Field Reports
Shah Deniz Consortium Opts For Westward Gas Exports Through Trans-Adriatic Pipeline
by Mina Muradova (07/10/2013 issue of the CACI Analyst)
The Shah Deniz consortium has announced its selection of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) as the route for transporting gas from the Caspian Sea to Europe. The choice of TAP over the rival pipeline Nabucco West determines a route that will be used to diversify gas supplies to the European market in order to reduce European dependence on Russian gas.
Armenia Shocked by Control Chamber's Budget Report
by Haroutiun Khachatrian (07/10/2013 issue of the CACI Analyst)
The Armenian Control Chamber (CC) recently released a highly controversial report on the government’s execution of the 2012 state budget. Under Armenian legislation, the CC is a special non-partisan body which controls the efficiency by which state funds are used. The CC’s president is proposed by Armenia’s president and appointed by the Parliament for six years. The report was presented at a session of Armenia’s parliament, the National Assembly, on June 17 and 18 although it had been ready for some time.
Georgian MIA Uncovers Shocking Evidence Against Former Government
by Eka Janashia (the 06/26/2013 issue of the CACI Analyst)
On June 17, Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) disclosed a covert cache in the western region of Samegrelo, storing videotapes allegedly screening brutal torture, sexual abuse, beating and inhuman treatment of individuals; photos and private data on certain political opponents whose arrests were planned in the event of a United National Movement (UNM) victory in the October 1, 2012 parliamentary elections; and a large amount of explosive devices, military munitions, narcotics and psychotropic medicines.
Kazakhstan Adopts Controversial Pension Reform
by Georgiy Voloshin (the 06/26/2013 issue of the CACI Analyst)
On June 21, Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev signed into law a bill introducing a comprehensive reform of the country’s pension savings system. The main novelty of the bill is a provision increasing women’s retirement age from 58 to 63 years, thus ensuring full equality with the working male population. Earlier in April, the chairman of Kazakhstan’s National Bank, Grigory Marchenko, made public the results of an independent assessment made by international experts according to which the state budget might lose US$ 19.6 billion worth of potential tax revenue by 2023, should a similar reform not be adopted by the end of this year.
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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.