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“Contrary to the ‘grand Chess table’ image of the Great Game paradigm, the major powers at work in Central Asia appear to prefer accommodating each other and establishing overlapping spheres of influence rather than competing in a zero-sum game”, – notes Christopher Schwartz, a journalist and academic with the American University of Central Asia, in an exclusive interview for  cabar.asia. (more…)

“Not only can Uzbekistan elevate relations to a new level but also contribute to the formation of the EU’s strategy in the region” – expert Zainab Dost, writing specially for cabar.asia, speaks about new trends in EU-Uzbekistan relations. (more…)

“For me, the term Central Asian region comes from the outside. In particular, Europeans see the post-Soviet republics as a single region. However, the Central Asian countries do not perceive themselves necessarily as part of a single or integral region” suggests Professor Dr. Thorsten Bonacker in an interview to cabar.asia. (more…)

“The success of reforms will largely depend on the ability of the new president to abandon Karimov’s methods of governing the country and open Uzbekistan to innovation and investment” – independent political scientist, Galiya Ibragimova, writing specially for cabar.asia, notes in an article concerning Uzbekistan’s current investment situation. (more…)

“I think there is the potential for these republics to merge from the shadows of these two giants and level the playing field if they utilize the multilateral institutions that now exist for the region, such as the EAEU, and the SCO”, – notes James MacHaffie in interview, especially for  for cabar.asia. (more…)

“However, the situation could evolve in case the relationship between EU and Russia warm up. In that case, Russia would have much more options for supply and export, and would see its bargaining power significantly increase toward China” – French journalist Vivien Fortat reveals the specific role and place of China in the contemporary world politics, especially for cabar.asia. (more…)

“In the post-Soviet space, all the difficulties of migration management stem from the fact, that migration is perceived as a geopolitical weapon. Having changed only the focus of the view on this issue, one can get rid of many difficulties, ” – said Olga Gulina, director of the Institute for Migration Policy (Berlin, Germany), especially for cabar.asia. (more…)

“Saudi and pro-Salafi lobby are already active in most countries of the region; according to critics, some government decrees and decisions adopted in recent years in the religious sphere look as if they were written at the suggestion of the Salafis, or in close consultation with them”, – an expert from Tajikistan, Parviz Mullojanov, on the geopolitical aspects of Salafization in Central Asia, specially for cabar.asia. (more…)

“Since 2010 when KG began it’s experiment with parliamentary democracy, which basically codified and legitimized the preexisting patronal politics and structures, KZ has been on edge and is keenly aware of the risk that a successful multi-party state could pose to its one-man rule”, – expert in Central Asian affairs from Prague, Chris Weed, reveals the underwater stones of the relationship between the Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. (more…)

“Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia is a good example of how even a more or less free Fourth Estate can remain unable to affect change in society if key institutions and Western-style governance practices are not functioning and there is a lack of any “civil society ownership” on a mass scale,” – Political scientist Denis Berdakov examines the problems facing the development of the Kyrgyzstani media environment in this cabar.asia exclusive. (more…)