Georgia, Tajikistan, Among Countries Most Dependent On U.S. Military Aid

by Joshua Kucera By Pentagon budget standards, the countries of the former Soviet Union are relatively insignificant recipients of American military aid, dwarfed by the billions given annually to Israel, Egypt, and Pakistan. But a new study has shown that… Continue Reading

Tajikistan: Severe Crackdown on Political Opposition

by Human Rights Watch The Tajik government is arresting, imprisoning, and torturing members of the country’s peaceful political opposition, Human Rights Watch and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee said today. The government is also targeting perceived critics abroad, seeking their detention… Continue Reading

Pentagon Proposes $50 Million Program To Help Tajikistan Fight Terrorists

by Joshua Kucera The United States plans to give Central Asia an additional $50 million in military aid under a new program, with the bulk of the aid focused on Tajikistan, budget documents released by the White House show. 

Russian Outreach To Taliban Raises Concerns In Central Asia

by Joshua Kucera Russia has reached out to the Taliban in Afghanistan in what senior officials say is an effort to cooperate with them in the fight against ISIS in that country. The strategy would be shift for the Kremlin,… Continue Reading

Central Asia Spurning All Anti-Terror Coalition Suitors

by Joshua Kucera In the two weeks since Saudi Arabia announced that it was forming a yet another “coalition” to combat Islamist terror, the allegiances of the former Soviet states have come under increasing scrutiny. All of them, however, appear… Continue Reading