by John C. K. Daly (06/12/2013 issue of the CACI Analyst)

Last month’s demonstrations outside Kyrgyzstan’s Kumtor gold mine have highlighted local and governmental dissatisfaction with the terms of its existing 2009 contract with Toronto-based Centerra Gold Inc. The Kyrgyz government has given the company until October 1 to offer revised terms, threatening to nationalize the company if it does not agree. Given the importance of the site to both Centerra Gold Inc. and the Kyrgyz government as a revenue source, a compromise would seem to be the eventual outcome. Whether or not that can be achieved will depend upon the protracted negotiations currently underway between Centerra Gold Inc. and Bishkek.

by Valeriy Dzutsev (06/12/2013 issue of the CACI Analyst)

Hopes for improvement of the security situation in Dagestan gradually dissipate as attacks intensify in the republic. In spite of an anti-corruption campaign introduced by Dagestan’s new acting president, harsher government tactics appear to be matched by more exasperated attacks by the militants, while new anti-insurgency jamaats are formed to avenge the casualties of terrorist attacks. As an impressive administrative reshuffle ensues in the volatile republic, few substantive reforms are promised that could improve the situation in the long run, such as granting the Dagestani public more influence in the republic’s government.

by Naveed Ahmad (06/12/2013 issue of the CACI Analyst)

Afghanistan’s President Hamid Karzai is a shrewd politician, even more so as his term in office nears completion and uncertainty prevails. After a spate of words with Pakistan following a border skirmish, he left for India to seek military assistance against aggressive neighboring troops. For a change, Islamabad kept its cool and welcomed China’s Prime Minister Li Keqiang, who was also flying in after a “handshake across the Himalayas” in New Delhi. As for Karzai, it was not his first flight to India for military hardware or training. However, his action is largely seen as aimed to pressure Pakistan’s newly elected leaders prior to the exit of NATO forces in 2014.

by Rizwan Zeb (06/12/2013 issue of the CACI Analyst)

For the first time in the country’s history, a smooth democratic transition has taken place in Pakistan. Pakistan is facing a number of domestic, regional and international challenges which will have serious implications for the future of the country. However, whether this is the beginning of a Pakistani spring or not will mostly depend on how effectively the central government and the newly elected opposition government in Khyber Pakhtunkwa will conduct business in the days ahead.