The former ISIS’s commander Omar al-Shishani’s cousin, an evangelical Christian missionary, opens up about his notorious relative. William Dunbar Apr 1, 2019 As a born-again Christian, says Temur Tsatiashvili, “true bravery and true honor is the ability to forgive.” But forgiveness has not been easy with his cousin, Tarkhan Batirashvili. For three years before his death in a U.S. airstrike in 2016, Tarkhan — under his nom-de-guerre…

Таджикистанцы считают информацию Радио «Озоди» голосом Вашингтона. Питер Леонард С момента своего основания на заре холодной войны финансируемый США вещатель Радио «Свободная Европа»/Радио «Свобода» (РСЕ/РС) старался поддерживать свободу прессы и продвигать американское видение демократии в странах, управляемых некоторыми из самых закоренелых диктаторских режимов на планете. Миссия РСЕ/РС — «предоставлять обществу то, чего оно не может узнать из…

Moscow has given Bishkek a $30 million grant to help support budget outlays. Like a good guest, Russian leader Vladimir Putin arrived in Kyrgyzstan on March 28 bearing gifts. As soon as Putin flew into Bishkek, local media reported that Moscow had given Kyrgyzstan $30 million in the form of a grant. The money is to be used to cover budgetary expenses, to…

Pashinyan and other members of the new government have repeatedly framed the country’s economic problems, and the solutions required, in moral and psychological terms. By Peter Liakhov “Ask not only what your government has done for you, but ask also what you have done for yourself.” When Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan riffed, on his Facebook page, on John F. Kennedy’s famous saying, to many Armenians it neatly encapsulated the emerging ideological orientation of…

The de facto leadership in Nagorno-Karabakh said that Trump’s decision to recognize the Golan as part of Israel is “a great opportunity for us.” By Joshua Kucera When U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. would formally recognize the Golan Heights as part of Israel, most of the rest of the world rejected the move. But he found an ally in the de facto leadership of Nagorno-Karabakh. “Trump’s declaration that the Golan Heights…

Sources have told Eurasianet the vehicle was involved in a high-speed race at the time of the collision. Images of a horrendous car crash last week in the heart of Tajikistan’s capital have been circulating widely on social media and among messaging app users. Multiple sources have now confirmed to Eurasianet that fatalities in the accident, which occurred on the night of March 23, included the son-in-law of…

Tajiks read Radio Ozodi as Washington’s word. — By Peter Leonard Since its founding at the outset of the Cold War, U.S.-funded news broadcaster Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has sought to promote press freedoms and advance an American vision of democracy in some of the world’s most hardened dictatorships. RFE/RL’s mission — to “provide what many people cannot get locally: uncensored…

Самым поразительным было огромное количество радостных замечаний, что, возможно, является тревожной новостью для тех, кто рассчитывал добиться своих целей, прикрываясь наследием Назарбаева. — Алмаз Куменов Реакция пользователей социальных сетей на неожиданную отставку президента Казахстана варьировалась от шока до радости, и от торжественных выражений благодарности до циничных шуток. Жительница Астаны Юлиана Жихор сказала, что считает уход Нурсултана Назарбаева концом эпохи.

Where Russia’s hockey league goes, its bankers follow. — By Peter Leonard Russian soft power is icy and camp. And it was on full display on March 15, at the inauguration of a spanking new $200 million ice sports arena in Uzbekistan’s capital, Tashkent. Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, meanwhile, used the occasion to enthusiastically promote his latest hobby horse — physical fitness. …