In The News

China Separates Muslim Children From Families: BBC

John Sudworth July 5, 2019
A parent’s love for a child is unconditional, and anxiety is intense during separations when parents can’t be sure of a child’s safety. In the western region of Xinjiang, China is placing Muslim adults in detention camps, sending children to boarding schools, and indoctrinating young and old to reject their faith and embrace Chinese culture and language. China imposes tight controls on the region...

BBC: Militants Attack Afghan Intelligence Base

January 22, 2019
Afghanistan’s citizens have reason to worry about security. The United States signaled plans in December to reduce its troop presence and has met with the Taliban for peace talks in Qatar without the Afghan government’s participation. Still, Taliban attacks continue. Extremists attacked an intelligence security base near Kabul, with car bombs, suicide bombers and gunmen, killing more than 40 and...

Washington Post: Afghans Slam Soviet Invasion Praise

Alex Horton and Sayed Salahuddin January 3, 2019
Donald Trump continues a pattern of rejecting longstanding US national security policies and supporting Russian interpretations by praising the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan as a fight against terrorism. Both the United Nations and the United States opposed the invasion. US intelligence agencies supported Afghan rebels during the war, and the Soviet Union withdrew in 1989. The United States...

NPR: Taliban Meets With US Officials

Colin Dwyer December 18, 2018
Afghan Taliban have met with US officials to discuss peace, but the group refuses to meet with representatives of the Afghan government. The focus of the meetings in the United Arab Emirates is to end the war underway since the 9/11 attacks and the 2001 US invasion that unseated the Taliban. The Afghan government has offered to recognize the Taliban as a political party and proposed ceasefires –...

Eurasianet: Uzbekistan and Sufi Revival

December 13, 2018
Religious monuments and celebrations attract visitors from afar. Governments of Uzbekistan once limited religious practices, but have since lightened restrictions. The history and culture of the Ferghana Valley are now a draw for tourists intrigued by the famed Silk Road of centuries ago. “Bukhara is a place of particular significance because it was there that the founder of a major Sufi order,...

The Economist: What’s in It for Belt-and-Road Countries?

April 20, 2018
Trade flourished in Central Asia until shipping routes became faster and more affordable than the Silk Road’s land routes: “many Eurasian hubs floundered,” reports the Economist. The leaders of China and many governments expect that infrastructure investments of the Belt and Road Initiative could revive the region as transport routes. But the Economist questions if the flow of trade will be one...

The Diplomat: Central Asian States Step Up Afghan Diplomacy

Catherine Putz January 24, 2018
Challenges in any of the landlocked Central Asian nations impact overall regional security. Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are taking steps for regional diplomacy and reduced isolation for Afghanistan. Regional discussions on water management, energy cooperation, transportation links and trade are underway; representatives express concern about terrorism and women’s rights. “Kazakhstan, the first...