Central Asia

Don't Feed the Bear

Going soft on the terms of Russia's WTO accession is bad for everyone.

BY DAVID CHRISTY | JUNE 25, 2010

The Worst of the Worst

Bad dude dictators and general coconut heads.

BY GEORGE B.N. AYITTEY | JULY/AUGUST 2010

Chinese Takeout

Cold economic realities dictate that China is going to be the big player in the new Afghan gold rush -- and Washington had better wake up to that fact, soon.

BY AZIZ HUQ | JUNE 15, 2010

From Land Mines to Copper Mines

Will Afghanistan's mineral wealth rescue the country from decades of instability and poverty? It just might -- and here's how.

BY MICHAEL L. ROSS | JUNE 15, 2010

Crazy Like a Fox

In a fit of anger, Hamid Karzai axes his director of intelligence, Amrullah Saleh. But is there method to his madness?

BY ELIZABETH RUBIN | JUNE 8, 2010

Drone Wars

The Obama administration won't tell the truth about America's new favorite weapon -- but that doesn't mean its critics are right.

BY C. CHRISTINE FAIR | MAY 28, 2010

The Russian Game

Why is the Kremlin meddling in international chess elections?

BY CARL SCHRECK | MAY 18, 2010

The Land of Perpetual Revolution

What's really happening in Kyrgyzstan.

BY PHILIP SHISHKIN | MAY 14, 2010

An Awkward Celebration in Moscow

Victory Day felt a little stranger than usual this year. That could be a good sign for Russia's ability to confront the ambiguities of its past.

BY JULIA IOFFE | MAY 11, 2010

Manas Hysteria

Why the United States can't keep buying off Kyrgyz leaders to keep its vital air base open.

BY ALEXANDER COOLEY | APRIL 12, 2010

How Not to Run an Empire

Ignoring human rights in favor of stability is backfiring not just in Kyrgyzstan, but all over Central Asia -- big time.

BY TOM MALINOWSKI | APRIL 9, 2010

Blood in the Streets of Bishkek

My two days running with the mob in Kyrgyzstan.

BY BEN JUDAH | APRIL 9, 2010

The Big Thirsty

From contamination to droughts to just going without, images from the world's water crises.

MARCH 22, 2010

Olympic Outliers

Forget the Jamaican bobsled team. This year, there’s a pack of Olympic underdogs from countries that aren't well known for cold-weather sports.

BY KAYVAN FARZANEH, ANDREW SWIFT | FEBRUARY 10, 2010

Sucking up to Dictators Is Harder Than It Looks

Inside the failed attempt to turn Central Asia's most insular regime.

BY SIMON SHUSTER | FEBRUARY 9, 2010

Dead Terrorists Tell No Tales

Is Barack Obama killing too many bad guys before the U.S. can interrogate them?

BY MARC A. THIESSEN | FEBRUARY 8, 2010

Interview: Kanat Saudabayev

Kazakhstan's foreign minister on his country's unlikely new role as Europe's democracy watchdog.

INTERVIEW BY JOSHUA KEATING | FEBRUARY 4, 2010

The Revolution Will Definitely Not Be Televised

If a protester waves a sign in Russia, and no one sees it on TV, does he exist?

BY JULIA IOFFE | FEBRUARY 3, 2010

Putin’s Parliamentary Circus

Naming a louche pop singer to the Duma is just the latest in a string of bizarre appointments for Russia’s increasingly brazen ringmaster.

BY JULIA IOFFE | JANUARY 29, 2010

Afghanistan's Ultimate Sport

What do you call men on horses fighting over a headless goat carcass? Buzkashi -- Afghanistan's national sport, which also just happens to be a powerful metaphor for the country's politics.

BY KAYVAN FARZANEH, ANDREW SWIFT | JANUARY 29, 2010

CIA Man Retracts Claim on Waterboarding

A study in "enhanced reporting techniques."

BY JEFF STEIN | JANUARY 26, 2010

Groundhog Day in Afghanistan

Day after day, political crisis after political crisis, Afghanistan persists in going nowhere.

BY WHITNEY HARING-SMITH | JANUARY 26, 2010

Al Qaeda's Pursuit of Weapons of Mass Destruction

The authoritative timeline.

BY ROLF MOWATT-LARSSEN | JANUARY 25, 2010

Kabuki in Kabul

Wait, did Hamid Karzai actually want the Afghan parliament to reject his cabinet?

BY JEAN MACKENZIE | JANUARY 22, 2010

'Langley Won't Tell Us'

How I fought the intelligence turf wars -- and lost.

BY RON CAPPS | JANUARY 11, 2010

Green With Envy

Instead of vilifying China over its role in the failure of the Copenhagen summit, Europe should take a page from its economic playbook.

BY JONATHAN HOLSLAG | JANUARY 5, 2010

European Pipe Dreams Meet Chinese Pipelines

As China invests in energy-rich Central Asia, Europe pays the price for its muddled approach to energy security.

BY PETER B. DORAN | JANUARY 4, 2010

How to Whip the Afghan Army Into Shape

Much of President Barack Obama's strategy rests on the creation of a new, more competent Afghan military. Here's what he'll need to know to get the job done.

BY MARK MOYAR | DECEMBER 22, 2009

Lessons from America's Other Counterinsurgency

The United States and Colombia have been testing out COIN strategies for years. But the major lesson for Afghanistan is a tough one: there are no clean answers in messy wars.

BY ADAM ISACSON | DECEMBER 16, 2009

How al Qaeda Dupes Its Followers

Osama bin Laden's terror network has perfected the art of masking its unpopular agenda with a recruitment pitch that can hook just about anyone.

BY MALCOLM NANCE | DECEMBER 15, 2009