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.
Uzbekistan
Uzbeks Try to Blunt Islam’s Rise
“The government itself is creating fundamentalism,” says Mikhail Ardzinov. “We say we need to conduct a dialogue with religious people. Now it’s become dangerous.”
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.
At World Crossroads in Central Asia, Identity Is Submerged
The reality of life makes ethnic identity secondary to the main task of getting by. The monthly wage on the cotton farm is less than $20, and many villagers look back wistfully to the days when Chairman Kim made it rich and famous.
