Kyrgyzstan: Putin visit brings lavish deals and vows of a bright future Russian military presence in the region has also been consolidated and broadened — literally Mar 29, 2019
Georgia’s medieval king and its contemporary Muslims The medieval king’s Islamophobic admirers ignore his record of promoting comity between Christians and Muslims. Giorgi Lomsadze Mar 25, 2019
Perspectives | Other strongmen are watching Nazarbayev’s experiment Nazarbayev’s retirement has shined a spotlight on other aging leaders who have no clear succession plans. Sarah Dorr Mar 22, 2019
Uzbekistan: Ice arena opening carries whiff of Russian soft power Where Russia’s hockey league goes, its bankers follow. Peter Leonard Mar 21, 2019
New Zealand mosque attacker appeared to take inspiration from Armenian, Georgian history Georgian security services are looking into Georgian writings that appeared in the Christchurch shooting; Armenian groups condemned his citation of their history. Giorgi Lomsadze Mar 18, 2019
Georgian “queen” takes her ex-“king” to court The nation is entertained by a real-life Game of Thrones. Giorgi Lomsadze Mar 15, 2019
Georgian banker’s accusations cast shadow over Belt and Road project Is the government trying to seize a port on China’s Belt and Road? Giorgi Lomsadze Mar 6, 2019
Tajikistan: Opposition activist reveals details of state-ordered kidnapping Sharofiddin Gadoyev says he was told to support the president’s son in elections next year. Mar 6, 2019
Post-Soviet activists find respite in Georgia Tbilisi Shelter City offers a refuge for human rights workers from Russia, Tajikistan and beyond. David Kitai Mar 4, 2019
Defections accelerate disintegration of Georgia’s ruling party A dispute over judges, as well as its waning popularity, has exposed a rift in the Georgian Dream party. Joshua Kucera Feb 26, 2019
Tajikistan causes diplomatic bungle with forced return of government critic Gadoyev recorded a video message before leaving Amsterdam warning he might be kidnapped. Feb 20, 2019
Russia takes temperature on its Central Asia ties Moscow is trying to make itself feel indispensable by half-heartedly dangling investment, economic assistance and security guarantees. Feb 11, 2019
Armenia sends military deminers and medics to support Russian mission in Syria The deployment comes as Armenia appears increasingly isolated among its post-Soviet allies in the CSTO. Joshua Kucera Feb 8, 2019
Georgia’s sex-tapes politics returns An explicit video of a prominent lawmaker has hit the internet amid a rift in the ruling party. Georgians are asking why this keeps happening. Giorgi Lomsadze Feb 5, 2019
Georgia’s strange Sherlock Holmes moment A Georgian TV station claims to have found a British fugitive that an international police hunt failed to track down. Giorgi Lomsadze Jan 24, 2019