Asia Times - Central Asia News

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#003366" color="white">Central Asia </font> </div> <div align="center"><font style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #003366" color="white"> Specials<br>   </font> </div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <div align="center"><a href="/web/20030401222619/http://atimes.com/atimes/others/Osama.html"><img border="0" hspace="0" src="/web/20030401222619im_/http://atimes.com/atimes//images/Osama-logo-small-4.gif"></a></div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> </tr> </table> </td> <td valign="top"> <table width="100%" height="31" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td align="middle" valign="top" background="/web/20030401222619im_/http://atimes.com/images/f_images/top_bg.gif"> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr align="middle" valign="top"> <td width="25%"> <div align="center"><a href="/web/20030401222619/http://atimes.com/atimes/archive.asp"><img border="0" height="18" src="/web/20030401222619im_/http://atimes.com/images/f_images/archive.gif" width="110"></a></div> </td> <td 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class="subhead"><strong class="head">Central Asia</strong></font></td> <td width="36%"> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td height="51" align="middle" valign="center"> <div align="right"><font class="time"><strong> <script language="javascript"> function showDate(){ var monthArray=["Jan", "Feb", "Mar", "Apr", "May", "Jun", "Jul", "Aug", "Sep", "Oct", "Nov", "Dec"] var days=["Sunday", "Monday", "Tuesday", "Wednesday", "Thursday", "Friday", "Saturday"] var d=new Date(); var month=d.getMonth() var day=d.getDate() var year=d.getYear() // document.write("Today is " + days[d.getDay()] + "<BR>") document.write(monthArray[month]) document.write(" ") document.write(day) document.write(", ") if(d.getYear()<2000){document.write(year+1900)} if(d.getYear()>2000){document.write(year)} } </script> <script language="javascript">showDate()</script> </strong></font> </div> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table> <table width="100%" border="0" align="left" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td width="65%" valign="top"> <table width="100%" border="0" align="left" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td width="81%" valign="top"> <table width="308" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td width="308"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"><font color="#ff0000"><font color="#000000"><font color="#ff0000"> <font color="#000000"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font color="#ff0000"> <font color="#000000"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font color="#ff0000"><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><font color="#000000"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"><font color="#ff0000"><font color="#000000"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href="/web/20030401222619/http://atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/ED02Ag01.html"><strong>Russia warns of Iraqi fallout <br></strong></a>Moscow has sounded a clear warning that North Korea and Iran could, given the events unfolding in their fellow "axis of evil" Iraq, be pushed further down the path towards using weapons of mass destruction. And if anyone should know, it's Russia. - <strong>Sergei Blagov <font size="1"> <font color="#999999">(Apr 1, '03)</font><br></font></strong></font><br><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"><a href="/web/20030401222619/http://atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/ED02Ag02.html"><strong>Russia eyes new oil markets in Asia-Pacific</strong></a><br>In a bid to develop new markets for its crude oil and become an alternative to the volatile Middle East, Moscow has proposed two major pipelines to serve, in particular, China and Japan. Torn between difficult choices, though, it has been forced to compromise. - <b>Sergei Blagov</b> <font color="#999999" size="1">(Apr 1, '03)</font><br></font></font><br><img border="0" hspace="0" src="/web/20030401222619im_/http://atimes.com/atimes//images/bestofbe4[2].gif"><br><br><a href="/web/20030401222619/http://atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/EC27Ag02.html"><strong>Concerns and divisions in Central Asia</strong></a><br>While a number of Central Asian states are wary of the unilateral approach of the United States on Iraq, they want to avoid alienating Washington, while others in support of the war fear angering Moscow. - <strong>Sergei Blagov <font color="#999999" size="1">(Mar 26, '03)</font><br></strong></font></font><br><strong>   <img border="0" hspace="0" src="/web/20030401222619im_/http://atimes.com/atimes//images/arrow.gif"></strong><font color="#000000"><a href="/web/20030401222619/http://atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/EC27Ag01.html">Moscow caught in 'crisis-period' diplomacy</a></font><br><br><font color="#000000"><a href="/web/20030401222619/http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/EC27Ak02.html"><strong>The day after: Lessons from Afghanistan <br></strong></a>Even while war rages, there is much debate on the "day after" the fall of the Saddam Hussein regime and how Iraq will be rebuilt. An examination of efforts to rebuild Afghanistan provides insight and a basis for speculation on how <i>not</i> to go about trying to create a stable post-war Iraq. <font color="#999999" size="1">(Mar 26, '03)</font></font><br><br><strong>COMMENTARY<br></strong><a href="/web/20030401222619/http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/EC26Ak04.html"><strong>Russian weapons and foreign rogues<br></strong></a><font color="#000000">Accusations that Russia has sold Iraq sensitive equipment that can counter the US's global positioning systems have raised a diplomatic storm between Moscow and Washington. The charges also raise the awkward question of the Kremlin's broader goals in engaging in such arms sales. - </font><font color="#000000"><strong>Stephen Blank</strong> </font><font color="#999999" size="1">(Mar 25, '03)</font><br><br><font color="#000000"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href="/web/20030401222619/http://atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/EC26Ag01.html "><strong>Kazakhstan: World's nuclear dump?