Stories about Kyrgyzstan from August, 2007
Kyrgyzstan: Labour migration
Scraps of Moscow links to an IWPR article about the impact of labour migration on the healthcare system in Kyrgyzstan, and finds many similarities to problems elsewhere in the developing world.
Kyrgyzstan: Threat of Islamisation?
Some Kyrgyzstani bloggers are worried about the threat of Islamisation in their country, while others do not share their concerns. This debate was the result of an commission's decision to allow Muslim women to wear hijabs for their passport photographs.
Central Asia: Clan-tastic
Christine Quirk looks at how clans shape political behaviour and in how far they make it difficult to enfranchise groups who might have different viewpoints or are far down on the clan power structure.
Kyrgyzstan: Naryn
Ivar Dale takes his readers on a trip to Naryn, on which he meets characters that each tell their story of life in Kyrgyzstan's highest, coldest and poorest region.
Kyrgyzstan: Free trade effects
Ben Maritz says that the flood of cheap Chinese imports into Kyrgyzstan is at least partly responsible for the decimation of the Central Asian country's industrial base.
Kyrgyzstan: Alaa-Chu
Tom Toomey tells the story of Chynara, a Kyrgyz teacher who freed her niece out of the hands of bride kidnappers.
Central Asia: Which port to choose?
As a landlocked region, Central Asia is reliant on other countries’ maritime infrastructure to integrate with world markets. On Registan.net, Kayumars Turkistani evaluates two potential seaports, Gwadar in Pakistan and Chabahar in Iran.
Kyrgyzstan: Post-SCO reflections
Mirsulzhan Namazaliev shares some of his thoughts on the SCO summit which took place in Kyrgyzstan last week.
Kyrgyzstan: Meet the summit press
Joshua Kucera was one of 500 journalists who covered the SCO summit in Kyrgyzstan's capital Bishkek. The Kyrgyz hosts provided the journalists with all they could wish for, except one, rather important thing: information.
Kyrgyzstan: Let the show begin
Mirsulzhan Namazaliev provides a comprehensive summary of Livejournal coverage of the opening of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Kyrgyzstan, including links to many first-hand photo reports.
Turkmenistan: Reaching out
Bonnie Boyd notes that Turkmenistan's isolation on the world stage seems to decrease under new president Berdymukhamedov. Meanwhile, Turkmen national Merdjen is having bad flashbacks of totalitarian rule in her current home Bishkek, where the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit is held at highest security levels.
Kyrgyzstan: Chinese Flattery
Kyrgyz Report reports that now that the Chinese delegation has arrived in Kyrygzstan for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit, the Kyrygz president Kurmanbek promptly signed a declaration that Taiwan is an “inalienable part” of China. Mirsulzhan Namazaliev comments: “I think President Bakiev hasn't even understood what he signed, as he...
Kyrgyzstan: Legalise prostitution?
Asel discusses whether one should legalise or ban prostitution in Kyrgyzstan. On his blog, Mirsulzhan argues for legalisation, and on Genderstan, Anna compares the situation in Kyrgyzstan with examples from Western countries.
Kyrgyzstan: SCO summit
Bonnie Boyd writes a comprehensive update on developments in the run-up to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit to take place in Kyrgyzstan this week. Meanwhile, Azamat is upset that he can neither buy nor order alcohol in central Bishkek anymore: “Absurdistan!”
Kyrgystan: SCO summit and no beer
Asel writes that central supermarkets in Kyrgyzstan's capital Bishkek are not selling any alcohol ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit slated to take place next week.
Kyrgyzstan: SCO summit
The members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) will send their heads of state to Kyrgyzstan next week. While the Kyrgyz bloggers are amazed by the beautification of their capital ahead of the summit, Western bloggers ponder the significance of the SCO's growth.
Central Asia: Cultural intelligence
Nathan Hamm shares his thoughts on a New York Times article which argues that while knowledge of the nomadic social legacies of the Central Asian countries is important, an overemphasis on “cultural intelligence” can lead to misguided and stereotypical policy analysis of the region.
Kyrgyzstan: Website attacked
Bektour Iskender talks to neweurasia about his citizen media website, Kloop.kg, being attacked by hackers.
Kyrgyzstan: Korean missionaries
In the light of the current hostage crisis in Afghanistan, Azamat writes that Korean missionaries are also actively proselytising in Kyrgyzstan.
Kyrgyzstan: LJ blogosphere
Mirsulzhan Namazaliev offers a glimpse into the Kyrgyz Russian-speaking Livejournal scene: The buzz is about the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek and a former Primer Minister's fall in popularity.
Kyrgyzstan: Adoption
Kyrgyz blogger Mirsulzhan Namazaliev received an email of a woman who recently adopted a baby from the mountaineous Central Asian nation. She asks about cultural traditions and why the mother gave up her little baby daughter.
