HIV/AIDS EPIDEMIC: TIME IS RUNNING OUT FOR CENTRAL ASIA
By Ali Buzurukov (4/10/2002 issue of the CACI Analyst)
BACKGROUND: In June 2001 Central Asian Conference on the Prevention of HIV/AIDS held in Almaty, Kazakhstan brought together government officials, UN specialized agencies and NGOs to discuss the explosive growth of HIV/AIDS prevalence in the region. It was the first time that Central Asian governments openly acknowledged the problem and signed a declaration that calls for the establishment of a consensus and the development of a regional strategy to combat HIV/AIDS. The declaration is considered a major breakthrough in recognizing the problem and hopefully marks the end of the "denial era".
AKSY: A TURNING POINT, OR A DOT ON A STRAIT LINE DOWN?
By Emil Juraev (4/24/2002 issue of the CACI Analyst)
BACKGROUND: On March 17 and 18, the first violent clashes between citizens and the police happened in Aksy region of the Kyrgyz Republic. People came out to protest the lawsuit against member of parliament Azimbek Beknazarov, a vocal critic of President Akaev. The police was ordered to prevent the protesters from entering the regional center where the verdict of the lawsuit was to be announced.
CIS REMAINS TOP PRIORITY IN RUSSIAN FOREIGN POLICY
By Ariel Cohen (4/24/2002 issue of the CACI Analyst)
BACKGROUND: In his state-of-the-Federation address on April 18, Vladimir Putin made one thing perfectly clear: the Commonwealth of Independent States will remain the top priority of the Russian foreign policy. Putin’s speech contained altogether nine paragraphs dealing with foreign affairs, and seven of them were dedicated to the so-called “near abroad.” Putin put Russian interests in the context of Russian security, claiming that the problem of whether or not to support the anti-terrorist coalition “did not even exist” for Russia.
KAZAKH OPPOSITION OVERPLAYS ITS HAND, FACES REPRESSION
By Alima Bissenova (4/24/2002 issue of the CACI Analyst)
BACKGROUND: Political tensions in Kazakhstan have been escalating since last November when reform-minded officials and prominent businessmen founded a new political movement, the Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan. Several senior Kazakhstani government officials were subsequently fired including deputy Prime Minister Uraz Zhandosov and Labour Minister Alikhan Baymenov, as a result of their participation in Democratic Choice. Their sacking precipitated the current government crisis.
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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.