Field Reports
PAKISTAN-AFGHAN BORDER INCREASINGLY TURNING INTO CHESSBOARD FOR REGIONAL POWERS
By Muhammad Tahir (7/12/2006 issue of the CACI Analyst)
It’s location as a major transit route to Central Asia has made Mazar-i-Sharif a focal point for interest by a number of different ethnic groups in Afghanistan. Shortly after coalition forces began bombarding Taliban targets in October 2001, the city was invaded by militias representing three major ethnic groups of the north: the Hazara, Tajiks, and Uzbeks. A power struggle followed that appears to have been tipped recently in favor of Tajik commander Mohammad Atta, who was appointed governor of Mazar-i-Sharif province by President Karzai.MUNICIPAL RE-ELECTION SHOWS WEAKENED POSITION OF PARTIES IN AZERBAIJAN
By Fariz Ismailzade (7/12/2006 issue of the CACI Analyst)
Attempts to hold re-elections ever since have been hindered by the important parliamentary elections in November 2005 followed by the parliamentary re-elections in May 2006. Only now can the Central Election Commission finally devote its energy and time to the conduct of these long-overdue municipal re-elections. In fact, the holding of these elections are the latest requirements by the Council of Europe to the Azerbaijani government and its delay could have damaged bilateral relations.PRO-PRESIDENTIAL FORCES IN KAZAKHSTAN GAIN NEW POSITIONS
By Marat Yermukanov (7/12/2006 issue of the CACI Analyst)
Addressing the delegates of his Otan party, President Nursultan Nazarbayev welcomed the decision about the merger between Asar and Otan as an important step towards the “consolidation of society”. On the surface it looks like a marriage of equals. Asar appeared on the political scene in the run-up to parliamentary election of 2004 and gained enormous popularity primarily due to the personal sway of the presidential daughter over regional governors, and administrative resources.PUTIN-SAAKASHVILI MEETING: NOTHING RESOLVED
By Kakha Jibladze (6/28/2006 issue of the CACI Analyst)
The meeting did not start out promisingly. Originally scheduled for an 8 PM start, Saakashvili was left waiting for three hours. Once the two presidents finally met, there was a marked tension during the press conference, with both presidents interrupting each other and Saakshvili even ‘interpreting’ some of Putin’s odder statements concerning Abkhazia and Georgian territorial integrity for better Georgian consumption.Visit also
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.