Shavkat Davlatov In terms of mankind’s journey to civilization and culture, Central Asia is in the same class as Egypt, Mesopotamia, China and India. Evolution, in part, picks speed and adjusts direction when revolutionary ideas are embraced by large groups of people. In their own time, the Iliad and Odyssey of Homer, the Veda and Upanishad of ancient India, The Shahnama of … [Read more...]
Archives for 2012
Центральноазиатская конференция – описание слона по частям
Тарик Саииди Ашгабат, 7 июля 2012 (nCa) --- В четверг в Ашгабаде началась двухдневная 14-я Центральноазиатская конференция СМИ, организованная ОБСЕ и Министерством иностранных дел Туркменистана. Тема конференции - «От традиционных к онлайновым медиа: передовая практика и перспективы». Основной вопрос повестки первого дня конференции состоял в том, что Интернет и … [Read more...]
Central Asia Media Conference – Partial description of elephant
Tariq Saeedi Ashgabat, 6 July 2012 (nCa) --- The two-day 14th Central Asia Media Conference, organized by the OSCE and the foreign ministry of Turkmenistan, started Thursday in Ashgabat. The theme of the conference is – ‘From traditional to online media: best practices and perspectives.’ The lead concept on the first day of the conference was that online and social media … [Read more...]
3rd Turkmenistan Gas Congress Post show report – TGC 2012
Avaza welcomed the leading world oil & gas community at the 3rd Turkmenistan Gas Congress 2012, 23-24 May The 3rd Turkmenistan International Gas Congress was held on the 23rd -24th of May in “Avaza” the National Tourism zone on the Turkmenistan Caspian Sea coast. The congress attracted about 500 delegates, representing over 150 organisations from 32 countries. Among … [Read more...]
Hillary Finally Brings Bureau of Spy/Diplomatic Liaisons Out of the Closet
Peter Chamberlin Clinton finally brings the secret military/State Dept. covert operations out into the open (SEE: Clinton Goes Commando, Sells Diplomats as Shadow Warriors). This is the logical outcome of a process started long ago, during the Reagan Administration, when Congress put restrictions on the CIA’s shadow wars in Central America. It was then that this so-called … [Read more...]
Turkmenistan Gas Congress 2012
The National Tourism Zone "Avaza" in Turkmenistan, on coast of the Caspian Sea, will host the 3rd International Turkmenistan Gas Congress - TGC 2012, 23-24 May 2012. The organizers of the congress are National Gas Company of Turkmenistan TurkmenGas, Chamber of Commerce of Turkmenistan, and Summit Trade Events (London). TGC 2012 will be attended by about 500 delegates from … [Read more...]
Candid conversation with Pakistani minister of state for foreign affairs
Tariq Saeedi Ashgabat 13 May 2012 (nCa) --- His embossed visiting card says Nawabzada Malik Amad Khan but when we sat down for a conversation Saturday in Ashgabat, it was only Amad who spoke – candid, warm and very well informed. Amad, as minister of state for foreign affairs, is one of the youngest ministers in the Pakistani cabinet. His views on some regional issues are … [Read more...]
Pakistan fully committed to both Turkmenistan and Iran gas pipelines
Ashgabat, 13 May 2012 (nCa) --- Pakistan is fully committed to both Turkmenistan and Iran gas pipeline projects, said Nawabzada Malik Amad Khan, the minister of state for foreign affairs of Pakistan in an exclusive conversation Saturday with nCa in Ashgabat. This dispels the impression that Pakistan could be pursuing an either-or approach on its major gas import … [Read more...]
Truth shall Prevail
Dr. S.M. Rahman It was interesting to read General Aslam Beg’s article titled “Say No To It”. In very simple words he has described the conduct of the Army Generals, who imposed military rule; those who directly intervened, but did not take-over, and those, who resisted the temptation to intervene and allowed democracy to follow its due course. In this context, he has … [Read more...]
Say ‘No’ to It
General Mirza Aslam Beg, Former Chief of Army Staff, Pakistan It is indeed very difficult to say ‘No’ to temptation, because the truth is what the famous American Comedian, Bob Hope addressing a young lady, admitted: “I can stand anything but temptation.” This is the kind of phenomenon we have experienced and suffered, during the last fifty years of our checkered history of … [Read more...]
