EurasiaNet Series

Controversial race to find Khan's tomb gains international interest. (Photo by Joshua Kucera)

The Search for Genghis Khan: Part Five
PR Plays a Big Role in the Search for Genghis Khan's Grave
BY JOSHUA KUCERA
The Valley of the Khans project, the American-led effort to find the tomb of Genghis Khan, has gone to great lengths to appeal to Mongolian sensibilities. Project leaders have hired Mongolian partners, including two prominent scholars, a "local media and political consultant/liaison" and a public relations agency.

MORE STORIES:

• Part One: In Mongolia, Ambivalence Greets Efforts to Find the Great Khan's Tomb
• Part Two: Trying to Find a Needle without Touching the Hay
• Part Three: Genghis Khan's Legacy Being Reappraised in China, Russia
• Part Four: Mining the Legacy for Modern-Day Profit

Armenia: Cartoon Hero Hailed as Alternative to TV Crime Series
BY MARIANNA GRIGORYAN
A feature-length cartoon about an Armenian epic folk hero, Davit of Sasun, is receiving praise from many parents in Yerevan as a long-overdue antidote to what is widely perceived as the debilitating influence of TV crime dramas on Armenian young people.

Kazakhstan: China Looking to Lease Land for Agricultural Purposes
BY JOANNA LILLIS
Kazakhstan's government is mulling a plan that would enable China to lease a large swath of Kazakhstani land for agricultural use. The proposed deal is stirring passionate opposition in the Central Asian state, with critics expressing concern about the country's sovereignty.

Central Asia: Bishkek Exhibit Cancelled; Photographers Face Increasing Scrutiny
The sudden cancellation of an exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek, along with the subsequent sacking of the chief of the Central Asian nation's culture agency, is stoking a debate over freedom of expression.

Azerbaijan: Ex-Guggenheim Director Betting on Bilbao-Style Project for Baku
BY SHAHIN ABBASOV
Thomas Krens, the influential former Guggenheim Museum director who oversaw the museum's dynamic, yet controversial expansion to Bilbao, Spain, now has energy-rich Baku, Azerbaijan, in his sights.

  EurasiaNet Special Feature

The Music of China's Nomads
See and hear how Kazakhs and Kyrgyz living in China's western Xinjiang Province are using music to preserve their cultural heritage.

Turkmenistan: Berdymukhamedov Seeks Prestige in Paris
BY JAMES DELLY
It seems fitting that opaque is the best word to describe Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov's just-concluded visit to the City of Light.

Afghanistan: Washington Exploring Chinese Re-supply Route
BY DEIRDRE TYNAN
The United States is exploring the idea of expanding the Northern Distribution Network (NDN), a supply line for US and NATO troops in Afghanistan, by adding a Chinese branch. Sources familiar with the NDN tell EurasiaNet that US officials are also considering the possibility of seeking a sea-and-land route utilizing ports in the Russian Far East.

Georgia: Tbilisi's "Little" War Poses Big Challenge to Western Security System
A EURASIANET BOOK REVIEW BY REGIS GENTE
A new book by Ronald D. Asmus, A Little War That Shook the World: Georgia, Russia and the Future of the West (Palgrave Macmillan), looks at the big security picture in Europe. Asmus contends that the five-day conflict in 2008 "raised some big questions about the future of European [s]ecurity." Finding answers, Asmus adds, will require a coordinated response from the United States and the European Union.

Kazakhstan: Foreign Minister's Arrival in Washington Highlights Democratization vs. Security Debate
BY JOSHUA KUCERA
Kazakhstan's foreign minister, Kanat Saudabayev, is in Washington from February 1-4. He is expected to seek US backing for two prestige events: a summit of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to be held in Kazakhstan; and a one-on-one meeting between US President Barack Obama and Kazakhstani President Nursultan Nazarbayev.