Eurasianet

Out-of-touch elites, poor planning, and some signs of progress in regional trade. Our weekly Turkmenistan briefing.

The president-in-waiting plans to change nothing. This and more in our weekly Turkmenistan briefing.

In our weekly briefing: The Taliban visit Ashgabat, the dauphin is received by Uzbekistan’s president, and authorities tighten control after unrest in neighboring Kazakhstan.

Employers are now effectively required to demand proof of vaccinations from their workers. But the country’s health care system is now being pushed to the limit.

In our weekly briefing: doing business with Afghanistan and Uzbekistan. Plus, it’s reprimand season.

The government hopes to boost vaccination rates, but a new anti-vaccine campaign is on the rise.

The new rules come as the country is trying to stave off a third wave of the virus and vaccination numbers remain in the low single digits.

Iranians have been flooding into Armenia to get COVID vaccines, causing Tehran to complain and Yerevan to tighten the rules.

Vaccine hesitancy in Uzbekistan is high, bred by social media conspiracies that seem credible in a country without accountable authorities.

New pressure from Washington will make China look even closer at Central Asia.

Analysts believe the country may be benefiting from herd immunity after devastation last year.

The COVID-19 vaccination experiences of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia show that if you’re a small and poor country, you need to rely on powerful friends.

Any breakthrough in improving the lot of labor migrants will be touted as sign of his political heft.

Travel bans, dams and Russian fans. This and more in our weekly Turkmenistan briefing.

The terminal state of the economy remains paramount in the minds of those wishing to leave.