By Slavomír Horák (6/17/2009 issue of the CACI Analyst)

Turkmenistan’s domestic politics remain in the shadow of a new round of the “Caspian gas game,” which in the last two years has centered on this energy-rich country. However, the external actors have thus far achieved few concrete results. A deeper look at the new regime in Turkmenistan makes evident the unpredictability of the regime, which arises very much from the personality of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov himself.

By Umida Hashimova (6/17/2009 issue of the CACI Analyst)

Since independence, Uzbekistan has been known as a country with limited willingness for integration and great caution toward regional initiatives. Uzbekistan has suspended its membership in the Eurasian Economic Community (EURASEC) and has been absent from recent meetings of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). Through publicly questioning the effectiveness of those regional organizations of which the country is a member, the Government of Uzbekistan is currently showing the lowest interest in regional structures since its independence.

By Marlène Laruelle (6/17/2009 issue of the CACI Analyst)

As the Federal Migration Service prepares to draw up new legislation on migrant workers, the Kremlin’s policy on both migration and the rise of xenophobia remain contradictory. The Russian authorities’ reluctance to take a clear position on these issues reinforces the tensions in Russia itself and worsens Moscow’s image in the emigration countries, particularly in Central Asia. The failure to find a solution to this question could open the door to harmful forces of destabilization both domestically and in the emigration countries.