Fascinating peace on critical art of Saule Suleimenova @ Times of Central Asia. She is among the era-defining artist. timesca.com/unbent-unbow...

read my latest publication here:

Great listen about rich history of carpetmaking in #CentralAsia from @aga-pik.bsky.social on her Turan Tales Substack. Also check out my book Silk Mirage, where I write about enterprising Uzbeks reviving traditions that were all but stamped out in Soviet times turantales.substack.com/p/episode-28...

Disability remains largely invisible in Central Asia revealing how far modernization has yet to translate into inclusion participation and everyday opportunity https://ow.ly/87It50Y0NGO #CentralAsia #Disability #DisabilityAwareness #DisabilityRights

Uzbekistan’s Anti-corruption Emergency: What Comes After a Decade of Reform? Uzb’s declaration of an anti-corruption “state of emergency” signals a turning point in its decade-long reform efforts toward a system-based model of control and prevention. Read my latest: thediplomat.com/2026/01/uzbe...

Why Is Telegram at the Center of Uzbekistan’s Expanding Extremism Blacklist? As Tashkent’s blacklist of online sources expands, Telegram-based accounts consistently form the largest share. My article: thediplomat.com/2026/01/why-...

My latest publication is on Russia’s Post-Imperial Anxiety and the Rhetoric of Control in Central Asia Read here: thediplomat.com/2026/01/russ...

In a dispatch from Tashkent, The Beet explores the debates about language, trust, and technology shaping Wikipedia’s development in Central Asia (and beyond) in the age of AI. meduza.io/en/feature/2... @meduza.io

Latest from @niginakhon.bsky.social: The number of Uzbek nationals fighting in the Russia-Ukraine war remains significant, and the price of returning home has become little more than a grounding. thediplomat.com/2025/09/uzbe...

Russian Without Russians: The Politics of Language in Uzbekistan In the latest issue of @thediplomat.com , I talk to UZB's Gen Z about the russian language in the country thediplomat.com/2025/06/russ...

Together with Bakhrom Mirakilov, I explore the marginalization of political science (and ther related fields) in Uzbekistan’s universities and its broader consequences thediplomat.com/2025/06/poli...

my latesr: Inside Uzbekistan’s Private University Boom Can private universities in Uzbekistan truly solve the growing demand for higher education, or will they become profit driven diploma-mills? thediplomat.com/2025/05/insi...

Amid growing reports of fraud, poor service, and legal cases involving thousands of stranded pilgrims, Tashkent continues to introduce new regulatory measures. my latest for @thediplomat.com thediplomat.com/2025/04/uzbe...

#Uzbekistan seeks to revitalise privatisation drive, with stakes to be sold off in 29 companies, including some big names www.gazeta.uz/ru/2025/04/2...

Fascinating look by @Peter__Leonard on his Havli Substack at how Central Asian governments try to combine “secular authoritarianism with “conservative moral revivalism” havli.substack.com/p/riding-two...

Excited to finely share our news. We are now registered as a charity in England & Wales providing a means to confidently & effectively support us. Very proud to have 3 great trustees providing oversight; Sophie Ibbotson, Hugh Philpott OBE and Vicky Fletcher. Please consider donating

My latest short for @thediplomat.com thediplomat.com/2025/04/why-...

Bread. Surkhandarya style.

In Uzbekistan, 1 in 10 schoolkids studies in Russian. Only 2.1% of the population is ethnically Russian (under 800k people), but 666,443 children are educated in Russian. There are 87 Russian-medium schools — and Russian-language classes in 885 more.

Forced labor involving public sector employees and children persists during Turkmenistan's 2024 cotton harvest, despite a government ban, risking international sanctions timesca.com/forced-and-c... #Turkmenistan #CottonHarvest #HumanRights #ForcedLabor #ChildLabor

Will Uzbekistan’s 31-Year Effort to Join the WTO Finally Pay Off? thediplomat.com/2025/03/will...

SamOsh

Kazakhstani scientists discover protein DJ-1's role in Parkinson's disease timesca.com/kazakhstans-... #KazakhstanScience #ParkinsonsResearch #ProteinDJ1 #ScientificDiscovery #KazakhstanResearchers #ScienceMilestone

Is isolationist #Turkmenistan ready to engage with the world? @peterleonard1.bsky.social examines the evidence on his Havli Substack havli.substack.com/p/is-turkmen...

Russia and Central Asia have been mutually shaped by decades of labor migration, but these long-running ties have begun to fray.

