Catherine Putz    Despite small steps in 2023 and 2024, the 2025 harvest reportedly saw a complete return to the mobilization of state employees into the fields.

Catherine Putz    For a region little covered in the global press, every thoughtful effort to tell local stories is a bright light in the dark.

Catherine Putz    With the celebration expected to be toned down under possible threat of Ukrainian drone strikes, fewer foreign dignitaries are expected.

Edward Lemon and Bradley Jardine    Without a sustained and coordinated push, the United States risks being locked out of one of the most consequential supply chains shaping the future...

Alberto Frigerio    Central Asia is not yet a fully coordinated regional actor on climate and water, but it is starting to behave like one in some areas.

Vlad Paddack and Sobir Kurbanov    Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are committing billions to mining, nuclear power, data centers and AI infrastructure at the same time that the region’s...

Niginakhon Saida    Has Russia’s war become an extension of the migrant labor economy for Central Asians?

Catherine Putz    Despite consistent chatter about the need for diversification, Ashgabat has struggled to reach customers other than China given infrastructure...

Kulobiddin Norov    An open-access dataset from the Oxus Society maps more than 118 billion in resource exports across the five Central Asian republics, offering a rare...

Michael Hilliard    Securing access agreements for Turkmen facilities would be of clear utility to Washington, but it is unclear whether Ashgabat would be willing to...

Rassul Kospanov and Eldaniz Gusseinov    Sanctions, logistical disruptions, and new conflicts from the Black Sea to the Persian Gulf have turned the fertilizer market into a key arena of...

Catherine Putz    After 25 and 32 years, respectively, Meret Orazov and Aksoltan Ataeva are out of their U.S.-based diplomatic jobs, allegedly for failing to score...

Arman Amini    Over the past decade, analysts have increasingly viewed Iranian transit routes as Central Asia’s most promising path to the sea.

Kulobiddin Norov    Iran’s ban on food exports and the disruption of trade corridors are hitting the landlocked economies of Central Asia at a vulnerable moment.

Catherine Putz    It’s awkward to be on record calling Trump the president of peace as he plunges the Middle East into a likely catastrophic conflict.

Syrym M. Parpiyev and Adilbek A. Yermekbayev    The recent burst of C5 summitry does not prove that Central Asia is on a linear path toward deep integration. The region is building something...

Penny Beames, Erin Menzies Pluer, and Zach Goodwin    Are the new ties that bind Central Asian countries strong enough to weather drought?

Catherine Putz    Paternalistic hot takes from Russian commentators regarding Central Asia are nothing new. What’s different these days is that Central Asia has grown...

Leila Nazgul Seiitbek    U.S. policy toward Central Asia has narrowed to the economic realm.

Carl Liles    European governments present themselves as global defenders of human rights. Yet for many dissidents fleeing repression in Central Asia, Europe has...

Zakirov Bekzod and Alisher Umirdinov    Central Asia’s illiberal peace has endured through inter- and intrastate conflict, but its ability to survive environmental crisis remains untested.

Kulobiddin Norov    Tokyo has earned political trust in the region through its quiet, yet long-standing, economic cooperation.

Catherine Putz    Central Asian governments’ silence is a strategic calculation driven by economic interests, authoritarian solidarity, and uncertainty about...

Catherine Putz    While the pilot program largely targets countries in Africa, the latest expansion includes countries in Central Asia, South Asia, and the Pacific.

Catherine Putz    The visa bond pilot program mandates that otherwise eligible applicants for business or tourism visas from select countries, now including...

Sobir Kurbanov and Vlad Paddack    In the aftermath of an alleged attack on one of Putin’s residences, the Central Asian governments came out quickly with calls and condemnations,...

Catherine Putz    Rising repayment pressures are narrowing fiscal space and testing the sustainability of the region’s development model.

Alberto Frigerio    Unique among those countries subject to travel bans by the U.S. earlier this year, restrictions on the issuance of nonimmigrant visas to Turkmen...

Syrym M. Parpiyev and Adilbek A. Yermekbayev    The upcoming C5 Japan Summit offers Tokyo its clearest opportunity in two decades to align its foreign policy with its economic-security needs.

Sanat Kushkumbayev and Aizada Nuriddenova    What, exactly, is Central Asia today?

Oleg Golishnikov    With the full inclusion of Azerbaijan and moves toward institutionalization, the region is shifting from loose consultation to a cohesive...

Ankit Panda and Catherine Putz    Regional integration may become a matter for a future agenda, but the recent summit showcased a focus on cooperation and consolidation instead.

Nargiza Umarova    From a dinner at the White House and dozens of deals to a gathering in Tashkent, it’s been a busy diplomatic month for the Central Asian presidents.

Catherine Putz    Tashkent’s transport strategy places great importance on cooperation with Turkmenistan, which has high transit potential due to its convenient...

Catherine Putz    The focus of the C5 1 has narrowed to the economic realm, yielding big deals and sidelining big challenges.

Hongjing Gou    The Trump administration’s transactional style was on fully display, with savvy Central Asian businessmen just as keen to get in on a deal.

Timur Serikuly    A rare trip to one of the world’s most secretive and authoritarian states.

Eric Rudenshiold    On November 6, 2025, the Central Asian presidents will gather in Washington DC. The summit will be the crowning achievement for a decade-old format.

Catherine Putz    A brief pause in great-power rivalry opens a window for Central Asia.

Oleg Abdurashitov and Aruzhan Meirkhanova    As Washington contemplates the future of the C5 1, it must decide whether to adapt the mechanism to new geopolitical realities.

Alberto Frigerio    For Beijing, Central Asia is a testing ground for its foreign policy innovations - and a challenge.

Catherine Putz    When it comes to energy security, Central Asian governments have shown an ability to adapt to shifting global and domestic trends.

Bimal Adhikari and Daniya Turlina    Kazakhstan and its neighbors continue to balance their ties with Washington alongside their deep economic and security links with Russia and China.

Catherine Putz    Presumably U.S. President Donald Trump will join them.

Catherine Putz    As Washington redefines engagement and Moscow reclaims relevance, Central Asia is quietly mastering the politics of poise.

Timur Serikuly    Security cooperation at the military level is a further step down the regional cooperative road.

Kulobiddin Norov    With little more than two months left in the year, time is running out to mark the C5 1’s 10th anniversary with a summit.

Timur Serikuly    The financial map of Central Asia is changing.

Eric Rudenshiold    The October 8-10 summit was largely seen as a test of Russia’s eroding influence in Central Asia and the Caucasus.

Catherine Putz    Central Asia’s trade with Iran will likely not collapse entirely but will become more expensive, slower, and risk-laden.