The government of Tajikistan has instructed its officials to prioritize state-controlled over independent Tajik or international media sources. As a result, in-country journalists complain, their already restricted contact with government officials has been almost entirely eliminated. The official statement released by the Tajik government instructs its officials to limit its contact with any independent journalists…
Iranian Ayatollah Ali Khamanei announced that relations between Iran and the US will not improve as a result of the nuclear accord. The remarks, given on Iranian state-controlled television, indicated that the accord comes out of a marriage of convenience and that new areas of collaboration between the two sides would not be explored. Khamanei…
The United Nations Security Council voted unanimously to endorse the nuclear deal brokered with Iran last week. The vote is of course not a surprise as it concerns a deal brokered by its five permanent members and Germany. However, the vote has been acclaimed as symbolically important to the process of generating political support for…
Iran has begun to explore ways to convince its rivals in the Middle East of the worth of the recently-signed nuclear deal. The pact between Iran and the West has been met with extensive criticism from countries such as Saudi Arabia that see Iran as a destabilizing force in the Middle East due to its…
In April 2015 we had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Lawrence Markowitz, Assistant Professor of Political Science & Economics at Rowan University. Dr. Markowitz has researched and published extensively on the politics of state failure and authoritarian rule in Central Asia and the former Soviet Union. He is the author of State Erosion: Unlootable Resources…
After several months of negotiations, Iran and the P5+1 have come to terms on a nuclear deal. The deal sets limits on the Iranian capacity for centrifuges, reducing them by two thirds, and places a 15 year restriction on enriching uranium beyond 5%. Under the deal Iran will also be obligated to allow IAEA inspectors…
The New York Times writes that Ukraine is moving quickly to avoid a repeat of the ongoing Greece crisis and restructure its debt. The article contends that the Ukrainian government, along with the IMF, is attempting to strong-arm creditors into accepting “big losses” in the process of negotiating a bailout deal. The government currently stands…
The US State Department and the Iranian Foreign Ministry announced that negotiations related to its nuclear program will be extended until July 7. Reports related to the talks indicate that progress has been made and that the sides are “nearing” a deal. This in mind, there appears to be some ambiguity regarding the parameters of…
The Islamic State’s activities in Afghanistan have been limited, according to a new report issued by the Pentagon. The activities of the extremist organization have, according to the report, been thus far focused on exploration and have not included widespread recruiting or military campaigns. Furthermore, the province in which the report alleges ISIL to be…
Representatives from several Western oil majors including Royal Dutch Shell and Eni recently held meetings with Iranian officials in Tehran. The meetings are the first of their kind following the tentative Iranian nuclear framework deal, and demonstrate the existing level of interest in the Iranian nuclear program. According to Shell representatives, the recent meetings revolved…
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