Established in 2006, News Briefing Central Asia was conceived as a news analysis and comment service drawing on the expertise of a broad range of political observers across the region to contribute to greater public awareness of issues affecting the region. The stories produced were taken up in large numbers by local media outlets.

The project halted in September 2007 but with new funding the service is resuming, covering only Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan for the moment. IWPR is actively seeking further support to take forward the next stage of this innovative web-based news analysis service.