When Tajik President Emomali Rahmon turned 60, Vladimir Putin gave him a sniper rifle and promised to keep Russian troops stationed in Tajikistan until his 90th birthday.
Turkmenistan
Contrarian Redux
Robert Shlegel’s peers contrast Russia’s archaic political system with advanced western democracies. Shlegel compares it to the North Korean-style dictatorship he witnessed growing up in Turkmenistan.
Iran Wins Neighbors’ Pledge Not to Help U.S. Attack
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad played up a regional summit to fete Vladimir Putin as a friend of the Islamic Republic.
Iran Seeks to Undermine U.S. Energy Plan for Europe
Iran plans to import more oil and gas from Central Asia as it seeks to undermine a U.S.-backed project to build pipelines from the Caspian Sea to Europe.
Unlocking Turkmenistan
President-for-Life Saparmurat Niyazov harangued ministers, asking them why it took a foreigner to run a successful chicken farm.
Taliban Jars Central Asia
Moscow’s futile attack on Afghanistan was launched from this scorching border town 20 years ago. Now it’s bracing itself for an invasion in the reverse direction.
Oil-and-Gas Rich Country Swallows Money, Still Needing More
“You have to swim somewhere,” says one girl who emerges from the murky water. “We live here, so what choice do we have? Our hair and teeth haven’t fallen out yet.”