Pannier and Hillard's Spotlight on Central Asia: New Episode Out Sunday - The Times Of Central Asia As Managing Editor of The Times of Central Asia, I’m delighted that, in partnership with the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs, from October 19, we are

The newest episode is out! @pannierb.bsky.social @timesca.com

timesca.com/tune-in-pann...

How an Incident on the Azerbaijan-Iran Border Became a Test for Diplomacy in the Region - The Times Of Central Asia The drone strike on Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic on March 5 has become one of the most serious incidents in relations between Baku and Tehran

A drone strike in Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan has escalated tensions between Baku and Tehran, raising concerns about stability in the South Caucasus https://ow.ly/GxkK50Yroih #Azerbaijan #Iran #Nakhchivan #SouthCaucasus #Geopolitics #Baku #Tehran #DroneStrike

Central Asia Faces an Arc of Instability to the South - The Times Of Central Asia Until a few weeks ago, looking south from Central Asia, observers of the region saw nothing but opportunities for connectivity. Admittedly, Iran on one side

Conflicts involving Iran and the Afghanistan Pakistan corridor are raising new risks for Central Asia’s southern trade routes and regional connectivity https://ow.ly/ytMe50YrY53 #CentralAsia #Iran #Afghanistan #Pakistan #Connectivity #Geopolitics #IranWar #TradeRoutes

Munara Abdukakharova: Stories of Art, Identity, and Political Memory from Kyrgyzstan - The Times Of Central Asia A yellow hammer-and-sickle symbol is sewn onto black, yellow, blue and red mattresses in Up on Manas, down on Sovetskaya, a powerful artwork by artist Munara

Soviet symbols stitched into Kyrgyz textiles, Munara Abdukakharova explores memory, migration, and identity in a changing Bishkek https://ow.ly/VXT050Ysqrs #CentralAsia #Kyrgyzstan #ContemporaryArt #TextileArt #BishkekArt #IdentityArt

Iran War Quietly Raises the Strategic Value of Central Asian Airspace - The Times Of Central Asia The war in Iran has disrupted one of the main aviation corridors linking Europe and Asia. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has issued safety

Latest from our Stephen M. Bland war in Iran is reshaping Europe to Asia aviation routes and increasing the strategic importance of Central Asian airspace https://ow.ly/KTVR50Ysrkb #CentralAsia #Aviation #IranWar #AirTravel #Kazakhstan #Uzbekistan #Geopolitics #IranConflict

On International Women’s Day, Shakhnoza Mirziyoyeva Names Uzbekistan’s Female Athletes an “Inspiration” - The Times Of Central Asia For International Women’s Day on 8 March, Shakhnoza Mirziyoyeva, First Deputy Director of Uzbekistan’s National Agency for Social Protection, has shared

Latest from our Jonathan Campion Uzbek official Shakhnoza Mirziyoyeva marks International Women’s Day by praising the country’s sportswomen for inspiring a new generation of girls to pursue their dreams https://ow.ly/5Jg350YqQAI #InternationalWomensDay #Uzbekistan #WomenInSport #CentralAsia #IWD2026

The USSR Is Gone, the Story Isn’t: Joe Luc Barnes On the Road Across the Former Soviet Union - The Times Of Central Asia On a foggy but mild London evening, The Times of Central Asia joined journalist and contributor Joe Luc Barnes to celebrate the launch of his new book,

Latest from our Ola's Kool Kitchen Georgian wine Armenian brandy and the ghosts of empire Joe Luc Barnes travels the former USSR to tell the human story of life after Soviet rule https://ow.ly/pvhc50YqbSI #CentralAsia #USSR #TravelWriting #History #PostSoviet #TravelStories

Pannier and Hillard's Spotlight on Central Asia: New Episode Out Now - The Times Of Central Asia As Managing Editor of The Times of Central Asia, I’m delighted that, in partnership with the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs, from October 19, we are

Stephen M. Bland will appear on the Spotlight on Central Asia podcast with @pannierb.bsky.social to discuss how the Iran war is affecting the region’s trade routes and diplomacy alongside Alex Vatanka https://ow.ly/eUOA50YpHwo #CentralAsia #IranWar #Podcast #Geopolitics #TradeRoutes #MiddleEast

Iran War Highlights Central Asia’s Vulnerable Southern Trade Corridors - The Times Of Central Asia The widening war centered on Iran is reverberating far beyond the Middle East, exposing a structural vulnerability in Central Asia’s economic geography: the

Latest from our Stephen M. Bland war around Iran is exposing Central Asia’s reliance on fragile southern trade corridors and accelerating the search for safer routes like the Middle Corridor https://ow.ly/bJ3q50YpGIk #CentralAsia #IranWar #TradeRoutes #MiddleCorridor #Geopolitics

Iran War Tests Emerging C5–Azerbaijan Solidarity - The Times Of Central Asia In an effort to coordinate responses to the Mideast conflict, the foreign ministers of the five Central Asian countries, as well as Azerbaijan, have spoken

