Interviews / Kazakhstan
CABAR.asia talked with the esteemed UN Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders, Ms Mary Lawlor, to explore potential avenues for safeguarding and upholding human rights in Central Asia. The rapporteur emphasized her people-centred approach, focusing on the most vulnerable defenders. The rapporteur encouraged anyone with reliable information about human rights defenders’ rights violations to contact her office. We discussed the importance of UN mechanisms in protecting human rights and holding governments accountable, despite the challenges of “democratic backsliding” in some countries of the Central Asian region.
How do US-Chinese contradictions affect the geopolitical picture of Central Asia? Are there any concerns in the US about the growing role of China in the regional security of Central Asian countries? How do the US experts assess China’s soft power? These and other questions were discussed with Johns Hopkins University Sinologist and Professor Andrew Murtha, exclusively for CABAR.asia. (more…)
A shocking forecast made for Kazakhstan back in 2018 has come true: the country has entered the phase of man-made disasters because of the wear of public utilities. CABAR.asia together with the honoured power engineer of the Republic of Kazakhstan and author of the Telegram channel “Haırýshev energy”, Zhakyp Hairushev, are figuring out why disasters have become possible and how the country should recover from the crisis. (more…)
How has the war in Ukraine transformed the security landscape in the post-Soviet space, particularly in Central Asia? What new developments are we witnessing in the energy security domain, and how will they change the region? These questions to Ambassador Dr Thomas Greminger, Director of the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP) He is sharing his views on the changing security situation in Central Asia and beyond exclusively for CABAR.asia. (more…)
What problems can machine learning and AI solve in Central Asia? Which countries or stakeholders can contribute to the advancement of machine learning and AI? What are the challenges and risks facing societies with the gradual introduction of AI and machine learning into our lives in political processes? The editors of CABAR.asia discussed these and other issues with Professor of the Higher School of Economics (Russia) Evgeny Sedashov. (more…)
Fight against corruption in Kazakhstan announced by President Kasym-Zhomart Tokayev that gained momentum after the January events has failed to pick up the pace and gone downward, according to Dzhamilya Maricheva, founder and editor of Protenge.kz media project. (more…)
What are the reasons for anti-Chinese sentiments in Kazakhstan? What measures does China take to improve its image in Central Asia and how effective are they? Will the social base of anti-Chinese sentiments in Kazakhstan expand, or vice versa? The Editorial of CABAR.asia discussed these and other questions with Professor of Nazarbayev University, Jessica Neafie (Astana). (more…)
“The Taliban model of governance is not suitable and sustainable for a multicultural and multinational country like Afghanistan. The more the Taliban suppress the people, the more the resistance will be empowered”, says Dr. Omar Sadr, a research fellow at the University of Pittsburgh.
What are the major risks posed by climate change in Central Asia? Will heatwaves in summer be the new normal? How Central Asia can address the issue as a region? What can be done at the level of individual countries to adapt to climate change? The editorial of CABAR.asia discussed these and other questions with Roman Vakulchuk who holds a PhD in Economics and works as Senior Researcher at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) focusing on climate change and renewable energy. (more…)
“Today the US Strategy for Central Asia is defunct. It has to be thought through from the beginning and a new strategy has to be devised that more adequately embraces current realities” – states Dr. Frederick Starr, an American academic historian, expert on Central Asia, Russia and Eurasia, and chairman of the Central Asia and Caucasus Institute, in an interview to CABAR.asia.