</strong></a><br>The government of Kazakhstan is moving forward with its controversial money-making scheme of importing radioactive waste from countries that don't want to deal with it. Some parliamentarians and local political groups, however, are enraged that Kazakhstan could worsen its own massive radioactive waste disposal problems by bringing more toxicity into the country from the outside. <strong>- Mark Berniker <font color="#999999" size="1">(Mar 25, '03)</font><br></strong></font></font><br><strong>DANCES WITH BEARS<br></strong></font><a href="/web/20030401222619/http://atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/EC22Ag01.html"><strong>Oligarchs: A vulgar repeat of Russian history</strong></a><br>It's common to read of oligarchs as a new phenomenon in Russia, and of the considerable sway that they hold over the body politic. The latter assumption is certainly true, but they have been around for a lot longer than many would have us believe. - <b>John Helmer <font color="#999999" size="1">(Mar 21, '03)</font></b><br></font><br><a href="/web/20030401222619/http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/EC21Ak02.html"><strong>A new war beyond the war</strong></a><br>The war in Iraq is a non-contest in the sense that the US has the undisputed military muscle to get its way. The war that comes next, though, will be harder to win, as Afghanistan is already proving. - <strong>Syed Saleem Shahzad </strong> <font color="#999999" size="1"><strong>(Mar 20, '03)<br><br></strong> </font></font></font><strong>Winds of change in Afghanistan <br></strong></font>After 23 years of civil war, Afghanistan suffers from psychological and physical scars that will take decades to heal - yet the international community has so far failed to make a sustained commitment to the country's future. Part of the problem, writes <b>Mark Sedra</b>, lies in the lack of a coherent strategy for long-term Afghan security and reconstruction. <b>Ramtanu Maitra</b> argues that for the sake of peace, the time may have come to rethink at least one relic of 19th-century imperialism, the arbitrarily-imposed border known as the Durand Line. <br><br>   <img border="0" hspace="0" src="/web/20030401222619im_/http://atimes.com/atimes//images/arrow.gif"><a href="/web/20030401222619/http://atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/EC13Ag01.html "><strong>Reconstructing Afghanistan<br></strong></a>   <img border="0" hspace="0" src="/web/20030401222619im_/http://atimes.com/atimes//images/arrow.gif"><a href="/web/20030401222619/http://atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/EC13Ag02.html "><strong>Dangerous line in the sand</strong></a> <br><br><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"><a href="/web/20030401222619/http://atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/EC13Ag03.html"><strong>Uzbek strongman under Russian attack</strong></a><br>A series of Russian media attacks against Uzbek President Islam Karimov come exactly at a time that Uzbekistan's importance to the United States in the war on terror has started to fade. Coincidence or not? - <b>Sergei Blagov <font color="#999999" size="1">(Mar 12, '03)</font></b><br></font><br> <font color="#000000"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"> <font size="2"> <font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font size="2"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> <font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"> <font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> <font color="#ff0000"> <font color="#000000"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"><font color="#ff0000"> <font color="#000000"> <font color="#ff0000"><font color="#000000"><font color="#ff0000"> <font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"> <font color="#ff0000"><font color="#000000"> <font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> <font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font color="#ff0000"><font color="#000000"> <font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> <font color="#ff0000"><font color="#000000"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> <font color="#ff0000"> <font color="#000000"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"> <font color="#ff0000"> <font color="#000000"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> <font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"> <font color="#000000" size="2"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"> <font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"> <font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"><a href="/web/20030401222619/http://atimes.com/atimes/China/EC13Ad02.html"><strong>The importance of Central Asia to China</strong></a><br>As China's economy continues to grow, so does its thirst for oil, and it has been busy investing in the vast petroleum resources of the Caspian Sea. China is not the only great power to understand the importance of Central Asia, but its interests in the region go beyond a stable energy supply. <b>- Ehsan Ahrari</b> <font