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The Obscenity of Humanitarian Warfare
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“Humanitarian Bombs,” Anthony Freda Art The Obscenity of Humanitarian Warfare By: Peter Chamberlin America and NATO have done a very bad thing, a perplexing thing–they have blurred the lines between war and peace, by turning “humanitarian intervention” into a tool of aggression. It is now logical to view all American humanitarian aid, in all of its forms, as the first … [Read more...]
Mustaqbil Pakistan: Detoxifying politics, promoting micro patriotism, rewriting social contract
[Editor’s note: Mustaqbil Pakistan (MP) is a new political party with fast expanding grassroots presence in the country. The party, composed mostly of successful professionals in a broad array of disciplines, aims to detoxify the political scene of Pakistan by inducing transition from personalities to issues. It is also following a relatively fresh approach by promoting … [Read more...]
Alzheimer’s and Long-Term Care Placement: 5 Tips to a Successful Integration
Dr. Ethelle Lord The time may come when long-term care placement becomes a necessity for the person with Alzheimer’s. It was true in our situation. My husband was home about 10 years after his bypass surgery (1999) and subsequent diagnosis of Alzheimer’s (2003). Then when he was unable to walk on his own and I was exhausted from 24/7 care for him, I found it necessary to seek … [Read more...]
Freedom’s Three R’s: Riots, Rebellion and Revolution
Ben Tanosborn April 29 marks a score since the “Los Angeles Riots,” sparked by a “not guilty” verdict rendered on four policemen accused of beating a black man, Rodney King, to a pulp. For six days the nation witnessed via television these riots in South Central Los Angeles where 54 people lost their lives and over 2,000 others were injured, property damage escalating to … [Read more...]
The GEF-NGO Network launches an outreach campaign in Central Asia
CENN, the GEF’s Regional Focal Point for the region of Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA), has launched an outreach campaign aimed at increasing membership of the GEF’s NGO Network in Central Asia. The GEF-NGO Network is calling on all eligible NGOs to join the Network and contribute to the development of international and regional environmental policy. The GEF The … [Read more...]
No peace in Afghanistan until total pullout of US-NATO troops: Iran
Ashgabat, 20 April 2012 (nCa) --- There can be no peace in Afghanistan until total pullout of the US and NATO forces, said Ambassador Mohsen Pakaein, the Iranian chief diplomat on Afghan affairs. In a conversation Wednesday with Pakaein, nCa asked as to what could be the most practical way to bring peace to Afghanistan. He said, “The best idea would be the complete pullout. … [Read more...]
Pakistan absolutely crucial regional player: Afghanistan
Ashgabat, 20 April 2012 (nCa) --- “Pakistan is absolutely crucial player at the regional level,” said Jawed Ludin, the deputy foreign minister of Afghanistan. In a conversation Wednesday with nCa, Ludin spoke optimistically about the bilateral and multilateral interaction between Afghanistan and Pakistan. He expressed hope that ‘challenges of confidence’ would be a thing of … [Read more...]
Афганистан: Необходимость быть политически некорректным
Тарик Саееди Ашгабат, 19 апреля 2012 (nCa) --- Вот дилемма: быть политически корректным или фактически правильным? Когда мы смотрим на Афганистан, мы стараемся игнорировать большую часть картины: слон в комнате - сам афганский народ. Определенные шаги не могут быть предприняты по направлению к прочному миру, не принимая во внимание ту роль, которую сыграли сами афганцы … [Read more...]
Ашгабадская конференция по Афганистану: Перекачивание крови к сердцу Азии?
Доклад и комментарий nCa Ашгабат, 19 апреля 2012 (nCa) --- В среду в Туркменистане состоялась международная конференция по Афганистану. Результаты можно описать как середину в трудной дороге по направлению к началу мирного процесса в несчастной стране, которая не в состоянии быть автором своей судьбы. В конференции, официальное название которой «Вторая встреча по … [Read more...]
Afghanistan: The need to be politically incorrect
Tariq Saeedi Ashgabat, 19 April 2012 (nCa) --- Here is the dilemma: To be politically correct, or to be factually correct? When we look at Afghanistan, we try to ignore a big part of the picture: The elephant in the room – The Afghan people. No definite steps can be taken toward lasting peace without taking into consideration the part the Afghans have played in starting … [Read more...]
