JUST IN: 🇰🇬 Binance Founder CZ confirms Kyrgyzstan has established a ‘National Cryptocurrency Reserve’ that includes $BNB.

#Binance founder #ChangpengZhao now advises #Kyrgyz President, putting the country at the forefront of digital finance in #CentralAsia — just ahead of snap parliamentary elections and next year’s presidential vote. More in my latest for Reuters reuters.com/world/asia-pac…

Grateful to James Himberger and National Interest for publishing my latest piece on what a collapse of the fragile #Iran–#Israel truce could mean for #CentralAsia. With insights from Bruce Pannier, Aigerim Turgunbaeva, Sanat Kushkumbayey, and Shireen Hunter. nationalinterest.org/blog/silk-road…

For the first time in its history, #Kyrgyzstan has declared three leading independent media outlets — Kloop, Temirov Live, and Ait Ait Dese — “extremist” as well as their owners, weeks before snap parliamentary elections. More in my latest for Reuters reuters.com/business/media…

Silk Mirage IRL! Excited to hold a copy in my hands. Out on 13 November - pre-order here bloomsbury.com/uk/silk-mirage…

Check out Central Asia's hottest operatic boy band: Il Pogranichnikos

Putin’s next battlegrounds may not be in Europe — but in Kazakhstan and Armenia. Seth Cropsey and my latest The Washington Post op-ed explains how Moscow is waging covert wars across the post-Soviet space — and how the U.S. can still counter it. washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/…

Dear Qadam readers, Issue Four of our Central Asia-focused substack magazine is now live in English and Russian, featuring stories from Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and a look back to the C5+1 meeting in Samarkand 10 years ago! qadammagazine.substack.com/p/qadam-magazi… open.substack.com/pub/qadaminru/…

Extending the Abraham Accords to Kazakhstan marks a new phase—building a coalition of pro-US Muslim nations committed to tolerance and engagement with Israel. Such a coalition strengthens efforts to counter extremism, particularly state-sponsored ideology from Iran, and fosters

Tokayev’s visit to Moscow underscores Kazakhstan’s balancing act between loyalty and strategy. By elevating ties to a “comprehensive strategic partnership,” he reaffirms friendship with Russia while quietly positioning Astana as a neutral hub for global diplomacy.

Grateful to Charlie Hoyle and his colleagues at The New Arab for publishing my article about #Kazakhstan’s entry into the #AbrahamAccords. This piece includes quotes from Aigerim Turgunbaeva, Bruce Pannier, Aziz Alghashian, and Rich Outzen. newarab.com/analysis/israe…

It's like we're in this era of nameless stories, anonymous comments, wiped-out texts, and deleted messages. Feel like caught in invisible war. Give this story a read. I'd love to hear your thoughts. It means the world to feel backed up in these times eurasianet.org/kyrgyzstan-ind…

Is Politics Dead in Kyrgyzstan? Good pre-election read from Dr. Aijan Sharshenova for The Diplomat thediplomat.com/2025/11/is-pol…

#Putin, speaking in #Bishkek after the #CSTO summit: "Of course, we ultimately want to reach an agreement with #Ukraine. But right now, this is practically impossible. Impossible legally" My story for Reuters reuters.com/world/europe/p…

Allies of #Kyrgyzstan's strongman president sweep snap #parliamentary #election Our latest for @reuters reuters.com/world/asia-pac…

As expected, Japarov allies sweep the board in parliamentary elections in #Kyrgyzstan, consolidating his power ahead of a presidential election in January 2027 in which he's expected to seek a second term reuters.com/world/asia-pac…

Out on the shelves and online today: my report for The Economist on how #Kyrgyzstan is backsliding into authoritarianism under Sadyr Japarov, who came to power in a popular revolution but now quashes dissent economist.com/asia/2025/12/0…

In my latest for N7 Foundation, I argue that the United States should engage Central Asia through a coalition that includes both its allies and key regional partners. Expanding the C5+1 into a C6+2—bringing Israel in alongside the Central Asian states and Azerbaijan—would allow

Weekend #CentralAsia reading: A feature Qadam by Bakyt Ibraimov looking at difficult times for the world's largest walnut forest in Arslanbob, Kyrgyzstan. In English: qadammagazine.substack.com/p/worrying-tim… And Russian: substack.com/home/post/p-18…

Kyrgyzstan’s 2025 snap parliamentary elections reshaped the political landscape. Research Fellow Aigerim Turgunbaeva analyzes executive consolidation, the Japarov–Tashiev balance, and north–south dynamics shaping stability ahead of 2027. turancenter.org/analysis/north…