Not long ago, Pakistan was touted as the next big emerging market, whispered in the same breath as Brazil and Indonesia. Today, Pakistan's economy is on its knees.
The British Petroleum pipeline that brought Georgia into the international spotlight has been turned off after six days of sporadic Russian bombing in the country.
BP spokesperson Rusiko Medzmariashvili stated that the Baku-Supsa pipeline, the older of two BP pipelines that cross Georgia, has been shut down "as a precautionary measure." She did not specify a date for the decision.
Kazakhstan is stepping up efforts to expand its reach over the country's lucrative energy sector, relying on policies that have foreign investors on the defensive.
After an 18-month break, Georgia and Russia gave the go-ahead to a resumption of air traffic between Moscow and Tbilisi. In the Georgian capital, the hope is that where planes go, Georgian wine, mineral water, fruits and vegetables will soon follow. But, as yet, the country's trade ties with Russia remain frozen.
Economic nationalism, a trend that is rapidly gaining strength in Central Asia, appears to be spreading to Mongolia. The Mongolian parliament is set to consider legislation on March 25 that would expand the state's role in the mining sector, the country's most important economic sphere.
It was Lord Palmerston, one of the chief architects of Britain's imperial policy in the 19th century, who stated that a nation has no permanent friends, only permanent interests. Kazakhstan's Nursultan Nazarbayev is putting a 21st century twist on Palmerston's maxim and applying it to the Caspian Basin oil-and-gas game.
Kazakhstan, thriving on oil and gas exports, has long boasted one of Eurasia's most dynamic economies. But it seems that not even the towering Altai Mountains can shield Central Asia's economic giant from the turmoil swirling on international credit markets.
Kazakhstan, thriving on oil and gas exports, has long boasted one of Eurasia's most dynamic economies. But it seems that not even the towering Altai Mountains can shield Central Asia's economic giant from the turmoil swirling on international credit markets.
In the former Soviet Union, Turkmenistan was famed for its delicious melons that were sold throughout the USSR. Nowadays, this Central Asian nation is known above all for its vast hydrocarbon resources. But what else is known about the Turkmen economy?
The Iran-Armenia gas pipeline, officially opened on March 19 by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Armenian President Robert Kocharian, has quickly emerged as a source of speculation about regional energy alliances. A trip to Armenia by Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili two days after the pipeline's opening provided plenty of fuel for conjecture.
