Victory in a dispute over the Kashagan oil field seems to have emboldened Kazakhstan's government. Astana is now mulling the possibility of imposing an energy export duty, which, if implemented, could take a significant chunk out of foreign corporate profits.
In the aftermath of a May agreement among Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan to expand and upgrade Central Asia's natural gas pipeline network, many regional experts expected the deal would reinvigorate the long-stalled negotiations on a Caspian Sea treaty.
Belarusian opposition activists are putting final touches on preparations for a congress on May 26 and 27 in Minsk, to be held at the culture palace of the Minsk Automotive Factory.
Finding venues for opposition meetings has never been an easy task under the iron-fisted rule of President Alyaksandr Lukashenka.
Hundreds of dead seals have washed up on Kazakhstan's Caspian Sea coast in the past two weeks. The cause is still a mystery, but it is a blow to the already dwindling Caspian seal (Phoca caspica).
Asian states attempted to forge greater cohesion on anti-terrorism efforts during the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA), but their efforts were overshadowed by a failed attempt by Russia and the host country, Kazakhstan, to defuse tension between India and Pakistan.
With just days to go until Kazakhstan's presidential election, all signs suggest that the incumbent, Nursultan Nazarbayev, should handily win another seven-year term. Nevertheless, the leading opposition candidate, Zharmakhan Tuyakbai, is stepping up his campaign by unveiling a blueprint for social justice.
The leaders of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have been clearly unnerved by the revolution in neighboring Kyrgyzstan. However, both Uzbek leader Islam Karimov and Kazakhstani President Nursultan Nazarbayev are trying to make the best of a difficult situation by expressing a readiness to engage Kyrgyzstan's provisional government, albeit grudgingly.
One of the most significant events in the recent history of Central Asia may have actually occurred in Kyiv in late 2004, when thousands of demonstrators took to the streets to protest falsified election results.
The message from the Kremlin may have been about peace and partnership following signature of a border agreement with Kazakhstan on January 18, but long-term attention promises to be on an energy deal that will furnish Russia with a stake in one of Central Asia's largest natural gas deposits.
