In a move sure to increase the already-smoldering tensions within Ukraine, two airports in Crimea, a staunchly pro-Russian zone, have been occupied by Russian troops. The troops, who were not wearing insignias, secured the civilian airport in Crimea’s regional capital of Simferopol early this morning. The Russian navy also secured the Belbek military airport near…
While South Asia struggles with developing LNG midstream infrastructure under the watchful eye of the US, the rest of Central Asia is quickly being divided between Chinese and Russian interests. What might have been considered only twenty years ago safely Russian-influenced territory is now the site of the CACP (Central Asia – China Pipeline), which…
Yesterday, after more than 77 protestors were killed in the central Maidan square of Kiev, embattled president Victor Yanukovych accepted a tentative deal from opposition leaders that forces him to have early elections and reduces his executive authority. The Ukranian Parliament also voted to allow to release former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, a sign of…
Turkmenistan is not the only source of LNG in Central Asia. Iran has long hoped to marshal its LNG resources but its central problem is the hesitancy of its neighbors to enter into a partnership to develop pipeline infrastructure. This is partially due to the harsh economic sanctions placed upon the Iranian economy on account…
The global shale gas boom has barely begun. It is already old news in North America, but emerging markets in Asia have found that demand consistently outstrips supply, due not only to scarcity, but also to underdevelopment of existing resources. One of the largest sources of undeveloped energy and mineral wealth lies in the Caspian…
The former Soviet Republics of Central Asia have long been a highway for the lucrative drug trade, but in recent years the routes out of the so-called Golden Crescent have been swelling with increasing traffic of opium grown in Afghanistan. Despite many efforts over the years by both Afghan and American central planners in Kabul,…
The Islamic Republic of Iran has moved part of its navy to the Atlantic Ocean, the stated goal of which is to pass by the coastline of the United States, in what many see as an aggressive tactic. The admiral in charge of the expedition has publically stated that the move should be interpreted as…
The Pentagon announced that Manas Air Force base, located in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan will be closing in the next six months, with plans for total vacation of the premises by July 11, 2014. The transit center is the central hub of the supply lines going in and out of Afghanistan to support Operation Enduring Freedom. The…
The official beginning of the election season in Afghanistan got off to a rocky start. Two aides of presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah were shot dead in the city of Herat in western Afghanistan on February 1. This comes days after former Minister of Water and Energy, and current running mate of candidate Abu Rasool Sayyaf, Ismail Khan, escaped a suicide…
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