Christian Bleuer

Tajikistan at 20

by Christian Bleuer

On September 9th, Tajikistan marks the 20th anniversary of its declaration of independence. What can be said about Tajikistan 20 years after independence? The word ‘survival’ comes to mind first and foremost. Unfortunately, Tajikistan is defined from the outside mostly by its civil war – not by any connection to the Samanid Empire or the [...]

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Book Review: Hurramabad

by Christian Bleuer

I rarely read fiction anymore, so this book is one of the rare exceptions: Andrei Volos, Hurramabad, Moscow: GLAS Publishers, 2001. Translated by Arch Tait. Hurramabad is a collection of short stories on the theme of ethnic Russians in Tajikistan. The Russians of Tajikistan, who arrived as Soviet administrators and skilled workers, emigrated en masse [...]

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Tajikistan(!) Book Review: Pale Blue Hope

by Christian Bleuer

There are not very many books on Tajikistan, so I was more than a little curious when this title was published last year. Ronald Poulton, Pale Blue Hope: Life and Death in Asian Peacekeeping. Turnstone Press. Ronald Poulton is a Canadian human rights lawyer who worked for the UN in both Cambodia and Tajikistan. In [...]

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Formula for Success in Afghanistan

by Christian Bleuer

The Washington Post is reporting that the US military and the State Department are all aflutter after the locals in Gizab – no, not that Gizab, the other one – thrashed the Taliban with just a tad of help from the good guys. Actually, I can’t call “us” that because the locals that whacked the [...]

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Info Wrangling on Kyrgyzstan Continues

by Christian Bleuer

Related to my earlier post on the causes and initiation of the violent conflict, I found this New York Times articles today. The title of the article is “Kyrgyz Tensions Rooted in Class, Not Ethnicity, Experts Say.” Here’s a sample: The violence that has claimed scores of lives in Kyrgyzstan is frequently ascribed to ethnic [...]

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More on Kyrgyzstan…

by Christian Bleuer

First up, I don’t really check for comments that are pending approval. But I did today and found this comment detailing the experience of a Peace Corps volunteer who was almost killed in Osh (good work by the Osh fire department). It seems that the Peace Corps made an excellent decision in hiring local Kyrgyz [...]

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Kyrgyzstan Violence: Conspiracies Abound

by Christian Bleuer

Some random, hastily collected thoughts as a study break: Who is to blame? Who is doing the killing? Why? These questions have been asked over and over again in regards to short episodes of violence in Central Asia since 1986, starting with the Almaty “Kunaev” riots. Other examples of violent riots/pogroms include the May 1989 [...]

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US Military’s Black Mountain Facility in Tajikistan

Thumbnail image for US Military’s Black Mountain Facility in Tajikistan by Christian Bleuer

I can’t tell you how disappointed I am with the US Department of Defense’s chosen location for a new training facility in Tajikistan. Here’s the contract info: …National Training Center located in Karatog, Tajikistan. Work includes but is not limited to construction of a garrison compound and training ranges. The garrison compound includes administrative facilities, [...]

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Military Orientalism in Afghanistan

by Christian Bleuer

Today I’ll do a book review of Patrick Porter’s unfortunately not-hyped book from 2009: Patrick Porter, Military Orientalism: Eastern War Through Western Eyes. Hurst (UK), Columbia University Press (US), 2009. Having been in area studies and the generally vicinity for far too long, I cringe when I hear “orientalism.” The term has unfortunately descended into [...]

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Afghan Opium and Uzbekistan-Related Conspiracy Theories

by Christian Bleuer

I know next to nothing about the opium issue in Afghanistan, and I purposely avoid writing on the subject. However, it’s been hard to ignore for the last day or so as everybody is reporting on the fungus/blight taking out opium poppies in Afghanistan. For example, BBC reports: A serious disease is affecting opium poppies [...]

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Tajikistan News and Blogs

by Christian Bleuer

Hi everybody, I’m building an online research portal for Tajikistan. It’s sure to bring me fame, money and widespread international praise, I’m sure. At the moment it’s about one-third finished. But I’m not too sure I have a full idea of all the blogs and news websites available. Could those of you in the know [...]

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