Afghanistan conference in Ashgabat: Pumping blood to Heart of Asia?
nCa Report and Commentary Ashgabat, 19 April 2012 (nCa) --- Turkmenistan hosted Wednesday an international conference on Afghanistan. The outcome can be described as a midway point in the arduous journey toward the start of the peace process in the unfortunate country not in a position to author its own fate. The conference, officially titled ‘Second preparatory meeting for … [Read more...]
Turkmenistan and Ha-Ha Crowd
nCa Commentary Ashgabat, 9 April 2012 (nCa) --- Turkmenistan, a desert nation, has built an ice hockey stadium – hilarious. The president of Turkmenistan showed his horse riding skills in a public show – ridiculous. He took part in car races – outlandish. The ignoramus Ha-Ha crowd, previously known as mainstream media, is laughing its silly head off and we offer our sincere … [Read more...]
Паника вокруг Ирана – Часть Вторая: Необходимое отступление
Анализ nCa Продолжение из Части Первой Ашгабат, 5 апреля 2012 (nCa) ---Необходимо сделать маленькое отступление, прежде чем мы приступим к рассмотрению нефтяных санкций и их возможного воздействия на Иран, а также других способов, используемых для ослабления Ирана перед прямой конфронтацией. Существуют различные теории о вымирании динозавров. Одна из них утверждает, … [Read more...]
Iran panic – Part Two: A necessary digression
nCa Analysis Continued from Part One Ashgabat, 5 April 2012 (nCa) --- Before we look at the oil sanctions and their likely impact on Iran, and the other methods that are being used to soften Iran ahead of a direct confrontation, it is necessary to digress a bit. There are different theories about the extinction of dinosaurs. One of them contends that when dinosaurs grew … [Read more...]
Паникa вокруг Иранe – Часть Первая: Иран чeрeз Сирии
Анализ nCa Ашгабат, 3 апреля 2012 (nCa) --- 1 апреля по итогам Стамбульской конференции, в которой приняли участие делегаты 50 стран, ыло принято решение об обеспечении финансами и вооружением сирийской оппозиции. Это преднамеренное нарушение мирного процесса произошло под скрупулезным контролем Кофи Аннана. Являются ли участники конференции «Друзьями Сирии» - лучший … [Read more...]
Iran panic – Part one: Iran via Syria
nCa Analysis Ashgabat, 3 April 2012 (nCa) --- A conference of some 50 countries decided 1 Apr in Istanbul to fund and arm the Syrian opposition. This is deliberate disruption of peace process being painstakingly shepherded by Kofi Annan. Whether the conference participants are ‘Friends of Syria’ is a question best answered by the people of Syria. What is apparent from their … [Read more...]
Туркменистан и Комиссия ООН по Правам Человека: Взаимное разочарование
Анализ nCa Ashgabat, 2 April 2012 (nCa) --- Туркменистан предстал перед Комиссией ООН по правам человека в Нью-Йорке 15-16 марта 2012 года. Цель состояла в том, чтобы рассмотреть вопрос о соблюдении в стране обязательств по Международному пакту о гражданских и политических правах, к которому страна присоединилась в 1997 году. Из вопросов и ответов на них было очевидно, что … [Read more...]
Russian Lukoil raises $ 500 million for project in Uzbekistan
Tashkent, 30 March 2012 --- Today in Tashkent LUKOIL Overseas has signed an agreement with a international consortium of banks to raise a loan of up to $500 million on a limited recourse basis. This was done within the framework of implementing the PSA for the Kandym-Khauzak-Shady-Kungrad project in Uzbekistan. The consortium includes Asian Development Bank, BNP Paribas … [Read more...]
EUCAIS: Advanced Training for Central Asian Academics via “Electronic Silk Highway”
The Institut für Europäische Politik (IEP) and the Centre international de formation européenne (CIFE) hold an official farewell for the first generation of graduates of their Online Master Programme “Studies on the EU and Central Asia in the International System” (EUCAIS). The graduation ceremony will take place at the European Commission`s base in Berlin. IEP and CIFE … [Read more...]
