Politicians in Moscow claim to be concerned that Russian-speaking citizens may be facing intimidation and aggression in Kyrgyzstan – a fact that officials in Bishkek deny.
Fighting surges in a new area, Aliyev meets Putin in Moscow, Azerbaijan again steps up the info war against Armenia, and the EU throws its hat into the conflict resolution ring. This week’s Post-War Report.
Central Asian leaders are engaged in a balancing act, showing they are content to live with the Taliban’s ascendancy in Afghanistan while signaling they will deal firmly with any trouble that might spill over.
In many former Soviet states, corruption is not simply a matter of individual officials abusing public power for private gain but, rather, an organizing principle of governance.
From Azerbaijan’s perspective, there are perils to either the reelection of the incumbent prime minister or the return to power of his main rival, former president Robert Kocharyan.
A border commission, including Russian mediation, is in the works. And given the sensitivity over issues of land and territorial concessions, it’s going to have its work cut out. Post-War Report.