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Saving the Buddhas of Mes Aynak
Outside the village of Mes Aynak, in eastern Afghanistan's mountainous Logar province, a burgeoning Buddhist center once flourished. In its heyday, this Silk Road hub thrived on trade between the...
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Saving the Buddhas of Mes Aynak
Outside the village of Mes Aynak, in eastern Afghanistan's mountainous Logar province, a burgeoning Buddhist center once flourished. In its heyday, this Silk Road hub thrived on trade between the...
View ArticleIndia’s Strategic Failure in Central Asia
India’s political, cultural, and historical ties to Central Asia date back to antiquity. But contemporary circumstances, namely the quest for energy and the threat of terrorism, have imparted a new...
View ArticleMongolia: Proving the Naysayers Wrong
Observers say he is a sure thing. His party hopes he is. In what is a three-way competition, Mongolian President Tsakhia Elbegdorj will be seeking to retain power in the presidential election scheduled...
View ArticleHassan Rowhani Wins Iran’s Presidential Election
The Iranian people have spoken and they have done so emphatically. Last night Hassan Rowhani won Iran’s presidential election with just over 50 per cent of the popular vote and quite possibly saved his...
View ArticleMahmoud Ahmadinejad’s African Safari
When Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stepped on to the tarmac in Accra, the capital of Ghana, some wondered if the April trip would be his last visit abroad as the leader of Iran. Ghana wrapped up a broader tour...
View ArticleU.S.-Taliban Talks Hang in the Balance
Last Tuesday a handful of landmark developments took place in Afghanistan, starting with the transfer of power from NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) to local Afghan forces. An...
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Karakoram Highway: China’s Treacherous Pakistan Corridor
When a Chinese company took control of Pakistan’s deep-sea Gwadar Port in February, much of the commentary focused on whether or not it heralded a Chinese military vanguard in the region. Though...
View ArticleThe “Brain Trust” Behind Iran’s New President
Who is Hassan Rouhani? Compared to his brash predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran’s president-elect is an enigma. Embraced by youth and reformists on the campaign trail, he boasts an impressive set...
View ArticleIs China Really Ready for the Next Influenza Outbreak?
Reports on China’s recent response to the outbreak of novel influenza have reflected broad international satisfaction. While we share this satisfaction, we are nonetheless concerned that the...
View ArticleDelhi to Islamabad, via Kabul
The terrorist attack on August 3 outside the Indian consulate in Jalalabad, eastern Afghanistan, has huge implications for India-Pakistan relations. Knowledgeable Afghans and Indian government...
View ArticleSaving Afghanistan’s Economy: The 1818 Model
Panic would be an understatement. Land values and home prices were down 50%, key financial prices hit 25% in a single day, and banks began to foreclose on heavily mortgaged properties. The financial...
View ArticleMongolia Joins Shale Revolution, But at What Cost?
This spring, Genie Energy signed an agreement with the government of Mongolia, under which its subsidiary will explore oil shale over a five year period. Statements to the press have spun the agreement...
View ArticleThe (Slow) Rise of Iran’s Women
Nearly 35 years after the Islamic Revolution, gender discrimination is still a challenging issue for Iran. On the one hand, the situation for Iranian women has improved considerably in many respects...
View ArticleFormer Warlord Primed For Afghan Presidency
From the jihad wilds of Africa, Central and Southeast Asia an Afghan warlord has emerged as an unlikely favorite to become his country’s next president. Abdul Rasul Sayyaf – blamed for the deaths of...
View ArticleChina Finds the Lost Kingdom
One of the most isolated regions in Asia, Mustang lies in the north of Nepal, nestled between the Chinese border on the Tibetan plateau and the Nepalese provinces of Dolop and Manang on the other. For...
View ArticleChina Courts Central Asia
Even by Chinese standards, the scale of September's natural gas deal with Turkmenistan was significant. Standing side by side in the oasis city of Mary in the Karakum Desert, Chinese President Xi...
View ArticleKashgar on the Move
China’s westernmost city, Kashgar lies at the edge of the Taklamakan Desert, closer to Bagdad than Beijing. For travellers and traders coming from Central Asia and Pakistan, the city offers a first...
View ArticleChina and Iran: Destined to Clash?
Even as the U.S. considers Iran’s nuclear program as its most immediate threat, a consensus has emerged in the U.S. foreign policy establishment that China’s rise poses the biggest long-term strategic...
View ArticleIran Talks: Breaking the Mosaic of Mistrust
On January 20, 2009, a freshly inaugurated President Barack Obama took to the stage to deliver a speech with one very critical hidden signal – one he hoped might publicly begin to thaw U.S. relations...
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