Turkmenistan and UN Human Rights Committee: Mutual Frustration
nCa Analysis Ashgabat, 23 March 2012 (nCa) --- Turkmenistan appeared before the UN Human Rights Committee in New York, 15-16 March 2012. The purpose was to review the country’s compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which it acceded in 1997. Looking at the questions and their answers, it was obviously an exercise in mutual … [Read more...]
Russian firm wins major oil contracts in Iraq
LUKOIL SIGNED CONTRACTS - FOR WEST QURNA-2 FIELD DEVELOPMENT IN IRAQ LUKOIL Mid-East Ltd (West Qurna-2 project operator) signed several major contracts for West Qurna-2 field development in Iraq according to the tender results. The contract with the Samsung Engineering (Korea) sets out 29 months to design 5 well pads with 67 development wells, 5 gathering lines, central … [Read more...]
2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit – Message from Central Asia
nCa Commentary Ashgabat, 22 Mar—The second Nuclear Summit will be held 26-27 March 2012 in Seoul. The first summit took place in April 2010 in Washington DC. The Seoul summit where leaders from 53 countries and 4 international organizations are expected to gather will collectively represent the 80% of global population and 90% of world GDP. The 11-point Seoul Communique … [Read more...]
Nowruz: The soul of Central Asia culture
nCa Commentary Ashgabat, 22 March 2012 (nCa) --- The countrywide celebration of Nowruz, the spring festival, started 21 March in Turkmenistan. The main event was held at the foothills of Kopetdag Mountain, some 45 km east of Ashgabat. It was a great privilege for the foreign diplomats and journalists to get invited to this unique national festivity. Being there was an … [Read more...]
We [Don’t] Take Care of Our Own
Ben Tanosborn A generation ago Bruce Springsteen was socio-serenading us with what soon was to become the iconic song, “Born in the USA.” And now, seven presidential elections later, he’ll likely be sending his message with the song, “We Take Care of Our Own.” Although the message in 1984 was inconceivably misconstrued and misappropriated by conservatives then – Ronald … [Read more...]
Challenges and Response
General Mirza Aslam Beg, Former Chief of Army Staff, Pakistan It is a day of reckoning for us, to recollect the failings of the past, and to carve-out a new destiny for the nation. No doubt Pakistan has faced serious challenges to its security, mainly due to foreign aggression in the region and our collusion with them. Having come full circle now, Pakistan is moving on the … [Read more...]
The Regional Perspective: Japan as role model for Central Asia
Tariq Saeedi Ashgabat, 14 March 2012 (nCa) --- The Japanese embassy in Turkmenistan hosted Tuesday a solemn and majestic event to mark the first anniversary of the triple disaster that struck Japan in March 2011. Mitsuru Horiguchi, the charge d’affaires of Japan in Ashgabat, said that it was the first time in the history of mankind that three major calamities struck a … [Read more...]
The Regonal Perspective: Afghan Massacre
Tariq Saeedi Ashgabat, 12 March 2012 (nCa) --- In the early hours of Sunday, one or more American soldier(s) left their base in Punjwai, some 35 km west of Kandhar, with the express intention to murder unarmed women and children. The accounts differ. Taliban say it was a group of drunken soldiers, the ISAF says it was a lone slaughterer. Whether it was one soldier or … [Read more...]
Региональные перспективы: Афганская бойня
Тарик Саиди Ашгабат, 12 марта 2012 (nCa) —В ночь на воскресенье, один или группа американских солдат покинули свои базы в Пунджваи, примерно в 35 км к западу от города Кандагар, с явным намерением убить безоружных женщин и детей. Поступают различные сообщения. Талибан заявляет, что это была группа солдат, находившихся в состоянии опьянения. Союзники утверждают, что это … [Read more...]
International Women’s Day: Prism Effect in Turkmenistan
Tariq Saeedi Ashgabat, 9 March 2012 (nCa) --- Matriarchy is well entrenched in the world already but the women are very kind; they don’t shove this fact in our face. It will break our hearts. Take the example of our home where I am a minority of one against my wife and my daughter. They are the government and I am the people. Our grandson is still too small to be of any … [Read more...]
