Field Reports

An agreement was signed in Baku between Azerbaijan and Russia, the first in the modern history of their relations, covering all spheres of military and technical cooperation. This agreement, with the backdrop of increased U.S.-Azerbaijan military cooperation, shows the successful foreign policy of the country in balancing the interests of its neighbors.

The assassination attempt on the President’s life has generated sensational and unprecedented events lately in Turkmenistan. Cracking down on dissent, new travel regulations for local people and foreigners, and human rights issues eventually started invoking the attention of the international community while the local people remain anxious about the situation.

There have been numerous efforts to modernize the Kazakh army to raise its defense capabilities since early nineties. Desperate lack of funding and crippled defense industry were the main obstacles in the way of bringing the armed forces closer to advanced standards. The new geopolitical realities in Central Asia make it imperative to speed up military reform.

With only a few days\' interval, three incidents targeted directly against energy transportation networks took place in Georgia. This raised the issue of pipeline protection again and led to speculations of sabotage and its possible perpetrators.

Since the independence period, the number of holidays in Turkmenistan has been mushrooming. On February 19, Turkmenistan celebrated one of the significant events of the country last Wednesday, on the 19th of February. This occasion brought a delight to Turkmen people as a Flag\'s Day and the Great Turkmenbashi\'s birthday.

The secondary education in Kyrgyzstan is facing a number of problems, most of which are due to the lack of resources. Among these, shortage of qualified teachers and lack of textbooks are the most serious problems. The quality of education is being damaged greatly. Although some measures have been taken to address these problems, the situation remains difficult.

On many occasions in the past, Kazakhstan had been lauded by Western experts as a model of democracy in Central Asia. These words of praise sound hollow in present context. Recent imprisonment of opposition leaders and journalists critical of the regime indicates that so far, as everywhere else in Central Asia, democracy and pluralistic views have not taken root.

Afghanistan still produces up to 70 percent of the world\'s heroin. Poppy cultivation in Afghanistan has had serious implications for the security and economy in the whole region. Now drug abuse is spreading in Afghanistan\'s northern neighbors. The number of domestic consumers of narcotics is rapidly increasing; the drug users are mostly youngsters.

The preparations for the forthcoming presidential elections in the Fall are intensifying in Azerbaijan. The situation related to the Popular Front party (APFP) became the cause of a new scandal. The party registration was first given to an obscure, third faction of the party, but under international pressure, President Aliyev overturned the decision.

To the masses in Kazakhstan, Iraq and the host of problems generated by the threat of a U.S.-led war, seems to be as distant as the Moon. Nonetheless, the impending war is being exploited both by the opposition and the government. Analysts, however, are almost unanimous in asserting that the war will not have a significant impact on Kazakhstan.