CA minus KGZ round up

Short on time, so moving straight on.

Regional

• Great Game denials in an article in the Montery Herald, quoting Daniel Fried as saying that the US does "not look at Central Asia as an object in a Great Game", before somewhat predictably concluding that nonetheless the Great Game is in progress because Russia and China started it... Children...
• RFE/RL continues in the same vein asking if the SCO "could challenge the might of the world's only superpower -- if only in the vast landlocked spaces of Central Asia?" Sounds like a plot for a bad sci-fi film, but still, if the analysts keep on about this Great Game, surely it exists (?) - the Ukrainian proverb that if you call someone a pig often enough he'll go "oink" eventually springs to mind. Or in more academic terms, it's all about threat constructions. Your call.
• On the other hand, RFE/RL sees Iranian and Turkish efforts to assert some influence in the Central Asian region as far less successful, noting that the outlook for geostrategic influence on the Stans looks limited from these two countries' standpoint.
• No doubt adding fuel to the fire of analysts' feverish minds will be a report from Interfax China that Beijing is hoping to broaden SCO cooperation with other regional structures.
• Daniel Fried has also stated that the US is not going to give up its democratic mission in the region (and mission in an almost religious sense is the key word here), with Fried stating that "I can’t look those people in the eye and say, ‘Democracy isn’t for you and isn’t for your country".
• Finally on the regional level, Gazeta.kz takes another look at the issue of US bases in the Central Asian region and the isues involved.

Kazakhstan

• Apparently the CIS is to found a "Club of Sages" (comic book title if ever I heard one) and Kazakhstan has nominated Tokmuhamed Sadykov, head of the Kazakh National Pedagogic Institute named after Abai to be a member, reports Gazeta.kz.
  

Kyrgyzstan

• Continuing protests this week - head on over to the New Eurasia Kyrgyzstan Blog for a full round-up of the week's news.

Tajikistan

• Tajikistan is the venue for the next meeting of the SCO in the second half of 2006, reports China's The People's Daily.

Turkmenistan

• Good week for Turkmenistan PR-wise, with Vladimir Zhirinovsky's comments that he was "pleasantly surprised" by what he saw during his visit to the republic. Zhirinovsky, who is known in Russia for his colourful and forthright views on various matters, headed a Russian delegation to Ashgabat to celebrate independence day in Turkmenistan, reports NewsCentralAsia.

Uzbekistan

• Karimov must have decided that no publicity is bad publicity, judging by the continuing litany of complaints against his regime. Human Rights first have added their voice, calling for the immediate release of Mukhtabar Tojibaeva, who was arrested earlier this month.
• The aftermath of Andijon rumbles on with a report from the Guardian that prosecutors are seeking considerable prison terms for the men on trial for their alleged participation and membership of Islamic extremist groups.
• The Guardian also repors that the BBC World Service is also shutting up shop in the republic for at least 6 months, citing harrassment from local officials.
• Meanwhile away from human rights, Eurasia Daily Monitor reports on Russian efforts to establish a strategic partnership with Uzbekistan.

Reports, publications, etc.

• The latest issue (Oct 19) of the Central Asia-Caucasus Analyst is available for download here (pdf).
• IWPR's Reporting Central Asia No. 416 and 417 part 1 are available, and include articles on the political row in Kyrgyzstan and subsequent crisis in the republic, as well as a report on a revolt in a Tajik prison.