Indian Supreme Court Orders Establishing Indian Water Hegemony
General Mirza Aslam Beg, Former Chief of Army Staff, Pakistan India’s Supreme Court on 27 February 2012, ordered the government to implement the2002 project to link major rivers in India ‘in a time-bound manner’. The over $100 billion project will link around 30 rivers, to ensure flood control and equitable distribution of water by efficient transfer of water from surplus to … [Read more...]
Sexual Exploited Girls and Child Soldiers Around the World
Clemente Ferrer Amnesty International has once again launched a campaign under the following slogan: “Child soldier. They will throw him into the front lines, and if he dies, they’ll go to a school and find another; and after that another”. Jean-Charles, Guru missionary in Nord Uganda, has explained that children are kidnapped and turned into authentic killing machines. For … [Read more...]
Summoning an America of Break-believe
Ben Tanosborn If we don’t come to terms in America to the reality around us, we will be doomed; and not just as an empire-holder, but as a serious major player in any future affairs of planet earth. We need to step down from that land of make-believe, and accept once and for all that Americans are neither a special cast divinely placed on this earth to rule it, nor the … [Read more...]
The regional perspective: Is this the rush to get in or get out?
Tariq Saeedi Ashgabat, 5 March 2012 (nCa) --- Some recent news stories in the American and British media suggest that the US and allied forces are negotiating with the Central Asian countries to ensure exit corridor when they leave Afghanistan in 2014. These stories are superb examples of embedded journalism at its best, regurgitating without chewing the laced candy … [Read more...]
Tender notices in Turkmenistan: Rising preference for local currency deals
nCa Report Ashgabat, 5 March 2012 (nCa) --- Some tender notices recently published by the print media of Turkmenistan indicate the marked shift for purchases in local currency instead of dollar or Euro. For instance: The state bank for foreign economic relations announced tenders for purchase of a tractor and trailer, and drilling equipment (for up to 500 meters depth) … [Read more...]
UNDP-Turkmenistan partnership rises to new level
Ashgabat, 2 March 2012 – The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Government of Turkmenistan have agreed on a new format of partnership signaling that the Government of Turkmenistan will be actively financing its own development programmes jointly implemented with UNDP. Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Minister of Foreign Affairs Rashid Meredov … [Read more...]
7 Tips to Make Life a Little Easier as a Caregiver
Dr. Ethelle G. Lord Over 80% of family caregivers are unpaid, home bound, even isolated. These caregivers are overwhelmed with day-to-day responsibilities to someone with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia. Remembering4You recommends tips that make the work and life of a caregiver a little easier. Keeping it simple maximizes energy and minimizes the possibility of … [Read more...]
The Regional Perspective: Turkmenistan and Turkey
Tariq Saeedi Ashgabat, 2 March 2012 (nCa) --- Someone sent me a bad joke the other day: If the world is a global village, Uncle Sam is the village idiot. Bad joke but true nevertheless. And, what do you do if the village idiot also happens to be the village bully? This is the question that all the countries of Greater Central Asia – Turkmenistan and Turkey being no … [Read more...]
Progress in Science and Industry – a Task for International Cooperation
Prof. em. Dr. Hanno Schaumburg, Hamburg University of Technology, Germany h.schaumburg@tu-harburg.de After the perestroika in 1990 a significant decay in science and industrial production took place in all successor states of the Soviet union – mainly because of poor financing and inadequate management from government and industry. For many years only a few industrial … [Read more...]
Our Tolerance for Fashionable Deception
Ben Tanosborn Nothing appears as ugly as unmasked raw propaganda, or seems as fashionable as well-crafted deception. Yet, the catwalk for both forms of propaganda is one and the same, deception wearing the most titillating togs provided by the top fashion house, the House of Public Relations. And the deceptive PR isn’t limited to multinational firms or businesses in … [Read more...]
Photo Essay: Presidential Elections in Turkmenistan
nCa Photo Essay Ashgabat, 15 February 2012 (nCa) --- The presidential elections held in Turkmenistan 12 February 2012 have attracted mostly negative publicity in the western media. It was predictable. Hardly anything else can be expected from the media that is cocooned in its own prejudices. The cliches are true after all: The beauty is in the eye of the beholder; and, a … [Read more...]