WILL BERDYMUKHAMEDOV BE A GORBACHEV OR AN AHMADINEJAD?
By Rafis Abazov (2/21/2007 issue of the CACI Analyst)
BACKGROUND: The election of a new president is an important event for every country, but elections in secretive and closed societies, such as that of Turkmenistan, stir an especially big wave of speculation. Turkmenistan definitely is one of the most reclusive and isolated countries in the world, as almost all human rights and freedom of the press organizations put Turkmenistan on a par with North Korea. Saparmurat Niyazov Turkmenbashi was the only president in the former Soviet space who fiercely resisted any kind of reforms in the social, economic and political arenas.OIL MONEY FUELS REGIONAL TIES IN THE SOUTH CAUCASUS
By Jaba Devdariani and Blanka Hancilova (2/21/2007 issue of the CACI Analyst)
BACKGROUND: The main reason for the agreement was the decision on the construction of the Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi-Baku (KATB) railroad, linking Azerbaijan to Turkey and, potentially, to Europe. The sides also agreed to extend the linkage between their respective electricity transmission networks, and to expand the cooperation to encompass free the movement of people, goods, capital and services. The agreement builds on business partnership between the three states that started with the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline project (BTC) that began to be constructed in September 2002 and was officially inaugurated on July 13, 2006.WORKER RIOT AT THE TENGIZ OILFIELD: WHO IS TO BLAME?
By Saulesh Yessenova (2/21/2007 issue of the CACI Analyst)
BACKGROUND: The riot is said to have begun as a personal incident that enthused a massive fight, where Turkish nationals incurred most casualties. Reports and expert assessments have recognized socio-economic disparities that caused the violence. Still, ethnic animosities and the wild rush on the part of Kazakh workers have been captured more intensely than the situation regarding business and labor at Tengiz.THE DISMISSAL OF MINISTER SUVANALIEV AND THE STRUGGLE AGAINST ORGANIZED CRIME IN KYRGYZSTAN
By Kairat Osmonaliev & Johan Engvall (2/21/2007 issue of the CACI Analyst)
BACKGROUND: Since independence, organized crime has been one of the biggest obstacles to the development of a democratic Kyrgyzstan. Both the Akayev government before March 2005 and the current leadership have done little to relieve this threat. Racketeering has been permitted and organized criminal elements have been used as a tool in political confrontations.Visit also
Staff Publications
Silk Road Paper S. Frederick Starr, Greater Central Asia as A Component of U.S. Global Strategy, October 2024.
Analysis Laura Linderman, "Rising Stakes in Tbilisi as Elections Approach," Civil Georgia, September 7, 2024.
Analysis Mamuka Tsereteli, "U.S. Black Sea Strategy: The Georgian Connection", CEPA, February 9, 2024.
Silk Road Paper Svante E. Cornell, ed., Türkiye's Return to Central Asia and the Caucasus, July 2024.
Book Svante E. Cornell, ed., "The Changing Geopolitics of Central Asia and the Caucasus" AFPC Press/Armin LEar, 2023.
Silk Road Paper Svante E. Cornell and S. Frederick Starr, Stepping up to the “Agency Challenge”: Central Asian Diplomacy in a Time of Troubles, July 2023.
Silk Road Paper S. Frederick Starr, U.S. Policy in Central Asia through Central Asian Eyes, May 2023.