Author: Ayyoob el-Firman

Russian President Vladimir Putin has long seen Central Asia as Russia’s “most stable region.” He has regularly exerted influence and political pressure over its leaders. However, after decades of stability, the last year has seen Russia’s influence in Central Asia deteriorate at an unprecedented pace. Putin’s view of Central Asia as part of Russia’s sphere of influence was not unjustified. During his first twenty-one years in power, Russian relations remained relatively unchanged with all five of the former Soviet Central Asian states: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. While the period was not without times of tension—Kyrgyzstan’s 2005 Tulip Revolution…

Antony Blinken and Wang Yi’s conversation didn’t cool friction over Taiwan and Russia. Chinese Director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission Wang Yi and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, weeks after Blinken’s planned trip to Beijing was canceled due to what the US says was a Chinese surveillance balloon shot down on February 4. Relations between the two nations are at the lowest point in decades, and Saturday’s meeting didn’t do much to improve the situation. The primary focus of the conference was Russia’s invasion…

At the end of this year, Novak Djokovic could become The GOAT aka The Greatest of All Time in Grand Slam tennis. Last month Novak Djokovic won Australian Open 2023 rather easily. While also battling a hamstring injury, he dispatched 7 opponents almost all with straight sets. He only lost one game against Enzo Couacaud in the second round. Djokovic defeated number 5 seed, Andrey Rublev (6-1, 6-2, 6-4) in quarter finals, and number 3 seed, Stefanos Tsitsipas (6-3, 7-6 [7-4], 7-6 [7-5]), in the final. The Serbian claimed a record tenth Australian Open title. He already won Australian Open…

London, Brussels (14/2 – 17) Pu·to·ni·a /ˈpo͞otəˈnēə/ Pu·to·ni·an /ˈpo͞otəˈnēyən/ (Noun: A state of dictatorship under the self-illusion of recreating a status quo by force to impose an ideology on others) Russia was a reflective nation. This is the DNA of Russian society, it manifests itself in its culture, politics and society. There is a constant balancing of war and peace. Today, Russia is at war. War against Ukraine, war against Europe, war with itself. However, Russia has made miscalculations. First, if the Ukrainians are defeated, defeating the Ukrainians in the battlefield will lead to the downfall of Putin’s empire. The Russian winning…

Orthodox Christians, one of the largest religious communities in the world, have existed in Kazakhstan for several hundred years over the periods of Islamic dominance, Tsarist Russia, the Soviet period, and the independence that followed. They continue to live in harmony with other religious communities in Kazakhstan that respect the principle of equality of all nations and religions. In the interview with The Astana Times, Archpriest Dmitriy Baidek, ecclesiarch at the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Mother of God, spoke about the history and holy sites of the Christian Community, and the importance of the upcoming Congress of Leaders of World…

On his first visit to the region since his appointment as the UK Minister for the Middle East, Lord Ahmad will visit the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) to understand the challenges facing Palestinians, reinforcing the importance of the bilateral relationship and see first-hand the impact of UK development and humanitarian support in the West Bank. He will engage with the Palestinian Authority leadership, the Palestinian public, faith leaders, young people and meet with inspiring Palestinians working to create thriving and profitable businesses. During his visit Lord Ahmad will meet with key humanitarian partners and announce £3.7m of additional funding to…

New York, Brussels (21/12 – 60). Tajikistan regime’s crimes committed against humanity breeds an atmosphere of fear and oppression amomgst the Pamiri community was the verdict of a United Nations human rights mission conducted by Special Rapporteur Mary Lawlor, after a recent visit to the country earlier this month. She described the situation of human rights defenders in Tajikistan as an atmosphere of corruption and the fear of persecution. She called on the government to treat human rights defenders as allies, not opponents. There is a violent repression of the ethnic and religious minority – Pamir Ismailis – and it…

The world has become a new place in the past few years. Some are calling it the end of Pax Americana and the rise of China. Yet, should we continue looking at the world under this vision of great power competition? Where do middle powers or regional powers stand in this equation? I believe that unlike previous times, regional powers have more capacity to shape the global future. And, in this new place, the Middle East and Gulf countries have a bigger role to play. Despite all the advances in humanity, society and technology, there is only one thing that…