color="#999999" size="1">(Mar 12, '03)</font><br></font></font> </font></font></font></font> </font></font></font></font> </font></font></font> </font></font></font></font> </font></font></font></font> </font></font></font> </font></font></font></font> </font></font></font></font> </font></font></font></font> </font></font></font></font> </font></font></font></font><br></font></font></font></font></font><a href="/web/20030401222619/http://atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/EC04Ag01.html "><strong>Kremlin decides China pipeline on new terms</strong></a><br>Fearing that it would lose control over its oil companies, Russia has delayed approval of a new pipeline to China. Now, having worked out a compromise, it looks like it's all systems go. Except for the small matter of another, more costly, pipeline to the Sea of Japan. - <strong>John Helmer <font color="#999999" size="1">(Mar 3, '03)</font></strong></font> </font></font></font></font> </font></font> </font> </font></font></font></font> </td> </tr> </table> </td> <td width="19%" valign="top"> <table width="184" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td height="51" align="middle" valign="center"><a href="/web/20030401222619/http://atimes.com/atimes/others/kabul_diary.html"><img border="0" height="79" src="/web/20030401222619im_/http://atimes.com/images/f_images/kabul_banner.gif" width="184"></a> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td><img height="5" src="/web/20030401222619im_/http://atimes.com/images/f_images/1pix.gif" width="1"></td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table> <table width="184" border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" bordercolor="#ff9900" style="HEIGHT: 566px; WIDTH: 184px"> <tr> <td align="middle" valign="top" bgcolor="#fdf0c6"> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td><img height="5" src="/web/20030401222619im_/http://atimes.com/images/f_images/1pix.gif" width="1"></td> </tr> <tr> <td> <div align="center"><img height="22" src="/web/20030401222619im_/http://atimes.com/images/f_images/oilgas.gif" width="174"></div> </td> </tr> </table> <table width="174" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top"> <p><br> <a href="/web/20030401222619/http://atimes.com/atimes/others/oil_brief.html"><font size="2"><font color="darkblue"><strong>In Brief</strong></font></font></a><br> <font color="#000000"><font size="2"><font color="#000000"><font color="#000000"><font color="#000000"> <font color="#000000"><font color="#000000"><font color="#000000"><font color="#000000">Two wells the Japanese Azerbaijani Operational Consortium drilled in the Ateshgakh Caspian field have failed to yield oil in commercial quantities, Turan reported on March 18. The consortium, in which Azerbaijan's state oil company SOCAR has a 50 percent stake, with the remaining 50 percent divided among five Japanese oil companies, will not drill a further exploratory well. <font color="#999999" size="1">(Mar 20, '03)</font> </font></font> </font></font></font></font></font></font></font><font face="Times"> <font face="Arial" size="2"> <br><br> </font></font> <table class="" id="table1" cellspacing="3" cellpadding="0" width="96%" align="center" border="3"> <tr> <td class="" valign="top" bordercolor="navy" align="left" bgcolor="navajowhite" height="0"><img border="0" height="17" src="/web/20030401222619im_/http://atimes.com/atimes/images/Pipelineistan-2.gif" style="HEIGHT: 17px; WIDTH: 155px" width="154"></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="" valign="top" bordercolor="navy" align="left" bgcolor="navajowhite" height="0"> By <strong>Pepe Escobar<br> </strong><font color="#999999" size="1"><font color="#000000" size="2"> </font><strong>(Jul  '02)</strong> </font> <br> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20030401222619/http://atimes.com/c-asia/DA25Ag01.html"><img border="0" src="/web/20030401222619im_/http://atimes.com/atimes/images/arrow.gif"><font size="2">Part 1: The rules of the game</font> </a> <br> <img border="0" src="/web/20030401222619im_/http://atimes.com/atimes/images/arrow.gif"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20030401222619/http://www.atimes.com/c-asia/DA26Ag01.html"><font size="2">Part 2: The games nations play</font> </a> <br> <br> </td> </tr> </table> </p> </td> </tr> </table> <table width="174" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"> <tr> <td> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table> <p><font color="#000000" size="2"><font size="2"><font style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff"><font face="Arial"><font style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff"><font color="#000000"><font style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff"> <table class="" id="table1" style="HEIGHT: 532px; WIDTH: 185px" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3" width="185" border="3"> <tbody> <tr> <td class="" valign="top" bordercolor="darkorange" align="left" bgcolor="gainsboro" height="0"> <p align="left"><font color="#000000"><font color="#000000"><font color="#000000"><font color="#000000"><font color="#000000"><font color="#000000"><font color="#000000"><font color="#000000"><font color="red" size="2"><strong>SPEAKING FREELY<br></strong></font><font color="#000000"><font size="2"><strong>An occasional column in which guest writers have<br>their say. <br><br></strong><font color="#000000"><strong><font size="3">Why terror? Why war?