Turkey: Istanbul Ramadan Routine Begins with Drum Beat

Turkey

In a tradition dating back to the days before alarm clocks, drummers awaken the faithful in many Istanbul neighborhoods during the holy month of Ramadan so that residents have time to eat a large meal before the day-long fast. This EurasiaNet audio slideshow follows one Ramadan drummer on his pre-dawn rounds.

Kyrgyzstan Offers Pardon Deal to Suspected Embezzlers

Deirdre Tynan

Kyrgyzstan

Azerbaijan: Corporate Spending Pumps Up Soccer League

Shahin Abbasov

Azerbaijan

Armenia: Army Non-Combat Deaths Prompt Calls for Reform

Gayane Abrahamyan

Armenia

Headlines

Are Tajikistan’s Security Services Breaking Down?

Tajikistan

Tajikistan’s security services are in the spotlight following two recent explosions and an audacious jailbreak in the Central Asian nation. The violence may be an indicator of faulty government personnel policies, some experts suggest.

Western Withdrawal Date Brings Old Debate On Islamic Law Into Focus

Abubakar Siddique

Afghanistan

A EurasiaNet Partner Post from: RFE/RL

Nine years after the toppling of their hard-line regime, the Taliban are making a comeback in rural Afghanistan with their harsh system of justice and strict social controls.

Medvedev Visit to Baku Produces Gas Export Agreement

Shahin Abbasov

Azerbaijan, Russia

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s September 2-3 visit to Azerbaijan yielded a big energy deal, as the Russian state-controlled conglomerate Gazprom secured an agreement to dramatically increase its purchases of Azerbaijani natural gas.

Uzbekistan: Black Market Stifling Entrepreneurs

Murat Sadykov

Uzbekistan

The existence of multiple exchange rates for foreign currency in Uzbekistan is stifling economic activity. The case of Sanobar, a former merchant, helps illustrate how government currency policies are putting the squeeze on budding entrepreneurs.

Suicide Car Bomber Hits Tajik Police Station

Tajikistan

A EurasiaNet Partner Post from: RFE/RL

KHUJAND, Tajikistan -- Officials say a suicide car-bomb attack at a police station in the northern Tajik city of Khujand has killed at least one policeman and injured some 25 other people.

It would appear to be the first suicide bombing in the Central Asian country.

Iran, Pakistan Loom Large in Caspian Basin Pipeline Developments

Stephen Blank

Caspian Basin, India, Iran, Pakistan

EurasiaNet Commentary

Pakistani leaders have been moving aggressively to forge new pipeline deals. The Pakistani push threatens to undermine US efforts to isolate Iran.

Turkmenistan Weekly News Roundup

Catherine A. Fitzpatrick

Turkmenistan

Determined to go forward on the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline, President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov spoke with Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari this week, following his conversation with Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai last week and the signing of an agreement between Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to construct TAPI.

OSCE Police Mission for Kyrgyzstan Stalls

Kyrgyzstan

An OSCE police advisory mission had been expected to be deployed in strife-torn southern Kyrgyzstan by the end of August. But given the Central Asian nation’s muddled political situation, it now looks like the deployment won’t happen until late October, if at all.

Azerbaijan Flood Victims Complaining about Slow Reconstruction Pace

Azerbaijan

It’s been almost four months since flooding in Azerbaijan’s Sabirabad Region displaced tens of thousands of residents. Now, amid slow-paced reconstruction efforts, a popular tide of anger and resentment appears to be rising.

Unraveling the Caucasus: Two New Books Examine a Region’s Complicated History

Alex van Oss

Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia

A Eurasianet Book Review

A good rule of thumb for the Caucasus is: “If you think you know what’s going on, just wait a minute.” Then sit down and read recent releases by Thomas de Waal and Oliver Bullough: they provide welcome insights into this most fractious and unpredictable part of the world.

Voices

Azerbaijan Raises the World's Biggest Flagpole

Giorgi Lomsadze

Tamada Tales

Armenia may be holding on to the world’s oldest leather shoe, but its regional rival Azerbaijan upped the ante last week by planting the world’s highest flag. Flaunting the 70-by-30-meter national flag before dazzled onlookers, including...

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