Latest from our Stephen M. Bland Central Asia and Azerbaijan coordinate crisis response on Iran conflict signaling a more united C5 diplomatic front https://ow.ly/9yZ650YoxmL #CentralAsia #Azerbaijan #Iran #Diplomacy #Geopolitics #C5 #IranConflict #C5Diplomacy

Central Asia Confronts Iran War Fallout as Trade Routes and Citizens Come Under Pressure - The Times Of Central Asia Central Asian governments are racing to protect citizens and keep trade moving as the U.S.–Israel war with Iran widens across the Middle East, disrupting

Central Asia moves to protect citizens and trade as Middle East war disrupts oil and shipping routes https://ow.ly/u6sq50Yo9Qy #CentralAsia #Iranconflict #Trade #Energy #MiddleEast #Iran

Kazakhstan Suspends Extradition of Navalny Associate as Courts Weigh Asylum Claim - The Times Of Central Asia Kazakhstan has suspended the extradition of Yulia Yemelyanova, a former staff member of Alexei Navalny’s St. Petersburg office, to Russia. Yemelyanova was

Latest from our Stephen M. Bland Kazakhstan suspends extradition of Russian activist Yulia Yemelyanova as courts weigh asylum claims amid shifting regional geopolitics https://ow.ly/2mny50Yn2OR #Kazakhstan #Russia #Extradition #CentralAsia #Navalny #YuliaYemelyanova

Uzbekistan’s Ambassador to Kazakhstan on Regional Integration and a Shifting Global Order - The Times Of Central Asia Amid shifting regional dynamics and an evolving global order, Uzbekistan has emerged as one of Central Asia’s most proactive diplomatic and economic actors.

In an interview Uzbekistan’s ambassador outlines reform regional integration and pragmatic diplomacy from Kazakhstan to China and Afghanistan https://ow.ly/yMF450YmyWa #Uzbekistan #CentralAsia #Diplomacy #Geopolitics

Syria After Assad: What the New Regional Order Means for Central Asia - The Times Of Central Asia The overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024 fundamentally reshaped Syria’s regional position. The collapse of the old power structure weakened Iran’s

Post-Assad Syria is reshaping regional power dynamics, forcing Central Asian states to weigh cautious engagement against geopolitical risk https://ow.ly/9eB350Ym1x7 #Syria #CentralAsia #Geopolitics #MiddleEast #ForeignPolicy #CentralAsiaRelations #PostAssadEra #GeopoliticalRisk

Farmers, Courts, and Investors: Examining Recent Land Disputes in Uzbekistan - The Times Of Central Asia Uzbekistan’s agricultural sector is once again in the spotlight following a recent report by Human Rights Watch and the Uzbek Forum for Human Rights, which

Uzbekistan’s farm reforms face scrutiny as rights groups cite coercion while officials say courts and modernization are strengthening farmers’ protections https://ow.ly/Pt4Q50Yl8bs Uzbekistan #Agriculture #LandReform #CentralAsia #HumanRights

An Early European View of Nomadic Central Asia - The Times Of Central Asia Rather than producing an official report or military survey, Karutz wrote in a personal and descriptive style typical of travel literature. His narrative

A 1911 travel memoir by German explorer Richard Karutz offers a rare glimpse of nomadic Kazakh and Turkmen life before imperial transformation https://ow.ly/MO5k50Yl7zS #CentralAsia #History #TravelWriting #Kazakhstan #Turkmenistan

Central Asia and the Global Water Crisis: A Test of Governance and Cooperation - The Times Of Central Asia Water scarcity is rapidly transforming from a regional environmental concern into one of the defining global security challenges of the 21st century.

Water scarcity is becoming a global security threat and Central Asia stands on the frontline of a crisis that could reshape governance worldwide https://ow.ly/n6fi50YkhhI #WaterCrisis #CentralAsia #ClimateChange #GlobalSecurity #Sustainability

Getting Out: The Ukrainian Cricket Team's Last Stand on the Front Lines of War Getting Out tells how Ukraine's cricketers escaped from Russia's invasion in February 2022, including first-hand accounts of the war. As the foreign-born players fled the bombings, the team’s Ukrainia...

My book is set this week four years ago, in the first days of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Its heroes are some very brave – and very eccentric – sportspeople, who I still want the world to know about.

Lots of fun cricket stories as well. Please share ⬇️

www.pitchpublishing.co.uk/shop/getting...

Excellent. Another SoCA podcast! 👏👏👏

From Security Threat to Economic Partner: Central Asia’s New ‘View’ of Afghanistan - The Times Of Central Asia Afghanistan is quickly becoming more important to Central Asia, and the third week of February was filled with meetings that underscored the changing

Latest from our @pannierb.bsky.social Central Asia boosts trade ties with Afghanistan as regional talks signal a shift from security concerns to economic opportunity https://ow.ly/tevU50YiYqZ #CentralAsia #Afghanistan #Trade #Uzbekistan #Kazakhstan

The Language Nobody Wants to Speak About: Russian’s Uneasy Place in Central Asia’s Cultural Conversation - The Times Of Central Asia Rhetoric in segments of the Russian media has sharpened debates over sovereignty and influence across Central Asia, pushing these concerns beyond policy

