Author: Kirill Nourzhanov, ANU
Central Asia had a relatively tranquil year in 2011. None of the five former Soviet republics constituting the region experienced regime change, civil conflict or economic meltdown — which is an achievement in its own right compared to the preceding tumultuous decade.
Authoritarian super-presidential regimes continued to muddle through in Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan seemingly unperturbed by the Arab Spring or any form of organised opposition. Read more…
Author: Kirill Nourzhanov, ANU
Almazbek Atambaev, Kyrgyzstan’s current prime minister, has proved a clear winner in the presidential election that took place on 30 October.
His incumbency in government, political experience and support from the country’s interim president, Roza Otunbayeva, undoubtedly contributed to his victory. Read more…
Author: Kirill Nourzhanov, ANU
On 17 June, Russia and France signed a €1.2 billion (US$1.7 billion) contract for the delivery of two French-built Mistral class amphibious assault ships to the Russian Navy.
The first warship will be delivered in 2014 and the second in 2015. Read more…
Author: Kirill Nourzhanov, ANU
Premiers are hired and fired all the time in the Kyrgyz Republic. On 21 October, following the resignation of the entire cabinet, Daniyar Usenov became the country’s seventeenth prime minister in its eighteen years of independence. In the past, incompetence, corruption scandals, suspected power ambitions, or merely the President’s whim served as pretexts for government reshuffles. This time the situation appears to be more complex and fraught.
The cabinet’s resignation came after weeks of rumours and media leaks about President Kurmanbek Bakiev’s plans to overhaul the entire executive branch of government. Read more…
