazakhstan, reopening borders, and honoring the former president’s favorite horse. This and more in our weekly Turkmenistan briefing.

Misogyny as government policy, neighborly outreach, and Russia tries hard to make Turkmenistan feel appreciated. Our weekly briefing.

Amid a food crisis, the president says food imports should be stopped. This and more in our weekly Turkmenistan briefing.

Micromanaging the lives of women and students, Chinese defense cooperation, and still yearning for a trans-Caspian pipeline. Our weekly briefing.

While the government is helping many arrivals from Ukraine, much of the help in finding housing and jobs comes from ordinary Georgians.

In our weekly briefing: Restrictions easing, COVID denialism persists, foreign suitors come visiting in hope of business, and the latest annual horse jamboree.

Turkmenistan's new president is continuing his father's traditions: Building white elephants, censoring the internet, and booting people out of their homes.