The Immigration Crisis, New Outsourcing Plans, and Related Christian Ethics

https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-countries-eye-setting-up-migrant-return-hubs-in-rwanda-and-uzbekistan/

The UK plan to outsource its immigration crisis to Rwanda collapsed and was cancelled by Keir Starmer. Despite this, Rwanda is still looking to sign up and receive European funds. And Paul Kagame has his takers as nations such as Denmark, Austria, Greece, and Germany have expressed interest.

The Taliban in Belgium

https://www.euractiv.com/news/taliban-envoy-abdul-qahar-balkhi-to-lead-delegation-to-brussels/

The Taliban does not want to do business with the United States. Given the bad blood connected to the horrific war of the 1980's, it's surprising that Kabul would want anything to do with Moscow either, but indeed it would seem the two nations are proceeding on the basis of common interests. China looms over all and while the Taliban looks to Beijing as its primary foreign investor, the Afghan leadership knows that it's in their interest to diversify - lest they become wholly dependent on Beijing.

Kyrgyzstan, Russian Sanctions, and Brussels

https://www.euractiv.com/news/kyrgyzstan-in-eu-crosshairs-over-russia-sanctions-circumvention/

The EU has been trying to establish better ties with Central Asia, but all of this has been sidetracked by the Ukraine War and the West's anti-Moscow posture. The nations of Central Asia deal with both Russia and China which are their neighbours with some nations leaning toward Beijing and others toward Moscow.

Attacking Chinese Targets in Tajikistan

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/12/26/tajikistan-taliban-border-clashes-whats-behind-them-why-it-affects-china

This is a story unlikely to get any attention in US media but it has American fingerprints all over it.

Trouble in Kazakhstan

https://evangelicalfocus.com/world/33581/baptist-church-raided-twice-in-kazakhstan

My heart goes out to Christians being put under pressure by wicked governments and we should be in prayer for the Church in Kazakhstan and throughout all of Central Asia.

That said, there are some problems with this story.

An American Military Presence in the Caucasus Sold as Peace

https://eurasianet.org/trump-brokers-potentially-game-changing-deal-with-armenia-azerbaijan

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/07/us-deal-armenia-azerbaijan-00499285

I must say if this deal holds and comes to fruition, it will be quite the feather in Donald Trump's cap. Or if it goes wrong, it may be viewed by historians in terms of folly and provocation.

The Multifaceted Competition Continues in Central Asia

https://eurasianet.org/us-strikes-mineral-deals-with-uzbekistan-tashkent-report

https://eurasianet.org/kyrgyz-pm-gets-polite-brush-off-by-us-business-executives

https://www.eurasiantimes.com/china-intrudes-in-russias-backyard-as-moscow/

https://www.asianews.it/news-en/Central-Asia-and-Beijing-after-the-Astana-summit-63374.html

https://eurasianet.org/united-states-and-russia-angling-for-influence-in-turkmenistan

https://eurasianet.org/rumors-of-chinese-land-deals-spark-public-unease-in-uzbekistan

As Ankara seeks to work with Azerbaijan in the creation of a new energy and trade corridor connected to Central Asia, the other big players are also quite active and the region is astir.

The Grand Chessboard 2.0? - Central Asia, Iran, Israel, and the Shah

There's so much that could be said right now about events in the Middle East and the conflict between Israel and Iran and the potential for a wider war including the United States and others.

For my part I think about scenarios in which the war could go sideways or the aftermath of a regime collapse.

The Uighurs in Post-Assad Syria

https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/menasource/syria-assad-hts-china-future/

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3291393/syria-xinjiang-link-china-warns-leaders-damascus-not-threaten-security-elsewhere

Foreign Policy magazine and The Economist have articles on this topic but due to firewalls there's little point in linking them.

Instead I'm linking this piece from (of all places) The Atlantic Council. It's biased to be sure (and even misleading at points) but given that it's readership is a little more high-brow, it's intelligent and touches on things that an AP story, let alone something from CNN or CBS wouldn't even address.

New Religious Legislation in Kyrgyzstan

https://eurasianet.org/kyrgyzstan-authorities-seek-expanded-powers-to-regulate-religious-affairs

This new set of laws is in keeping with everything we've come to expect with the authoritarian states of Central Asia which emerged with the fall of the Soviet Union. The Eurasianet article is incorrect. Kyrgyzstan is not a secular society at all, but rather one in which Islam is the officially favoured religion with other traditional groups (such as Eastern Orthodoxy) tolerated.

