Kazakhstan: Gender violence-themed horror breaks box office records Dastur, which means tradition in Kazakh, grossed $2.2 million in the first week of its release. Joanna Lillis Jan 17, 2024
Memoir: Clinching the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline A former US Caspian energy envoy recalls the ups and downs of getting a key post-Soviet energy export route built. Steven Mann Jan 3, 2024
Kazakhstan: Magic realism meets socialist realism on the Almaty stage Shahmardan Comes Out of the Well addresses a topic still harrowing for Kazakhstan a century on: the famine unleashed when the Soviets embarked on the collectivization of agriculture. Joanna Lillis Dec 22, 2023
Kazakhstan: Speculation swirls around Bloody January movie The way the filmmakers and authorities are working so closely has given rise to questions about who exactly is backing this movie, and why. Almaz Kumenov Feb 9, 2023
Friday Night Fever: Salsa defies sedate Tajik capital Dushanbe’s Latin dancers find meaning in something new. Thijs Broekkamp Aug 26, 2022
Kazakh-language film content makes progress against Russian headwinds One explanation for the continued dominance of Russian lies in Kazakhstan’s rural-urban divide. Almaz Kumenov Jun 23, 2022
Afghanistan: The Taliban’s first fall and an opening for Tajik journalists Journalists from Tajikistan played vital roles for many foreign news agencies. Text by a Tajik journalist, Photos by Parviz Amirjonov May 20, 2022
Memoir | The Shushkevich I knew Remembering an accidental leader whose brief political career mirrored the greater tragedy of his country. George Krol May 12, 2022
Memoir | Thirty years of Kazakhstan: A prelude to an epilogue A former American ambassador to Kazakhstan examines lessons learned since first visiting the country weeks after independence. John Ordway Mar 11, 2022
After the Patriarch: Almaty theater seeks post-shock therapy in García Márquez Nazarbayev was everywhere, but never mentioned by name. Daniyar Moldabekov Feb 8, 2022
Memoir | Where is Central Asia, anyway? A former top U.S. diplomat reflects on Central Asia’s identity crisis. Richard Boucher Dec 17, 2021
Tajikistan: Little person’s bigtime courts controversy A charismatic, handicapped singer has gone viral, triggering appearances with Russian superstars and a member of the ruling family. Dec 13, 2021
Kazakh TikTokers conquer the world, incite suspicion at home The world’s most popular TikTok house is in Almaty. Not all locals are happy about it. Almaz Kumenov Dec 7, 2021
Memoir | A tale of two cities and many mountains Even in the late 1990s, there were already signs that President Rahmon would ignore the peace accords, writes the former U.S. ambassador. Robert Finn Oct 29, 2021
Kazakhstan’s stand-up comedians try to find their feet It's a niche scene, but comics have plenty of local material to work with. Almaz Kumenov Oct 8, 2021