New Great Game in the Caucasus and Central Asia

New Great Game in the Caucasus and Central Asia

The Eurasian chessboard is in non-stop motion at dizzying speed. After the Afghanistan shock, we’re all aware of the progressive interconnection of the Belt and Road Initiative, the Eurasia Economic Union (EAEU) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), and of the preeminent roles played by Russia, China and Iran. These are the pillars of the…

Afghanistan: Between Pipelines and ISIS-K, the Americans Are Still in Play

Afghanistan: Between Pipelines and ISIS-K, the Americans Are Still in Play

Something quite extraordinary happened in early November in Kabul. Taliban interim-Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov got together to discuss a range of political and economic issues. Most importantly, they resurrected the legendary soap opera which in the early 2000s I dubbed Pipelineistan: the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline. Call it…

China is Building a Military Base in Tajikistan

China is Building a Military Base in Tajikistan

After the failed US withdrawal from Afghanistan and the coming to power in Kabul of the Taliban (a terrorist group banned in the Russian Federation), the regional security system in Central Asia began to undergo rapid reformatting. New players, the USA, Turkey, and China are trying to enter the traditional zone of influence and responsibility…

Russia Should Step In Regulate Tajik-Taliban Tensions

Russia Should Step In Regulate Tajik-Taliban Tensions

Russia has to reassure Tajikistan that it’ll remain safe and stable despite neighboring Afghanistan’s de facto Taliban-led government and convince its ally that everyone stands to lose if it provokes a proxy war against that group via the Afghan National Resistance Front whose leader is now hosted by Dushanbe. Ex-Deputy Governor of the Northern Afghan…

From Russia, with (Taliban) Love

From Russia, with (Taliban) Love

Facing high expectations, a five-man band Taliban finally played in Moscow. Yet the star of the show, predictably, was the Mick Jagger of geopolitics: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Right from the start, Lavrov set the tone for the Moscow format consultations, which boast the merit of “uniting Afghanistan with all neighboring countries.” Without skipping…