Bruce Pannier

Winter has barely begun, yet alarm bells are already sounding across Central Asia. From the arid plains of Turkmenistan to the mountainous headwaters of Kyrgyzstan, water levels in critical reservoirs have dropped to worrying lows — portending what could be another devastating drought year for a region still recovering from […]

A Partnership Built for the Long Haul On December 10, 2025, Uzbekistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khodjayev stood at Masan Port in Changwon, South Korea, watching sleek high-speed trains being loaded onto cargo ships bound for Tashkent. Capable of traveling 160 miles per hour through desert sandstorms, these Hyundai Rotem

When the presidents of the five Central Asian republics gathered at the White House on November 6, 2025, it marked a milestone in the often uneven story of U.S. engagement with the region. For the first time, all five — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan — met together with

Officials at Russia’s state gas company Gazprom were likely celebrating in early September after signing a long-awaited “legally binding memorandum” with China on construction of the Sila Sibiri-2 or Power of Siberia-2 natural gas pipeline. For Turkmenistan, however, the deal may mark the death knell for its rival project to

The role of the Russian language in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan has once again sparked diplomatic tensions, prompting familiar reassurances from both Kyrgyz and Kazakh leaders. Russian officials remain highly attentive to language policies in former Soviet republics, frequently voicing concerns over any perceived threats to the status of Russian. Most