Field Reports
Modernization Efforts On The Rise In Kazakhstan
by Georgiy Voloshin (03/20/2013 issue of the CACI Analyst)
Since the reorganization of Kazakhstan’s Government ordered by President Nursultan Nazarbayev in his keynote address to the nation (“Kazakhstan-2050”) delivered in December 2012, several Kazakhstani ministries have already put forward ambitious modernization proposals. On March 12, the newly established Ministry of Regional Development, whose head is also serving as the first deputy of the country’s Prime Minister, proposed to set up entrepreneurship support centers in every provincial capital as well as in the cities of Astana and Almaty and several preselected remote locations. Currently, two pilot projects are already underway in Almaty and Shymkent, while five provinces benefit from the presence of mobile centers providing information and consultative services to local small and medium enterprises. The purpose of such new structures would be to offer exhaustive information about the latest legal and regulatory changes in Kazakhstan, available funding opportunities and potential ways of further economic development.
Georgian Ministry Of Justice To Alter Judiciary Legislation
by Eka Janashia (03/20/2013 issue of the CACI Analyst)
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) intends to reform Georgia’s judiciary system through amending the Law on Common Courts and establishing an ad hoc commission in charge of exploring complaints over detected miscarriages of justice since December 2012.
Kyrgyz Opposition Leaders Sentenced For Attempt To Overthrow Government
by Joldosh Osmonov (03/20/2013 issue of the CACI Analyst)
The trial against three Kyrgyz opposition leaders is at its final stage and is the topic of widespread public discussions over the current opposition’s ability to mobilize public support against the country’s leadership. While most experts think the Kyrgyz public is currently in no mood to support protests and rallies, others claim that the opposition’s prospects for attracting support for such actions are underestimated.
NATO To Transfer Military Equipment From Afghanistan To Uzbekistan
by Erkin Akhmadov (03/20/2013 issue of the CACI Analyst)
On March 12, 2013, Uzbekistan’s Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov visited Washington, D.C. and met with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. The meeting is a consequence of the recently warming relations between Uzbekistan and the U.S., and of the decision to withdraw NATO troops from Afghanistan through Uzbekistan. The most widely discussed issue in relation to the visit is NATO’s decision to transfer parts the military equipment used in Afghanistan to Uzbekistan. Local and regional experts have a number of suggestions for how the Uzbek regime may utilize the equipment and what implications this may have for Uzbekistan’s future relations with neighboring Central Asian states.
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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.