Stories about Central Asia & Caucasus from August, 2014
Azerbaijan's President Doesn't Really Get Twitter. He Doesn't Really Get Azerbaijan, Either
Azeri president Ilham Aliyev's official Twitter feed is so bad it is funny. But behind the comedy lurks the darker realities Aliyev's bumbling forays into social media are covering up.
Kyrgyzstan's Soviet-era Poster Child Gets an iPad
Semyon Chuikov's 1948 painting "Daughter of Soviet Kyrgyzia" was once so popular it became a post stamp. Sixty-six years later Chuikov's muse is getting repainted with an iPad and earphones.
‘Behind the Wheel': A Look at the Women Tajikistan's Russia-Bound Men Leave Behind
"Behind the Wheel" is a short film about migration and an extraordinary woman named Nigora, who overcame betrayal and local gender stereotypes to set up shop fixing car tires.
The Alexander Sodiqov I Know, by Global Voices Contributor Mahina Shodizoda
65 days after his arrest by Tajik authorities, charges against Alexander Sodiqov have yet to be cancelled. Mahina Shodizoda explains why her country needs more people like him, not fewer.
Take a Lyrical and Visual Trek Through the Back Streets of Almaty, Kazakhstan
Dennis Keen's beautifully written blogs have exposed English speakers to some inaccessible elements of Central Asian culture. So, why is he now waxing lyrical about Soviet-era manhole covers?
Kyrgyz President Gatecrashes (New) Turkish President's Party
As Recep Tayyip Erdoğan became Turkey's first popularly elected president, he had a surprise guest to help him celebrate. Kyrgyzstan's president Almazbek Atambayev became an overnight Twitter celebrity in Turkey.
Central Asia's Rulers View Turkish “Soap Power” with Suspicion
In recent years Turkish serials have amassed a worldwide following. In Central Asia, however, government officials are reluctant to give them air time.
#BooksForRasul: What Jailed Azerbaijani Human Rights Defenders Need Most? Books.
A former political prisoner invites people to send books to Azerbaijani activist Rasul Jafarov, who has been arrested and will be spending his 30th birthday in jail.
Try Being a Female Journalist in Kyrgyzstan. Your Male Sources Hit on You. All the Time.
Kyrgyz journalist Asel Kalybekova explains the pressure female professionals - whether journalists, accountants or government secrataries - face to respond to sexual advances by officials and co-workers.
Another Tajik Blogger Speaks Out For Alexander Sodiqov
Fifty days and counting since Global Voices' Alexander Sodiqov was arrested by authorities in Khorog, Tajikistan. Sodiqov has been released but not acquitted. Here, another Tajik blogger defends his name.
About our Central Asia & Caucasus coverage