</font></strong> Over the past 18 months, the people of Afghanistan - the poorest and weakest in the world - have been subjected to an unending hailstorm of bombardment, all in the name of a "war on terror" aimed at making the world safe for Americans. Now the US is about to do something similar in Iraq. <b>Mohammed Daud Miraki</b> explains why such action by the US is self-defeating, while, from the opposite end of the spectrum, <b>Derrin Smith</b> argues that it is essential. <br><br><img border="0" hspace="0" src="/web/20030401222619im_/http://atimes.com/atimes//images/arrow.gif"><a href="/web/20030401222619/http://atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/EC11Ag01.html"><strong>Planting seeds of terror in Afghan soil</strong></a><br><br><img border="0" hspace="0" src="/web/20030401222619im_/http://atimes.com/atimes//images/arrow.gif"><a href="/web/20030401222619/http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/EC11Ak02.html"><strong>Why Iraq? Why war? Why now?</strong></a> <br></font><br><strong>(Please </strong></font><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20030401222619/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Front_Page/DK29Aa01.html"><strong><font size="2">click here</font></strong></a><font size="2"><strong> if you are interested in contributing.)</strong> </font></font></p></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font> </td> </tr> </table></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></p> <p></p> </td> </tr> </table> <br> </td> </tr> <tr> <td width="65%" valign="top"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td width="65%" valign="top"> <div align="center"> </div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td width="65%" valign="top"> </td> </tr> </table> </td> <td width="10" valign="top" background="/web/20030401222619im_/http://atimes.com/images/f_images/line.gif"><img height="1" src="/web/20030401222619im_/http://atimes.com/images/f_images/1pix.gif" width="9"></td> <td width="130" align="left" valign="top"> <table width="117" border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20030401222619/http://192.168.9.94/atimes/advertise.html"><strong></strong></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td height="5"><img height="5" src="/web/20030401222619im_/http://atimes.com/images/f_images/1pix.gif" width="5"></td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20030401222619/http://www.wsicorporate.com/business.asp?id=5292" target="_blank"><img border="0" hspace="0" src="/web/20030401222619im_/http://atimes.com/atimes//images/Big-Button-new.gif"></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td height="10"><img height="10" src="/web/20030401222619im_/http://atimes.com/images/f_images/1pix.gif" width="5"></td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="/web/20030401222619/http://atimes.com/atimes/advertise.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" hspace="0" src="/web/20030401222619im_/http://atimes.com/atimes//images/right-way-ad.gif"><strong></strong></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td height="10"><img height="10" src="/web/20030401222619im_/http://atimes.com/images/f_images/1pix.gif" width="1"></td> </tr> </table> <table width="117" border="0" align="center" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td bgcolor="#000000"><font color="#ff9900" size="2"><strong>Affiliates<br> </strong><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"><a href="/web/20030401222619/http://atimes.com/atimes/advertise.html#AF"> <font color="#ff9900" size="1">Click here to be one</font></a><font color="#000000">)</font></font> </font> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align="middle" valign="top" bgcolor="#000000"> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td align="middle" valign="center"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20030401222619/http://news.google.com/"><strong><img border="0" hspace="0" src="/web/20030401222619im_/http://atimes.com/atimes/images/google.gif"></strong><strong></strong></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td height="10" align="middle" valign="center"><img height="10" src="/web/20030401222619im_/http://atimes.com/images/f_images/1pix.gif" width="1"></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="middle" valign="center"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20030401222619/http://news.yahoo.com/"><strong><img border="0" hspace="0" src="/web/20030401222619im_/http://atimes.com/atimes/images/yahoo.gif"></strong><strong></strong></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td height="10" align="middle" valign="center"><img height="10" src="/web/20030401222619im_/http://atimes.com/images/f_images/1pix.gif" width="1"></td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table> <p> </p> </td> </tr> </table></td></tr></tbody></table></td> <td background="/web/20030401222619im_/http://atimes.com/images/f_images/sha.gif"><img height="7" src="/web/20030401222619im_/http://atimes.com/images/f_images/1pix.gif" width="7"></td></tr> <tr> <td height="50" align="middle" valign="center" bgcolor="#003366"> <div align="center"> <table width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="table-text"> <tr> <td height="17"> <div align="center"></div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td height="17"> <div align="center"><font color="#ffffff" size="2">No material from Asia Times Online may be republished in any form without written permission.</font></div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td height="13"> <div align="center"><font color="#ffffff" size="2"> Copyright Asia Times Online, 6306 The Center, Queen抯 Road, Central, Hong Kong.</font></div> </td> </tr> </table> <p><font color="#ffffff" size="1"></font><font color="#ffffff" size="2"> </font> </p> </div> </td> <td background="/web/20030401222619im_/http://atimes.com/images/f_images/sha.gif"> </td> </tr></tbody></table> </body> </html>

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