List of Central Asia articles
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U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a meeting, his mouth open as he stands in front of a sign for a Central Asia plus U.S. group of nations. Biden is an 8-year-old man with white hair, wearing a navy blue suit. Biden Takes Aim at Putin’s Soft Underbelly in Central Asia
Moscow’s war in Ukraine has created an opening for Washington as a new great game heats up
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Two Uzbek soldiers, both wearing camouflage and helmets and holding rifles, stand on either side of a metal gate with a stop sign at its center. Behind the fence is a flat field, and farther in the distance are trees and a blue sky. The Water Wars Are Coming to Central Asia
Things have been bad for decades, but the Taliban threaten to make them worse.
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A man walks past a campaign billboard of Uzbekistan's incumbent President and presidential candidate Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Krasnogorsk, some 60kms from Tashkent, on July 8, 2023. Uzbekistan’s Reformist President Makes a U-Turn
Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s reforms, which were meant to usher in a new era for the key Central Asian country, appear to have stalled.
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Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan (left) and Russian President Vladimir Putin arrive at the Commonwealth of Independent States summit in Astana, Kazakhstan. Russia’s Periphery Takes Note of Putin’s Sudden Weakness
In Central Asia and the Caucasus, the Wagner rebellion has exposed Russia’s fragility.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping chairs the first China-Central Asia Summit in Xian, China on May 19, 2023. The Stans Can’t Play Both Sides Anymore
As Russia and China grow closer, Central Asian leaders don’t have as much leverage—or independence—as they once did.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin greets Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. It’s a New Great Game. Again.
Across Central Asia, Russia’s brand is tainted by Ukraine, China’s got challenges, and Washington senses another opening.
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The author stands on the nuclear bombing test fields in Kazakhstan. Can Kazakhstan Bury Its Nuclear Past?
Forgetting the site where Russia became a nuclear power comes with its own risks.
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Damage is seen in the aftermath of protests in Kazakhstan. The Other Jan. 6
One year on, events in Kazakhstan that cemented its president’s grip on power remain shrouded in mystery.
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An encounter with the local authorities in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Russia’s Great Reverse Migration
Central Asians used to flee the Soviet empire’s periphery for Moscow. Russia’s mobilization has sent escaping Muscovites in the other direction.
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A boy rides his bicycle past a burned-out store in Batken, Kyrgyzstan, on Sept. 22. Eurasia Is More Than Russia’s Backyard
Viewing recent conflicts in the Caucasus and Central Asia through the lens of Moscow’s political calculus overlooks important internal dynamics.
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Putin is seated and looks off in the distance. Russia Is Losing Its Clout in Central Asia as Ukraine War Spirals
Central Asian powers are learning that Putin is not the tough neighborhood sheriff he claimed to be.
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Russians arrive at the Syrym border crossing in Kazakhstan on Sept. 27. Central Asia Faces a Russian Migrant Crisis
As men flee Putin’s draft, Russia’s neighbors struggle to cope.
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A chicken runs near a burned-out house in the village of Kapchygay, near the Kyrgyz-Tajik border, on Sept. 21. Why Russia and China Aren’t Intervening in Central Asia
As tensions between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan flared, Moscow and Beijing chose to remain on the sidelines.
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A Chinese bank employee counts 100-yuan notes and U.S. dollar bills China Is Quietly Trying to Dethrone the Dollar
Regional groups and small banks are helping insulate Beijing against sanctions.
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Leaders of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation member states pose for a family photo during a summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on Sept. 16. Kazakhstan Is Breaking Out of Russia’s Grip
The Ukraine war has given Astana a unique chance to frustrate Moscow.
