Field Reports
GEORGIAN BILLIONAIRE ANNOUNCES POLITICAL AMBITIONS
By Maka Gurgenidze (10/19/2011 issue of the CACI Analyst)
In written statements released on October 7 and 12, Georgian tycoon and philanthropist Bidzina Ivanishvili publicly expressed his intention to win the 2012 parliamentary elections by an absolute majority. Although the Civil Registry Agency launched procedures for revoking the Georgian citizenship of the billionaire-turned-politician, depriving him the right to establish and finance a political party, Ivanishvili’s announced ambitions triggered vast speculation on a probable redesign of Georgia’s political landscape.
Ivanishvili, who amassed the major portion of his US$ 5.
SARKOZY’S VISIT COULD OPEN NEW PERSPECTIVES FOR ARMENIA
By Armen Grigoryan (10/19/2011 issue of the CACI Analyst)
The approach adopted by the Turkish government – setting resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as a precondition for normalizing its relations with Armenia – has not produced the expected result. Quite the contrary, such an approach induced Armenia’s government to adopt a more confrontational stance, which has been emphasized by President Serzh Sargsyan’s statements at various forums, including the UN General Assembly, about recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh’s independence as the only feasible solution, as well as by the big military parade in Yerevan on 21 September – Armenia’s Independence Day.
Several factors are allowing Sargsyan to use harsher rhetoric.
AZERBAIJAN STRUGGLES TO REMAIN NEUTRAL IN TURKEY-ISRAEL SPAT
By Mina Muradova (10/19/2011 issue of the CACI Analyst)
While tensions between Turkey and Israel are increasing, political analysts speculate about Baku’s ability to maintain friendly relations with both countries at the same time. Tensions between Turkey and Israel have been on the rise since May 2010, when Israeli troops boarded a ship headed to Gaza. As Turkey’s leaders intensify efforts to isolate Israel internationally, Turkish Ambassador Hulusi Kilic has called on “brother Azerbaijan” to “reconsider its relations” with Israel.
U.S. LIFTS MILITARY EMBARGO ON UZBEKISTAN
By Erkin Akhmadov (10/5/2011 issue of the CACI Analyst)
On September 22, the U.S.
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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.