China’s bid to purchase the US oil major Unocal foiled by Chevron, which beat the Chinese firm CNOOC to the punch, it is now seeking a stake in the Caspian Basin oilfields of Kazakhstan–where Chevron is a major investor. The… Read moreChina seeks claim in Kazakh oil fields
From the Aug. 1 AP. Rights groups are protesting that 15 Uzbek refugees are to be forcibly repatriated from Kyrgyzstan. But this is after 440 were flown to Romania to seek asylum in Europe last week over the objections of… Read moreUzbek refugees: political pawns
The regime of Islam Karimov in Uzbekistan, heretofore attempting to play both sides in the Great Game between Moscow and Washington, appears to have finally and decisively thrown in its lot with the former. From Pakistan’s Daily Times, via AFP… Read moreUzbekistan boots US military
The Great Game for control of Central Asia goes on. A few weeks ago, Russia and China, via the regional Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), led a call for the US to set a deadline for its withdrawal from Uzbekistan and… Read moreRummy does Kyrgyzstan
Meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan, July 5, the regional grouping known as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) issued a statement that called on the US to establish a timetable for withdrawal of its forces from Afghanistan and elsewhere in Central Asia…. Read moreCentral Asia alliance demands timetable for US withdrawal
RFE/RL Newsline reports July 1 that a leading Uzbek opposition figure, Muhammad Solih, is seeking to use a visit to Washington to urge the US and European Union to expand their support for “democracy activists” in Uzbekistan. “We do not… Read moreUzbekistan opposition leader does DC
Russia has increased its support for the embattled government of Uzbekistan, announcing that it will soon conduct joint military exercises with the regime of President Islam Karimov. The announcement by Sergei Ivanov, Russia’s defense minister, was broadcast in Moscow after… Read moreUzbekistan tilts to Moscow
If the Iraq war is not about oil, somebody forgot to tell the editors of the New York Times and, it seems, the leadership of the People’s Republic of China. On June 27, the Times runs a front-page story on… Read moreUS oil dominance fuels China’s Unocal bid
More than 1,000 Kyrgyz troops fired tear gas June 17 to drive protesters from a key state building, foiling what the government said was an attempt by supporters of the ousted president to regain power. Acting President Kurmanbek Bakiyev blamed… Read moreMore unrest in Kyrgyzstan
There was a powerful explosion outside the emergencies ministry in Dushanbe, capital of Tajikistan, June 13. Vehicles were damaged in the blast, and the ministry’s windows blown out, but no casualties were reported. “I do not exclude that this was… Read moreTerror in Tajikistan
A May 27 article in The Forward, Uzbek Unrest Shines Light on Leader’s Ties to Jewry, highlights the cozy relationship between the repressive Uzbek regime led by President Islam Karimov, organized American Jewry and that great moral authority on democracy,… Read moreOrganized Jewry allied with Uzbek despot
A week after calm started to return to Uzbekistan (see out last blog post), signs of simmering unrest continue, and the geopolitics of the conflict are starting to become clearer… Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Newsline (RFE/RL) reported May 23 that… Read moreUzbekistan-China alignment
