Central Asia

Iran’s negotiator

Iran Unbound. What It Means

The negotiations in Vienna over the revival of the Iran nuclear deal, known as JCPOA, are almost certainly close to an agreement. The surest sign is that crude oil futures were sharply lower in mid-morning Asian trade Feb. 17 despite bearish developments due to the rising tensions on the Ukraine-Russia […]

Taliban met with Western diplomats

Reflections On Events In Afghanistan

40. The West co-opts the Taliban The three-day conclave in Oslo on January 23-25 for interaction for a core group of Western diplomats with Taliban officials marks a new phase in the political situation in Afghanistan. The West was represented by the US, UK, Germany, France and Italy as well […]

Afghan girls

Reflections On Events In Afghanistan (XXXIX)

39. Souring of Taliban’s relations with Pakistan    External interference in Afghanistan has reappeared much sooner than one would have expected after the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan in August. In a familiar pattern, the rumour mill has become active. The Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova hit out today at […]

CSTO mission in Kazakhstan

CSTO’s Mission Accomplished In Kazakhstan

The readout of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “working meeting” in the Kremlin on Wednesday with Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu regarding the Collective Security Treat Organisation’s  mission to Kazakhstan needs careful analysis. As is customary with Putin, so much more was said in the unsaid. Putin spoke with the world audience […]

Pentagon bio-lab near Almaty

Kazakhstan Turns Into Graveyard For US Diplomacy

The Kazakh Ministry of Health issued an innocuous disclaimer on January 9, 2022 denying social media reports about the seizure of a “military biological lab near Almaty by unidentified people.” According to Tass news agency, the social media had speculated that specialists in chemical protection suits were working near the […]

Peacekeeping forces

Putin Draws The Line For Colour Revolutions

This must be a rare page in American diplomatic history that a US Secretary of State has been literally off his rocker. Antony Blinken’s outbursts on the events in Kazakhstan were not only boorish but also illogical. Blinken questioned the decision by the president of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Kemelevich Tokayev to […]