EurasiaNet.org
Georgia Trades a Stick for a Carrot in Overtures to Abkhazia, South Ossetia
(Jul 29)
Georgia has come knocking on separatist doors with a basket full of promised grants, investments and social welfare perks, but de facto Abkhaz and South Ossetian officials, wary of Georgians bearing gifts and mindful of Moscow and their own declarations of independence, show no sign of interest in the offering.
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Extracting Change in Afghanistan’s Development Quagmire
(Jul 29)
The girls’ high school under construction in Jabal Seraj could have turned out like any other development project in the area: crumbling and dangerous. Afghanistan is littered with poor-quality buildings sponsored by foreign donors. The projects are often sub-contracted -- several times -- to a final implementer who maximizes profits using cheap labor and sub-standard materials.
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Living in Bishkek’s Brutal Underground
(Jul 29)
Beneath the glamour and excess, the fast cars and “VIP” clubs, Bishkek’s feeble image of new money quickly evaporates. For an increasing number in Kyrgyzstan’s capital, the economic crisis means homelessness. Some seek refuge underground in the dark and dangerous corridors of the city’s central hot water and power system, living amongst decaying animals, used needles and human filth.
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Turkmkenistan Weekly Roundup
(Jul 29)
Turkmen Vice Premier and Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov reported on his participation in the meetings of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Almaty and the international conference on Afghanistan in Kabul at a cabinet meeting this week, the State News Agency of Turkmenistan reported.
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Surviving Underground Amid Poverty, Drugs and Fear
(Jul 28)
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For an increasing number in Kyrgyzstan’s capital, the ongoing economic crisis means homelessness. Some seek refuge underground in the dark and dangerous corridors of the city’s central hot water and power system. In the winter, these hot and damp halls provide shelter from Kyrgyzstan’s extreme climate.
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What Georgia Did on Its Summer Vacation: Discuss Constitutional Reform
(Jul 28)
Changes to Georgia’s constitution that could pave the way for President Mikheil Saakashvili to stay in power are rekindling fears that the country’s ruling party is abusing its hold on Georgian political life.
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US Official: Bishkek Can Do More For Reconciliation
(Jul 28)
Kyrgyzstan's government has failed to win the confidence of its Uzbek minority after ethnic violence in the southern part of the country forced hundreds of thousands of Uzbeks to flee earlier this summer, a top US State Department official has said.
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Georgia Plans to Offer Tax-Free IT Zones
(Jul 27)
They’ve tried wine and they’ve tried tourism. Now the Georgian government is banking on tax-free IT zones to draw foreign investment and boost local businesses.
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Party Time in Kyrgyzstan
(Jul 27)
It’s boom time for Kyrgyzstan’s political parties. When voters approved a new constitution on June 27, the country became the first parliamentary republic in Central Asia. Since then, the Justice Ministry has registered 148 parties to compete in elections scheduled for this October; more are reportedly waiting in the queue.
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Turkey Steps Up Support for Strategic Azerbaijani Exclave of Nakhchivan
(Jul 26)
Longtime Azerbaijani ally Turkey appears to be taking on a larger role in supporting the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, an Azerbaijani exclave sandwiched between Armenia and Iran. The first steps in this intensified cooperation are taking shape just months after plans for rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia went into cold storage.
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