Central Asian Survey, the leading academic journal in the field of Central Asian Studies, is seeking a new Editor, or Editors from January 2026. think.taylorandfrancis.com/editor_recru...

Kyrgyzstan has called for respect for its "historical and cultural heritage" after a Russian clothing brand used traditional Kyrgyz designs and claimed copyright over them, prompting accusations of "cultural appropriation."

Russia shifts energy supply focus from Europe to Central Asia timesca.com/right-place-... #Geopolitics #CentralAsia #Russia #EnergyPolicy #EnergyTrade

@reutersworld.bsky.social is seeking a correspondent to cover Central Asia, bringing one of the most fascinating regions to a global audience. careers.thomsonreuters.com/us/en/job/JR...

In Samarkand, Uzbekistan, a woman who killed her daughter in law was sentenced to 13 years. Giving 8-15 years every time a woman is killed sends a wrong signal to the public. This is essentially a price tag misogynists can easily pay with amnesty often being granted. They take it as honor.

The first-ever EU-Central Asia leaders’ summit is back on the schedule. @thediplomat.com thediplomat.com/2025/02/eu-c...

Кадыр Кулиев и Нигинахон Саида написали большую статью для авторитетного издания The Diplomat, в которой объяснили положение Узбекистана в Индексе восприятия коррупции и рассказали, почему республика впервые с 2012 года упала в этом рейтинге. politik.uz/novosti/the-...

Despite a surge in anti-corruption efforts, systemic fraud and bribery remain deeply embedded in Uzbekistan’s governance. With thousands of officials facing charges yet minimal consequences, is real change on the horizon? My latest: thediplomat.com/2025/02/uzbe...

Russian officials believe that the West has successfully threatened Central Asia into complying with sanctions while offering access to global markets, transport corridors & supply chains that bypass Moscow. on.ft.com/4aXbPQz

Lecturer position at Eurasian Studies at University of Glasgow www.jobs.gla.ac.uk/job/lecturer...

my latest for the diplomat thediplomat.com/2025/02/ches...

Given Trump’s past approaches, it’s entirely possible that the new U.S. president will demand that Central Asia’s governments “do more” with respect to Russia.

The fate of 48 Uyghur men detained in Thailand has become a litmus test for human rights in Southeast Asia, with far-reaching implications that extend beyond the borders of Thailand and China.

Gender inequality persists in Kyrgyzstan, limiting women's independence timesca.com/gender-inequ... #GenderInequality #Kyrgyzstan #WomenInKyrgyzstan #WomenRights #CulturalChange #Eurasia #CentralAsia

My article on GBV over kelins (daughters-in-law) is now avaialble in French and German. Here is the English ersion too Bound by Tradition: Silent Suffering of Daughters-in-Law in Uzbekistan novastan.org/en/uzbekista...

Gebunden durch Tradition: Das stille Leiden der Schwiegertöchter in Usbekistan novastan.org/de/usbekista...

Le fardeau de la tradition : la souffrance silencieuse des kelins en Ouzbékistan novastan.org/fr/ouzbekist...

BB ishiring 4 Regional Coordinators to support the implementation of the Rihla Initiative for Green Economic Growth: (Remote) -MENA -Central Asia -South & SE Asia -Sub-Saharan Africa www.bourseandbazaar.com/opportunities

Before Stalin's famines in the late 1920s and early 1930s, the Ferghana Valley in Central Asia starved in 1917-1918. Hundreds of thousands of people died as a result. Article by Kaxramon Bahridinov (PDF download) repo.journalnx.com/index.php/nx...

#LaghSky Tashkent 2024

Happy to share my new article looking at institutions of higher education & research in Central Asia on the example of OSCE Academy. In particular it highlights the perils of institutional and financial insecurity in a region that is heavily affected by geopolitical conflicts lnkd.in/ebHTXwYe

Шавкат Мирзиёев пригласил Президента США посетить Узбекистан uzdaily.uz/ru/shavkat-m...

No one: Kazakh girls in any corner of the world: "I have a chocolate for you!" She says it is from the same brand that makes those blue KZ chocolates. A gem! 🇰🇿🇰🇿🇰🇿

Right now a great guy, Temirlan Yensebek who created political satirical (and fake news) account Qaznews24 is under arrest in Almaty. He's facing 7 years in prison for "inciting hatred" even though ALL of the Qaznews24 posts have a disclaimer about 'fictional news' ulysmedia.kz/news/44961-a...

Don’t Sleep on Uzbekistan’s Thriving Fashion Scene i-d.co/article/tash...