It’s been a big year for Uzbekistan’s football ambitions. In June, the national team qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, securing a 0-0 draw against the United Arab Emirates in Abu Dhabi that was enough to propel Uzbekistan into the main draw. It is the first time that Uzbekistan, which has built up its […]
Read MoreBy Sergey Kwan In September 2025, the research platform Demos.kz conducted a nationwide survey on public perceptions of Kazakhstan’s Armed Forces. When asked about the likelihood of Kazakhstan becoming involved in a military conflict over the next five years, 29.7% of respondents considered the risk very low, 28% rated it as average, 13.2% as rather […]
Read MoreBy Timur Serikuly Central Asia is undergoing a profound transformation, where questions of domestic development and the region’s ability to act in a coordinated way are coming to the forefront. For many years, Central Asian states were viewed as fragmented, each pursuing separate strategies that often put them in competition. Today, however, shared challenges and growing […]
Read MoreBy Bruce Pannier Uzbekistan has confirmed it will be building a large nuclear power plant (NPP) with two 1000-megawatt (MW) reactors as the country prepares for a sharp increase in electricity consumption in the coming years. Uzbekistan’s state atomic energy company, Uzatom, posted on September 26 that a new agreement calls for both a large […]
Read MoreBy 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 MoreBY Dr. Robert M. Cutler Several days ago I argued here that Kazakhstan’s diplomacy had begun to try to move from survival-mode balancing into a more entrepreneurial phase, testing its accumulated diplomatic capital on the world stage. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s September 24, 2025, speech to the United Nations General Assembly confirms this. It was a […]
Read MoreKazakhstan and the United States are continuing to strengthen their strategic partnership, with investment playing a central role. At a roundtable with U.S. business representatives in New York, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev stated that American investments in Kazakhstan’s economy have surpassed $100 billion. “Today, more than 630 American companies are successfully operating in our country, including […]
Read MoreBy Sergey Kwan Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation has signed a memorandum of cooperation with Power China to strengthen bilateral collaboration in water management. The agreement outlines plans for modernizing hydraulic infrastructure, reconstructing irrigation systems, and enhancing technical capacity through training programs and specialist exchanges. It also includes provisions for digitalization, investment in […]
Read MoreBy Dr. Robert M. Cutler Kazakhstan’s international visibility is reaching a peak this late summer and early autumn of 2025. In August, UN Secretary-General António Guterres visited Astana, praising the country’s role as a stabilizing influence in Central Asia and a supporter of multilateral institutions. In a few days, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev will address the […]
Read MorePresident of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov signed a new Constitutional Law “On the Legal Foundations of the Policy of Peace and Trust of Neutral Turkmenistan” on 19 September 2025. This document, which entered into force immediately after signing, fixes the key principles of the country’s foreign policy, emphasizing its commitment to neutrality, humanism, and constructive dialogue […]
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