Eurasianet

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

Letters from Washington, cybersecurity cooperation with China, and negotiating with a bankrupt Taliban. This and more in our weekly briefing.

Despite ambitions for Karabakh reconstruction, the government's overall construction budget has barely budged.

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

The losses to tax revenues will hit the de facto Nagorno-Karabakh government even harder than Yerevan.

The state has set up three “voluntary” funds for Azerbaijanis to cover post-war needs. But widespread reports suggest that people are being forced to contribute.

The mood in Baku is triumphal but it’s heavy and vengeful rather than joyous.

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

A facile and naïve plan being discussed in Washington risks backfiring on Iran’s minority Christians.

The president bets on a big infrastructure program to reinvigorate his political fortunes.

Some are speaking out against the conflict despite fears the government’s strong support for Azerbaijan could fuel nationalist reprisals.

While it would be wrong to start pointing fingers and formulating conspiracy theories, clearly the risks are many and real.

The territory's public health officials have warned against opening up to tourism, and the arrival of tourists has coincided with a spike in the number of COVID-19 cases.

As diplomatic talks stall, Ilham Aliyev blames the negotiators for failing to push Armenia toward concessions.

The government’s lack of capacity helps explain the about-face.