By Rafis Abazov (7/15/2009 issue of the CACI Analyst)

On June 12 2009, the President of Turkmenistan signed a decree establishing the National Academy of Science (NAS) of Turkmenistan, fully funded by the state budget. This refocusing of priorities toward re-establishing a national Research and Development (R&D) system has made a significant contribution to the systematic reorganization of the country’s research and education. This move has also intensified the debates within Turkmenistan and in the Central Asian region about the future directions in adopting new approaches to research and science: should the government support and fund the establishment of its own innovative research and development potentials or should the state abandon attempts to build its own research base and fully rely on the private sector or an international transfer of know-how?

BACKGROUND: Turkmenistan’s policy-makers follow in the footsteps of their colleagues in developing countries, where debates about the viability of creating an independent R&D base have continued for more than half a century.

By Tamerlan Vahabov (7/15/2009 issue of the CACI Analyst)

On June 14, member countries of the Collective Security Treaty Organization signed a document on the establishment of CSTO Rapid Reaction Forces. Due to its economic and military potential, Russia will provide the main and virtually the only viable component of these forces. This treaty is symbolic as it seals Russia’s political-military aspirations in the CSTO area.

By Dmitry Shlapentokh (7/15/2009 issue of the CACI Analyst)

Recent events suggest increasing Sino-Russian military cooperation, with the participation of several Central Asian countries. Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov proclaimed that Russia and China would hold up to 25 joint military maneuvers this year, plans that have are materializing. In May, Russia, China and three Central Asian countries engaged in military exercises in Tajikistan.