THE MAY PROTEST AND THE PROSPECTS OF POLITICAL NORMALIZATION IN GEORGIA
By Svante E. Cornell (6/8/2011 issue of the CACI Analyst)
The suppression of violent demonstrations in Tbilisi on May 26 once again led to images being beamed out of a Georgia plagued by unrest and instability, complete with allegations of excessive use of force by the police. Meanwhile, bombings and other acts of sabotage with clear linkages to the Russian special services keep being reported.
ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT TO START DIALOGUE WITH RADICAL OPPOSITION
By Haroutiun Khachatrian (6/8/2011 issue of the CACI Analyst)
The Armenian government and the radical opposition Armenian National Congress have declared that they will engage in dialogue as some of the ANC’s demands have been satisfied. This improves Armenia’s chances of escaping destabilization despite its difficult situation due to the global economic crisis, rising food prices and the risk of spillover from events in the Middle East.
MILITARY EXERCISES UNDERSCORE THE SCO’s CHARACTER
By Richard Weitz (5/25/2011 issue of the CACI Analyst)
Since 2003, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has organized a number of “anti-terrorist exercises” that have involved their armed forces and law enforcement personnel. These drills serve multiple purposes, including improving the proficiency of the members’ security forces, demonstrating new skills, learning about other SCO forces and their capabilities, reassuring the organization’s Central Asian members about their security requirements, providing opportunities to cultivate bilateral contacts with other SCO members, and signaling to outside powers, especially the U.S.
KAZAKHSTAN’S OFFSHORE KASHAGAN DEPOSIT SET FOR FIRST OIL IN 2012
By Robert M. Cutler (5/25/2011 issue of the CACI Analyst)
During a meeting last weekend in Astana, the head of Kazakhstan’s KazMunaiGaz (KMG) K.M. Kabyldin confirmed to the executive council of the EBRD that the first oil from the offshore Kashagan deposit will be produced in late 2012 or early 2013.
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Joint Center Publications
Analysis Niklas Swanström and Leah Oppenheimer, "Invisible Ink: Looking for the Lost Trade between China, Russia, and Central Asia", ISDP Policy Brief, 13 March 2013. 
New Silk Road Paper S. Frederick Starr with Adib Farhadi, Finish the Job: Jump-Start the Afghan Economy, December 2012.
Conference Report Cheryl Benard, Eli Sugarman, and Holly Rehm, Cultural Heritage vs. Mining on the New Silk Road? Finding Technical Solutions for Mes Aynak and Beyond (in cooperation with the Alliance for the Restoration of Cultural Heritage) December 2012.
Article Svante E. Cornell, "The 'Afghanization of the North Caucasus: Causes and Implications of a Changing Conflict", in Stephen Blank, ed., Russia's Homegrown Insurgency: Jihad in the North Caucasus, Carlisle, PA: U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute, 2012.