Central Asia

Uzbekistan is undergoing a remarkable transformation. After decades of repression and isolation under President Islam Karimov, who died in 2016, the government of Shavkat Mirziyoyev has embarked on a series of reforms to soften repression, create a freer market...

Over three years ago, in May 2015, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that they would co-develop their Eurasian integration projects, the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and the China-led Silk Road Economic Belt (SREB),...

The Eurasian Economic Union has styled itself as a desired and dynamic partner operating in the international arena in pursuit of its member states’ common economic objectives. It has signed several international agreements and boasts a long list of...

In October and November 2017, Central Asia and the Caucasus witnessed yet another set of Russian-led military exercises under the auspices of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). Codenamed “Combat Brotherhood-2017,” the exercises engaged the CSTO’s entire collective forces—from...

What is driving Armenia toward a policy of cooperating with its neighbors in the South Caucasus and across the Caspian Sea? To answer this question, one must look to the country’s September 2016 government reshuffle that resulted in the...

The past July marked yet another summer of unrest in Armenia. However, unlike the protests of 2015 dubbed “Electric Yerevan,” the events of 2016 have been more controversial. The Electric Yerevan protests drew people to streets against rampant corruption...