TRANS-ASIA RAIL NETWORK A POTENTIAL BENEFIT TO CENTRAL ASIAN AND CAUCASIAN STATES
By Hooman Peimani (11/15/2006 issue of the CACI Analyst)
BACKGROUND: Asia’s economy has been growing since the end of the second world war to turn it into a trading house accounting presently for over a quarter of global trade, a trend that is certain to continue in the foreseeable future. The rise of Asia as a major and growing trade hub has necessitated an appropriate cargo transportation infrastructure to facilitate its trade, especially with Europe. While much of the transport is done by lengthy sea routes, numerous projects are at the planning stage to link Europe to Asia through the Caucasus and Central Asia.GEORGIA CUTS LOSSES IN A HARMFUL RUSSIA ROW
By Jaba Devdariani (11/15/2006 issue of the CACI Analyst)
BACKGROUND: Russia recalled its ambassador from Tbilisi and introduced harsh economic sanctions against Georgia almost immediately after the arrest by the Georgian government of four Russian military officers on charges of espionage on September 27. The officers were released soon afterwards, on September 29, but Russia has continued to pressure Georgia, keeping the sanctions intact and deporting around 700 Georgians for alleged registration violations. Several Russian human rights groups believe that the authorities’ actions against Georgians are tantamount to acts of ‘racial discrimination’, and Georgia is preparing a lawsuit to the European Court of Human Rights.THE CURRENT SPAT WITH RUSSIA HAS GEORGIA UNDER A CLOUD—WITH A SILVER LINING, PERHAPS
By Peter Laurens (11/15/2006 issue of the CACI Analyst)
BACKGROUND: Although Georgia’s \"Rose Revolution\" occurred only three years ago, in November 2003, many positive results are already visible, especially as concern foreign investment and the overall perception of the country among multinational policymaking bodies. The new government has made concrete progress towards meeting international standards not only in terms of political governance, such as in its anti-crime and -corruption drive, but in terms of economic modernization. For example, over these three years, the government has cut red tape for businesses, overhauled the tax code and abolished most customs duties.THE COLLAPSE OF PUBLIC SERVICE AND KYRGYZSTAN’S ENDEMIC INSTABILITY
By Rafis Abazov (11/15/2006 issue of the CACI Analyst)
BACKGROUND: The ineffectiveness of the public services in independent Kyrgyzstan is in sharp contrast to the experience of the Soviet era. Then, ordinary people received their salaries and pensions in time, law and order was enforced effectively if not brutally, and comprehensive welfare and healthcare systems provided services to ordinary people. These public goods were delivered by a distant cousin of the public service – the Soviet nomenklatura – that was created in the country under Stalin’s motto “The cadres determine everything!” in the 1930s and 1940s.Visit also
Staff Publications
Silk Road Paper S. Frederick Starr, U.S. Policy in Central Asia through Central Asian Eyes, May 2023.
Analysis Svante E. Cornell, "Promise and Peril in the Caucasus," AFPC Insights, March 30, 2023.
Oped S. Frederick Starr, Putin's War In Ukraine and the Crimean War), 19fourtyfive, January 2, 2023
Oped S. Frederick Starr, Russia Needs Its Own Charles de Gaulle, Foreign Policy, July 21, 2022.
Silk Road Paper S. Frederick Starr, Rethinking Greater Central Asia: American and Western Stakes in the Region and How to Advance Them, June 2022
Oped Svante E. Cornell & Albert Barro, With referendum, Kazakh President pushes for reforms, Euractiv, June 3, 2022.
Oped Svante E. Cornell Russia's Southern Neighbors Take a Stand, The Hill, May 6, 2022.
Silk Road Paper Johan Engvall, Between Bandits and Bureaucrats: 30 Years of Parliamentary Development in Kyrgyzstan, January 2022.
Oped Svante E. Cornell, No, The War in Ukraine is not about NATO, The Hill, March 9, 2022.
Analysis Svante E. Cornell, Kazakhstan’s Crisis Calls for a Central Asia Policy Reboot, The National Interest, January 34, 2022.
Book S. Frederick Starr and Svante E. Cornell, Strong and Unique: Three Decades of U.S.-Kazakhstan Partnership, Central Asia-Caucasus Institute, December 2021.
Silk Road Paper Svante E. Cornell, S. Frederick Starr & Albert Barro, Political and Economic Reforms in Kazakhstan Under President Tokayev, November 2021.