Pan-Turkism 2024

https://www.asianews.it/news-en/The-Turanian-World-advance-in-Central-Asia-60912.html

Neo-Ottomanism is not exactly the same as Pan-Turkism but the concepts can and often do overlap. Neo-Ottomanism is about leveraging Ankara's placement, the fact that Türkiye straddles Europe, the Caucasus, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean. Via the Black Sea and the Caucasus it is able to access the Turkish populations of Central Asia - and this is where the Pan-Turkism comes in. Ankara is able to exert itself culturally into the region and it's natural that economic and other diplomatic relations would ensue.

Imperial Power and Central Asian Infrastructure

https://eurasianet.org/china-kyrgyzstan-uzbekistan-railway-project-gets-off-the-ground

The key statement this article is the reference to the Trans-Afghan corridor. This railroad and its relationship to the larger question of Central Asian infrastructure represents a strategic defeat for the US Empire.

The BBC and ISIS: Dispelling Propaganda with Propaganda

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0j4x4hy

Within moments of turning on this BBC podcast I knew it was going to be a case of spin. There was from the onset a dishonest narrative about the origins of ISIS and the panel failed to probe or explain how the group grew out of al Qaeda and how its vision is different - the more extreme nature of the group is found in its apocalyptic understanding of the world.

The ISIS-K Attack on Moscow

 It's fairly obvious that Western media wants to find a way to put an anti-Putin spin on the Moscow theatre attack. There are hints that since American intelligence warned him and he didn't act therefore... it's never said, but we're left to conclude that something nefarious took place. He wanted it to happen or let it happen or he's incompetent. Why won't the Russian people realize this? Such allegations and suggestions when put into an American context are ridiculed but are perfectly acceptable when it comes to other countries, particularly America's enemies.

The Now Less than Great Game: Extending Western Influence into Central Asia

https://www.euractiv.com/section/central-asia/news/kazakh-expert-central-asia-needs-a-transnational-electricity-grid/

Investment is always viewed through the lens of economic legitimacy – both as a means and an end. But it also needs to be understood that a flood of money invariably generates corruption.

Persecution in Uzbekistan

https://evangelicalfocus.com/world/21528/police-raid-baptist-easter-service-and-detain-10-church-members-in-uzbekistan

This reporting relies on Forum 18 which as I contended last year is problematic, as the organisation is a little too cozy with the European Establishment. That said, (as with the Mariupol pastor story from October 2022), this is not to say the story isn't true. It's more of a warning to be sceptical of the source and to realize that despite their claims – they're not neutral or apolitical observers.

The Dismemberment of Russia

https://www.asianews.it/news-en/'Regionalists'-want-Russia-dismembered-and-under-international-control-57911.html

The US media and Washington's political mouthpieces can downplay this question all they want but the discussions are happening and at a greater pace than seen before.

The Meaning of Blinken's Trip to Central Asia

https://eurasianet.org/blinken-strikes-reassuring-tone-in-dialogue-with-central-asian-partners

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken made a recent trip to Central Asia and despite attempts by Western media to spin the visit in a positive light – it is being almost universally acknowledged as a failure. The Central Asian states refuse to back US-sponsored resolutions in the UN that would condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine and they clearly rejected Blinken's overtures – recognizing them for what they are, an attempt at warmongering.

Khan and US Drones in Pakistani Airspace

https://thediplomat.com/2021/06/dont-expect-pakistan-to-host-us-military-bases/

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/taliban-accuses-pakistan-allowing-us-drones-use-its-airspace-2022-08-28/

In some respects this is a small story and received little attention but it deserves a second look. The Taliban has protested regarding US drone strikes in Afghanistan and particularly the targeted killing of al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri. They are of course upset with Washington but the real target of their accusations and perhaps their ire is Pakistan. The Taliban accuses Islamabad of hosting US drones or at the very least allowing them to strike from its airspace.

A Ukraine Miscellany (X): Clashes on the Russian Frontier and Charges of Torture

The longstanding conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan has flared up and dozens are dead as a result of skirmishes. The evidence suggests this latest round of violence was instigated by Baku as Armenia is all but broken and still recovering from its serious defeat in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War. It is highly unlikely that they would pick a fight at this time – a point even Western academics and commentators are willing to concede.