Latest from our Ola's Kool Kitchen Central Asia’s arts scene talks decolonization but Russian still anchors grants exhibitions and cross border cultural exchange https://ow.ly/yNx150YiYwZ #CentralAsia #Arts #Language #Decolonization

The Language Nobody Wants to Speak About: Russian’s Uneasy Place in Central Asia’s Cultural Conversation - The Times Of Central Asia Rhetoric in segments of the Russian media has sharpened debates over sovereignty and influence across Central Asia, pushing these concerns beyond policy

My latest for @timesca.com as Central Asia rethinks Moscow’s influence Russian declines symbolically but still dominates the region’s cultural bureaucracy and art world infrastructure timesca.com/the-language... #CentralAsia #LanguagePolitics #Culture #PostSoviet #Identity

Kyrgyzstan Between the Russian World and Global Chaos: An Interview With Deputy Prime Minister Edil Baisalov - The Times Of Central Asia Edil Baisalov is a politician who began his career as a civil-rights activist, became a prominent member of Kyrgyzstan’s non-governmental organization (NGO)

“The world order, as we know it, is collapsing – or at least is under attack from both within and without,” Kyrgyzstan's Deputy PM Edil Baisalov told @timesca.com.

“The era of global hypocrisy is over, and the people of Kyrgyzstan have woken up."

My latest 🔽

timesca.com/kyrgyzstan-b...

Opinion: Tajikistan Narrows Online Extremism Liability — Debate Intensifies in Uzbekistan - The Times Of Central Asia Tajikistan’s Prosecutor General has reported a decrease in terrorist and extremist crimes. Officials attributed the decrease to the easing of penalties for

Tajikistan eases online like laws cutting extremism cases by 23 percent as debate grows in Uzbekistan over speech and prohibited content rules https://ow.ly/ys6e50Yi8Ja #Tajikistan #Uzbekistan #FreedomOfSpeech #CentralAsia #HumanRights #socialmedia

Japarov Breaks the Kyrgyz Tandem - The Times Of Central Asia When Kamchybek Tashiyev returned to Bishkek from medical travel abroad after losing his post as Chairman of the State Committee for National Security (GKNB),

Latest from our Robert M. Cutler Kyrgyzstan enters new power phase as President Japarov removes security chief Tashiyev reshaping elite balance and raising regional stakes https://ow.ly/1KjY50YhCoa #Kyrgyzstan #CentralAsia #Politics #Japarov #Security #PowerShift

Kyrgyzstan Between the Russian World and Global Chaos: An Interview With Deputy Prime Minister Edil Baisalov - The Times Of Central Asia Edil Baisalov is a politician who began his career as a civil-rights activist, became a prominent member of Kyrgyzstan’s non-governmental organization (NGO)

Latest from our Никола Миковић / Nikola Mikovic with an interview of Deputy PM and former activist Edil Baisalov who says Kyrgyzstan has ditched liberal orthodoxy for pragmatic state led development and national interest first policies https://ow.ly/gYSp50YhASt #Kyrgyzstan #CentralAsia #Politics

Turkmen Arkadag Without “Unnecessary” People: Crackdown on Residents Without Jobs or Registration Intensifies - The Times Of Central Asia The “smart” city of Arkadag, developed at the initiative of Turkmenistan’s National Leader Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, has once again become the focus of a

Turkmenistan’s showcase city Arkadag tightens residency rules with apartment checks targeting the unemployed and unregistered https://ow.ly/Gvvj50Yh9ei #Turkmenistan #Arkadag #CentralAsia #HumanRights #Migration #SmartCityRepression

Ten Years On, Kazakhstan’s Digital Experiment Moves Closer to Citizens - The Times Of Central Asia That expectation has accompanied Kazakhstan’s digital strategy for nearly a decade. When the government adopted the “Digital Kazakhstan” program in 2017, the

From Aqkol to Taldykorgan Kazakhstan’s smart city drive enters a new phase as digital services expand beyond sensors and cameras to everyday life https://ow.ly/VQao50YgJTc #Kazakhstan #SmartCity #DigitalKazakhstan #CentralAsia #FutureCities

Spotlight on Central Asia: New Episode Available Now with Eduards Stiprais, EU Special Representative for Central Asia - The Times Of Central Asia As Managing Editor of The Times of Central Asia, I’m delighted that, in partnership with the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs, from October 19, we are

This week on the Spotlight on Central Asia podcast with @pannierb.bsky.social we unpack the B5+1 summit major regional security developments and Kazakhstan’s draft constitution with expert guests https://ow.ly/aIGz50YbWrX #Politics #Security #CentralAsiaPodcast #PoliticalAnalysis #Podcast

Is Kyrgyzstan About to Have a Snap President Election? - The Times Of Central Asia Kyrgyzstan held early parliamentary elections at the end of November 2025 that were moved forward by a year so that they would not overlap with the campaign

Latest from @pannierb.bsky.social our calls are growing in Kyrgyzstan for an early presidential election that could shorten the timeline for challengers to President Sadyr Japarov https://ow.ly/Pqwz50YcpVl #Kyrgyzstan #Politics #Elections #CentralAsia