Uzbekistan

Tajik Election Campaign Falls Flat

Behind the scenes there is talk of plots to split the opposition and curb the media, but on the surface the campaign is muted.

EU Quietly Courts Uzbeks

Divorce System Works Against Uzbek Women

Laws give women equal rights, but state institutions work to prevent them getting a divorce.

Tbilisi Fears Russian Recognition of Rebel Regions

Speculation mounts that Moscow may punish Georgia over spy scandal by recognising Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Uzbeks Impose High Gas Bills on Tajiks and Kyrgyz

Tajiks' Election Choices Already Limited

The main opposition parties have dropped out of the race, and the few remaining candidates have no chance against the current president.

Karachai-Cherkessia: Small Minority Asserts Itself

The Nogai community wants local autonomy, but that will require delicate negotiation with other ethnic groups.

Islamists Shun Tajik Election with Eye to Future

Central Asia’s only Islamic party wants to reposition itself at a greater distance from the Tajik government, but without alienating anyone.

Uzbekistan: Andijan Braced for Winter Fuel Crisis

In a country with huge gas reserves, residents of a major city are told they must make their own heating arrangements.

Tajikistan: Shadow-Boxing with Militant Threat

How high is the risk of Islamic insurgency to Tajikistan and its neighbours?