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The Iran war is redrawing Central Asia’s map to the sea
Every escalation in the Gulf pushes the region’s trade further off the route through Iran and onto the corridors west and east. The war hands Kazakhstan an oil-price windfall and a bill at the same time.
In one day, Kazakhstan courts Washington, Beijing and Moscow
On a single day this week Kazakhstan opened a US-led minerals dialogue, banked 6 billion dollars from China for a new city, and offered to pump more Russian gas to its neighbour. That is multi-vector foreign policy as a daily schedule.
The scramble for the Caucasus, from Washington’s bill to a Chinese-built port
In one week Washington moved against Chinese and Russian sway in Georgia, the foreign ministers of Turkiye, Azerbaijan and Georgia signed a declaration in Istanbul, and a Chinese consortium kept its grip on Georgia’s flagship port. The Caucasus is being contested in real time.
Kazakhstan’s oil still rides a Russian route
Astana keeps adjusting its output numbers. It still ships most of its oil through a pipeline that crosses Russia to the Black Sea, and that route is now a target. The exposure is built into the map.
Central Asia declared an AI year. The grid will decide how far it gets
The region is racing to build digital economies, AI centres and crypto hubs. All of it needs electricity Central Asia does not yet have, which is why the same governments are courting Korea, Rosatom and Beijing for new power.
Remittances remain Central Asia’s clearest stability gauge
The fastest read on Central Asian stability is the money migrants wire home from Russia. In Tajikistan it equals almost half of GDP, which makes the ruble the region’s quiet budget line.
Central Asia’s critical minerals race: the deals outpace the mines
Central Asia keeps signing minerals deals with the West; China keeps taking the minerals. The gap now is bankability, power and processing.
Mongolia is building a railway straight into China's steel industry — and it knows exactly what that means
83 million tonnes of coal exported to China in 2024. A new cross-border railway under construction since April 2025. $1.5 billion in additional annual revenue projected. The numbers are compelling. The dependency is real.
The corridor is booming. It is also far from competitive. A Carnegie reality check
Cargo volumes rose 63% in 2024. The corridor still handles 6% of the Russian route's capacity. A new Carnegie analysis maps the gap between ambition and infrastructure.
Pashinyan wins — and the margin tells the real story
The final results of Armenia’s parliamentary elections have cemented Nikol Pashinyan’s third consecutive term, but the tight mathematical metrics reveal a complex legislative landscape ahead. While his Civil Contract party secured enough seats to form a government single-handedly, it fell short of the constitutional supermajority required to reshape the country's institutional framework. The razor-thin margin shows that while voters backed his westward shift, they refused to hand him absolute domestic power.
Four days out: Washington names Moscow's play in Armenia
Secretary Rubio told the Senate on Tuesday that Russia wants Pashinyan to lose. The claim lands in the middle of the dirtiest election campaign Armenia has seen in years.
Baku Energy Week: $7.5 billion in contracts, a green corridor pitch, and Central Asia in the room
Azerbaijan's minister framed the Caspian region as a new energy space. Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan were named as corridor partners. $7.5 billion in contracts signed at the forum.
What the EBRD Is Bringing to Riga — and What Central Asia Should Watch
The Bank's 35th Annual Meeting opens Thursday. For the region, three things matter: the new Regional Economic Prospects, the Aktau port investment, and the signal on Trans-Caspian financing.
The SCO at 25: A Quarter-Century of Summits, Zero Kilometres of New Railway
The anniversary session in St. Petersburg today will celebrate what the organisation has become. The Central Asian members are more interested in what it might finally build
The Level of the Delegation Is the Message
Central Asia is in St. Petersburg this week — but not equally. What each country’s roster says about where the relationship with Russia actually stands
Mongolia vs Rio Tinto: The Copper Mine at the Centre of the World
Oyu Tolgoi is producing record copper, heading for fourth place globally, and generating a political crisis. Ulaanbaatar wants a renegotiation. Rio Tinto cannot afford to walk away.
Armenia's Election: Eleven Days, Three Stories
What the polls, the party platforms and the money trails reveal about June 7
Twelve Days to Go: What Armenia's Election Is Actually About
June 7 is framed as a geopolitical choice between Russia and Europe — but the campaign reveals a messier domestic reality
Caught in the Net: Central Asia's Sanctions Week
Kyrgyzstan shuts down 50 companies, Kazakhstan sues Rosatom, Georgia's elites move assets offshore — three stories, one pressure front
The Turkic Moment: What Erdogan's Astana Visit Reveals About Kazakhstan's Strategic Choices
Thirteen agreements, a record trade surge, and a new medal — but Ankara and Astana are reading the partnership through different lenses