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
With the world still trying to get a grasp of the magnitude of the violence that has shaken Uzbekistan over the past week, the Uzbek government claims to have retaken (with no bloodshed) the small eastern border town of Korasuv,… Read moreUzbekistan back from the brink?
The government and opposition protesters are sharply at odds in Uzbekistan days after the eastern city of Andijan exploded into violence. A May 15 AP report claimed some 500 bodies had been laid out in a school in Andijan for… Read moreWhat happened in Uzbekistan?
The ongoing protests in Uzbekistan’s eastern city of Andijan exploded into violence yesterday as demonstrators stormed a jail in an effort to free 23 men accused of membership in an Islamist organization and soldiers responded by opening fire on the… Read moreIt hits the fan in Uzbekistan
BBC reports May 12 on an unprecedented wave of protests against the authoritarian regime of Islam Karimov in Uzbekistan. Every day for the past four months, protesters in the eastern town of Andijan have gathered outside a courthouse where 23… Read moreUnrest in Uzbekistan
There is a sleazy underside to what is being protrayed as an important step towards peace in Asia. Visiting New Delhi, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao signed an agreement with India to resolve border disputes dating to the Sino-Indian war of… Read moreTibet betrayed in China-India border deal
As Kyrgyzstan’s Tulip Revolution is being consolidated, with a modicum of order returning to Bishkek, the capital, ousted president Askar Akayev has emerged in Moscow, and formally resigned–after having pledged from hiding that he wouldn’t. He said that he hopes… Read moreKyrgyzstan: pawn in the new Great Game?
What is now being dubbed Kyrgyzstan’s "Tulip Revolution" is starting to look considerably less than velvet. The country remains divided, with ousted president Askar Akayev in hiding but refusing to step down, and some protests and even road blockades reported… Read moreKyrgyzstan: revolution “made in USA”?
