Kyrgyzstan’s Rebrand: New Country, or New Distractions?
By Joe Luc Barnes On January 29, in what became a viral social media post, Seide Ibraimova and her mother drove to the site of VDNKh, the exhibition center built in the Kirghiz SSR to demonstrate the achievements of socialist science and culture. Her mother, wrapped in a white headscarf, reminisced happily about the times […]
Read MoreChina-Russia pipeline would be ‘shock’ to global LNG trade: analysts
By Kandy Wong The long-delayed Power of Siberia 2 pipeline between Russia and China would create a “structural shock” if it begins operations, analysts said, and cause “strategic and market challenges” for the United States, the world’s current largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter. While President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin stood […]
Read MoreKim’s sister says North Korea will never see the South as a diplomatic partner
By KIM TONG-HYUNG SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ’s powerful sister yet again taunted South Korean efforts to improve ties, state media reported Wednesday, saying that her country will never accept Seoul as a diplomatic partner. Kim Yo Jong’s remarks fit a longstanding pattern of aggressive language during ongoing […]
Read MoreCan India Survive the Trade War?
By Eleanor Hume and Kyle Rutter New Delhi has been blindsided by U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent tariff temper tantrums. While Indian policymakers anticipated some trade tensions with the United States during Trump’s second term, they hoped that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s strong rapport with Trump, along with the geostrategic importance of the India-U.S. partnership, […]
Read MoreIs Central Asia the Next Target of Russian Aggression?
By Alex Little As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine drags into its third year, analysts have speculated whether Vladimir Putin might turn his sights elsewhere. While most concern has focused on Europe, some have pointed to Central Asia, a part of Russia’s traditional sphere of influence, as a possible next target. Despite Central Asia’s rising geopolitical […]
Read MoreWhy Israel’s spy tactics against Iran have sparked fears in Taiwan
By Lawrence Chungin Taipei Israel’s sweeping intelligence operations against Iran have jolted Taiwan’s security community, raising concerns that Beijing could adopt similar tactics to cripple the island’s leadership or critical infrastructure. As assassinations and sabotage rattle Tehran, analysts in Taipei warn that Beijing’s infiltration of Taiwan is no longer a purely political threat, and it […]
Read MoreWith Russian and Chinese nuclear plants, will Kazakhstan balance the risk, or double it?
It was a completely unsurprising surprise announcement. In a highly unusual statement issued on June 14, a Saturday, Kazakh authorities said they had selected Russia’s state-owned Rosatom to build Kazakhstan’s first nuclear power plant, binding the country further to its northern neighbor. “Finally, the spectacle is over,” Kazakh economist Aset Nauryzbaev, who opposed the project, […]
Read MoreChina-Central Asia Relations Enter New Phase Amid Xi’s Visit
ASTANA — Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Kazakhstan and his participation in the Central Asia-China summit mark a new phase of strategic engagement, encompassing a broader Central Asian region. Experts highlight both unprecedented opportunities and growing scrutiny in the region’s evolving partnerships. In recent years, the Central Asia–China format has emerged as a […]
Read MoreWhat happens if Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz?
By jonathan gornall LONDON: It is thanks to a quirk of ancient geological history that almost half the global oil and gas reserves are located under or around the waters of the Arabian Gulf, and that the flow of the bulk of bounty to the world must pass through the narrow maritime bottleneck that is […]
Read MoreThe mad scramble for Central Asia’s resources needs a plan
Having arrived in Central Asia to make deals, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni did a lot of name-checking during a policy address at the Astana International Forum. First, she went for the low-hanging fruit, giving a shout-out to Marco Polo, pointing to the legendary 13th century Venetian merchant-explorer to support her assertion that it is […]
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