Majlis
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Majlis
In this biweekly podcast, host Bruce Pannier welcomes expert guests to discuss significant political developments and pressing social issues affecting the nations of Central Asia.
Episodi recenti
250 episodiCentral Asia's New Position In Global Politics
A lot has changed in Central Asia in the more than three years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The region’s giant neighbors...
EU Strengthens Ties With Central Asia
Top EU officials visited Central Asia for the first-ever EU-Central Asian summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Joining host Bruce Pannier are Terhi Hakala...
Saving The Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is home to many unique marine species and other wildlife. The Caspian Sea Basin is also rich in oil and natural gas. The development o...
Tajikistan's Descent Into Despotism
Tajikistan has been acknowledged by Freedom House as one of the worst human rights violators for years, but 2025 has seen Tajik authorities take repre...
Human Rights Watch Calls Out 'Worsening' Situation In Central Asia
Human Rights Watch (HRW) just released its annual report about the human rights situation around the world https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2025. The...
What Will Trump's Policy Be Toward Central Asia?
We know what U.S. policy for Central Asia was when Donald Trump was president the first time. But the region has changed significantly in the four yea...
Violence Against Women Increasing in Central Asia
This year’s edition of the international 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign got under way on November 25. While Central Asian...
What Do Central Asians Think About China?
China’s presence in Central Asia has been growing for 30 years. China is now a leading trade and security partner, foreign investor, and source of eve...
No Safe Haven In Europe For Central Asian Opposition
Tajik opposition activist Dilmurod Ergashev arrived in Tajikistan on November 7, after he was deported from Germany, where he had been seeking asylum...
Diving Deep Into Tajikistan's Armed Forces
The Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs just released a detailed report on military and security forces in Tajikistan. The comprehensive work exami...
Central Asia Pushes Back On Russian Critiques
Russian officials and celebrities have become increasingly critical of the countries and peoples of Central Asia since the Kremlin launched its full-s...
Kazakhstan’s Controversial Nuclear Power Vote
Kazakhs will vote on October 6 in a national referendum to authorize construction of a nuclear power plant. In recent winters, Kazakhstan has experien...
Russia’s Power Play In Central Asia
Russia’s longtime influence in Central Asia seemed to fade after the launch of its full-scale war on Ukraine in February 2022, as other countries purs...
The Racialization Of Central Asians In Russia
Racialization is the process of viewing a specific people with preconceived notions about them. In Russia, non-Russians -- particularly people from As...
Decolonizing Central Asia
Russia’s historical legacy in Central Asia has come under increased scrutiny in the region since Russia launched its full-scale war in Ukraine. Many R...
Legislating Fashion In Central Asia
In late June, Tajikistan passed a law on "alien clothing" that bans certain types of Islamic attire, particularly from Arab countries, and some types...
Three Years With The Taliban As Neighbors
Nearly three years have passed since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan, to the dismay of much of the world. While the Central Asian states...
Suppressing Karakalpakstan’s Sovereignty
Two years have passed since violence erupted in western Uzbekistan’s Karakalpakstan Sovereign Republic. In early July 2022, Uzbek law enforcement pers...
The Threat Posed by IS-K To Central Asia -- And Beyond
The threat of terrorism is never far from the minds of officials in Central Asia, who know that their region shares a 2,000-kilometer border with Afgh...
The Rise Of The Organization Of Turkic States
Turkey is building up its influence in Central Asia -- as shown by the Organization of Turkic States (OTS). The OTS includes Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazak...
Tajik Government's Crackdown In Gorno-Badakhshan Enters Third Year
Two years have passed since the Tajik government launched its crackdown on residents of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast, or GBAO. On May 16, 20...
Clamping Down On Religious Freedom In Central Asia
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) just released its annual report on freedom of religion in the world. The sections on C...
British Foreign Secretary Cameron Visits Central Asia
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron just completed an official trip to all five Central Asian states. For Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan...
Are Tajik Government Policies Helping Create Terrorists?
Can an authoritarian government's policies contribute to its citizens becoming terrorists? Tajik President Emomali Rahmon’s government has received fi...
Tajiks In Russia Living In Fear After Moscow Terrorist Attack
Russian security forces arrested several Tajik citizens in the wake of the March 22 attack on the Crocus City Hall outside Moscow that left more than...
Turkmenistan's Search For New Gas Markets
In the first two weeks of March, Turkmenistan has been unusually active in promoting its potential as a natural-gas supplier. Among the countries Turk...
Death, Detention, Deportation: The Plight of Karakalpak Activists
Karakalpak activists are experiencing problems in Kazakhstan and in Europe. Trouble started after Uzbek security forces brutally suppressed a peaceful...
Kloop's Closure: A Bad Omen For Independent Kyrgyz Media?
A court in Kyrgyzstan ordered the closure of Kloop Media on February 9. The court’s ruling came after a series of state-selected “experts” testified o...
Huge EU Investment Program Looks To Expand Middle Corridor To Central Asia
On January 29-30, Brussels hosted an Investors Forum for European Union-Central Asia Transport Connectivity. At the forum, EU officials announced that...
The Crackdown On Kyrgyzstan's Independent Media
While Kyrgyzstan's independent media scene has been slowly deteriorating for two years, January 15 marked a turning point with raids by law enforcemen...
Kyrgyzstan's Government Raises Its New Flag
Kyrgyzstan has changed its national flag. It was clear from the time the idea of altering the flag was first proposed in September 2023 that the count...
Central Asia: Not Russia’s Backyard But Still Russia's Neighbor
It has been more than 30 years since the five Central Asian states became independent, yet the term “Russia’s backyard” is often still used by some pe...
Central Asia’s Rising Global Profile And How That Affects Governance At Home
Central Asia has never enjoyed so much international attention as it has since Russia launched its full-scale war on Ukraine. The search for new, non-...
Punishing Reporting: Bloggers Under Pressure In Mirziyoev’s Uzbekistan
Since Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev came to power in late 2016, he has often exhorted journalists to draw attention to corruption and other proble...
Merchant Protests Shake Kyrgyz Government
The government's announcement of a new tax regime for local bazaars and markets sparked an unexpected backlash, with protests erupting in towns and ci...
Meeting Development Goals For Central Asia’s Persons With Disabilities
December 3 is International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Central Asian countries have all ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons wit...
The Drone Race In Central Asia
All five Central Asian militaries have drones, and four of the countries produce military drones domestically. Drones were first used in anger in Cent...
Recent Attacks Spotlight Gender Violence In Kazakhstan
Headlines in Kazakhstan in recent weeks have been dominated by reports of violence against women. Two women were the victims of rape. In one case, the...
Law And Order In Tajikistan
Gallup World Poll just released the results of its annual Law and Order Index, which ranked Tajikistan as the most secure country in the world. The po...
How Distant Wars Impact Central Asia
Geographically, Central Asia is located a comfortable distance away from the wars in the Caucasus, Ukraine, and the Middle East, but these conflicts a...