Soft Power in Central Asia: The Politics of Influence and Seduction

(CAP) Central Asia often evokes images of imperial power rivalry dating back to the 19th century. Yet as the region’s international politics becomes more complex in the age of globalization,…

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Stuck between underinvestment, government authoritarianism and corruption: The healthcare system in Tajikistan and the risks for the population

(FPC) As the COVID-19 virus spread in Eurasia in early 2020, Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon and his government chose to deny the crisis for more than four months, then acknowledged…

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Peyrouse: All medical data is doctored in Turkmenistan; they diagnose them with pneumonia

(BuzzFeed News) As countries around the world continued to encourage their people to stick to strict social distancing measures in an effort to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus, Turkmenistan’s president…

On the (Belt &) Road to Failure? The Challenges of China’s Soft Power Policy in Central Asia (and Beyond)

(PONARS Eurasia Policy Memo) Notwithstanding twenty years of increasingly prominent political, economic and security relations, China remains poorly understood and even feared among Central Asians. Despite its emergence as the second-largest…

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Peyrouse on the EU’s New Central Asia Strategy | What are Europe’s main interests in Central Asia

(The Diplomat) After more than a decade, the European Union recently released an updated strategy for Central Asia. When comes to Central Asia’s partners, Europe certainly sits below Russia and China.…

The Health of the Nation—the Wealth of the Homeland! Turkmenistan’s Potemkin Healthcare System

On July 21, 2018, in an address to doctors, President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov boasted that Turkmenistan had “strengthened its place in the world as a powerful state with highly developed medicine.” He claimed…

Why Uzbekistan’s New President Needs to Expand Access to Islamic Education

(PONARS Policy Memo) Uzbekistan remains one of the Muslim states in the former Soviet space most averse to the development of Islamic education. For over twenty years, in the name of…

How to Strengthen Western Engagement in Central Asia: Spotlight on EU Education Assistance in Uzbekistan

(PONARS Policy Memo) The European Union’s 2007 Strategy for Central Asia identified education as a key area of cooperation. To this end, the EU launched programs to initiate and encourage fundamental…

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The Evolution of Russia’s Views on the Belt and Road Initiative

(Asia Policy) The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), announced by Xi Jinping in 2013 and comprising both the Silk Road Economic Belt and the Maritime Silk Road, has provoked admiration for…

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A Donor without Influence: The European Union in Central Asia

(PONARS Policy Memo) Over the past fifteen years, the EU has sought to gain visibility and influence in Central Asia. It has pressed soft power strategies and a values agenda, but…

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