By Rustam Mukhamedov (8/14/2002 issue of the CACI Analyst)

While the war against the Taliban regime in Afghanistan is continuing, governments in Central Asia are strongly concerned by the role of Islam in society, especially radical movements that act under the Islamic flag, such as Wahhabi movements and Hizb-ut-Tahrir. The Uzbek government keeps all religious affairs under control, while the political atmosphere is much freer in Kyrgyzstan, although Kyrgyz authorities recently banned Hizb-ut-Tahrir. The question that is still open for discussion is whether Islam has a big influence on the people of Kyrgyzstan?

Kyrgyzstan is a multinational state, and this diversity influences the religious affiliation of its citizens.

By Marat Yermukanov, Kazakhstan (8/14/2002 issue of the CACI Analyst)

The Kazakhstani public is getting used to political persecutions, which often take ugly forms. The majority of people, who usually grumble about declining living standards, take the arrest of a political activist as a part of a government campaign against the "criminal filth", to use the expression of the Minister of Interior. That deeply-rooted public contempt for bribe-takers and corrupted officials is skillfully exploited by the authorities in crushing too vociferous critics of the regime.

By Marat Yermukanov, Kazakhstan (8/28/2002 issue of the CACI Analyst)

Far from being a boon, last year's record harvest turned into a major headache for grain producers in Kazakhstan. While agricultural officials are racking their brains over how to sell off millions of tons of grain from last years stock, disenchanted farmers doubt the ability of the government to effectively handle the situation on the market.

There was every reason for the former communist leaders to call Kazakhstan  "the major granary" of the Soviet Union.