Field Reports
UZBEKISTAN CONCERNED OVER RUSSIAN MILITARY BASE IN FERGHANA
By Erkin Akhmadov (8/19/2009 issue of the CACI Analyst)
On August 1, during the summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in Kyrgyzstan, the presidents Dmitry Medvedev and Kurmanbek Bakiyev signed a Memorandum “On the intentions of the Russian Federation and the Kyrgyz Republic to further develop and enhance the bilateral legal base regulating the presence of Russian military forces on the territory of the Kyrgyz Republic, and the dislocation of additional Russian military forces on the territory of the Kyrgyz Republic”. The Memorandum provides the framework for setting up a new military unit in Osh, Ferghana, under the aegis of the CSTO, which would include up to a battalion of military staff as well as an educational center for the preparation of Russian and Kyrgyz soldiers. On August 3, Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs published a statement expressing decisive disagreement with Russia’s intentions.
THE PROBLEMATIC TAJIKISTAN-RUSSIA RELATIONSHIP
By Suhrob Majidov (8/19/2009 issue of the CACI Analyst)
As a result of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s visit to Tajikistan, Moscow and Dushanbe agreed to “equal rights military cooperation”. This means that from now on Russia will pay for its military base in Tajikistan, which is the largest in the region with 6,800 servicemen. In turn, Russia will sell arms to Tajikistan at market prices and conduct military trainings for Tajik soldiers for a certain payment.
ELECTION IN KYRGYZSTAN: BAKIYEV AGAIN
By Nurshat Ababakirov (8/19/2009 issue of the CACI Analyst)
On July 23, President Bakiyev was re-elected for a second term with 76 percent of the vote, while his major opponent from the united opposition, Almazbek Atambaev, former prime minister, received 8 percent. Bakiyev’s victory was hardly a surprise. It was quite firmly believed from the outset of the election campaign that President Bakiyev enjoyed a greater popularity than the other five candidates.
UIGHUR UNREST IN URUMQI: CHINA’S BLEEDING WOUND
By Roman Muzalevsky (7/15/2009 issue of the CACI Analyst)
After last year’s riots in Tibet, China yet again faced unrest on July 6, this time in the Muslim and Turkic-speaking northwestern province of Xinjiang. While somewhat different from the case of Tibet, the developments illustrate China’s inability of substituting the fruits of economic modernization for political benefits both for Han Chinese and oppressed ethnic minorities, some of which have called for separatism. As China rises and global conscience spreads, Uighurs and Chinese appear to be in a tug of war.
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Staff Publications
Silk Road Paper S. Frederick Starr, Greater Central Asia as A Component of U.S. Global Strategy, October 2024.
Analysis Laura Linderman, "Rising Stakes in Tbilisi as Elections Approach," Civil Georgia, September 7, 2024.
Analysis Mamuka Tsereteli, "U.S. Black Sea Strategy: The Georgian Connection", CEPA, February 9, 2024.
Silk Road Paper Svante E. Cornell, ed., Türkiye's Return to Central Asia and the Caucasus, July 2024.
Book Svante E. Cornell, ed., "The Changing Geopolitics of Central Asia and the Caucasus" AFPC Press/Armin LEar, 2023.
Silk Road Paper Svante E. Cornell and S. Frederick Starr, Stepping up to the “Agency Challenge”: Central Asian Diplomacy in a Time of Troubles, July 2023.
Silk Road Paper S. Frederick Starr, U.S. Policy in Central Asia through Central Asian Eyes, May 2023.