Vasili explains developments in the Kodori gorge over the last week and analyses future implications for the Abkhaz conflict.

Dalia and Ana, two alumni of the Young Caucasus Women project (which is hosted on neweurasia’s server and managed by Katy Pearce) have both contributed an article to neweurasia, making them the youngest contributors onboard.

Dalia, who is from Azerbaijan, wonders what impact the large-scale export of oil will have on Azerbaijan. Will the Caspian Sea littoral state share the fate with that of other petro-states such as Nigeria? Or can more successful examples like Norway guide the country to a more equitable and prosperous future?

Ana, who is from Georgia, praises new unified high school exams that tackle corruption in the higher education sector. Now, it seems, students can pave their way into uni by achieving good grades in their final exams rather than by paying bribes to corrupt professors.

Ben says that Kazakhstan’s recent agreements with Russian companies will lead the country into the nuclear age.

Ben reports of a new land privatisation initiative by the Uzbek government which won’t address the real economic problems destabilising the Ferghana Valley.

Basil B. Akimov regrets he won’t be able to afford buying a flat in Karaganda, complains about sky-high prices of real estate in Kazakhstan, and examines the reasons behind it (RUS).

Originally posted on Global Voices

Russian tourists rest in the shade in the Novy Afon (New Athos) monastery near the capital of the Georgian breakaway region of Abkhazia - by eurutuf

What follows is a roundup of notable blog conversations from the Caucasus that took place over the last week. For a change, how about we take you through the countries in reverse alphabetical order?

Georgia:
The breaking story at the beginning: Georgia seems to be stepping up its efforts to re-incorporate the breakaway province of Abkhazia into its fragile state and Nathan of the Registan gives some great background to a conflict that has long been in the making. In contrast to the Black Sea province of Adjaria, it seems that Abkhazia won’t give in without force. How will Abkhaz backer Russia react? Matt Jay has more on the story and reports that a warlord from within Georgia took refuge in Abkhazia today. Is this the casus belli? Susan of Sueandnotu brings it straight to the point:

A fascinating spectacle is unfolding in the wild, uncontrollable west of the country where parliamentarians and well-coiffed ministers are squaring off with warriors and wise men from another time. It’s as perfect an illustration as you could ask for of the whole untamed spirit of this place in the modern world; at times wearing modernity like an ill-fitting suit.

(more…)

Leila reviews English-language blogs that discuss Kazakhstan (RUS): failed launch of Russian rocket, reasons behind Chiney’s quiet visit to Kazakhstan and an egg laid by a chicken in Stepnoi village with the word “Allah” inscribed on it.

Tajikistan was the last in 2005 among the post-soviet countries in intellectual development according to the World Bank rating (KAM Kowledge Index). Vadim is discussing the reasons of what makes Tajikistan to stand on the bottom of the rating. (RUS)

For Immediate Release:
July 26, 2006

LONDON and PRAGUE – The Uzbek government has evidently ordered Uzbek internet service providers (ISPs) to block the website www.neweurasia.net, which hosts a network of weblogs covering Central Asia and the Caucasus, the site announced today. The government’s decision to block all national access to www.neweurasia.net is believed to be the first censoring of a weblog in Central Asia.

It is thought that the move may have been prompted by Neweurasia’s recent launch of Uzbek- and Russian-language versions of its popular English-language group blog, which was founded in 2005. The local-language versions are being produced in cooperation with Transitions Online (TOL), an online publisher and journalism training organisation based in Prague.

“Worryingly, the Uzbek government has decided to put Neweurasia on the same blacklist as other websites that provide alternative reporting on ongoing events in Uzbekistan,” said Katy Pearce, one of Neweurasia’s editors. “But at the same time, it shows once again that blogging can be a powerful, free speech tool in a region where governments and their cronies control almost all traditional media outlets.”

After contacting several friends and colleagues across Uzbekistan, Neweurasia and TOL confirmed last week that access to neweurasia.net is no longer possible from within the country. The Uzbek government has not supplied any official notice or explanation for this measure.

Background note:
At the beginning of 2006, Neweurasia and TOL established a partnership to explore the potential of blogging to help promote free speech, free press and self-expression in Central Asia – a region full of countries in dire need of alternatives to their government-controlled media. The central concept of the project revolves around “bridge bloggers”, coordinators who speak both English and local languages and can act as a bridge between the English and local-language blogging communities. They act as mentors to new bloggers, providing ongoing advice on the best blogging practices and security issues. The project’s bridge bloggers are all Central Asian and are responsible for developing the Russian- and Uzbek-language blogs, contributing to the English-language blogs, facilitating dialogue between languages, and helping in the broader development of blogging in the region. The project is supported by Hivos, a non-governmental organization based in the Netherlands.

While the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah is swiftly turning into a guerilla war, analysts worldwide are looking for the real motive of the Israeli government attacking Southern Lebanon. It was thus only a matter of time before one writer draws connections to Central Asia and the recently inaugurated Baku-Tblisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline (BTC). Note that the link to the story comes from a Lebanese publication, which is purely coincidental… Or?

Michel Chossudovsky, writing for Global Research (Canada), asks:

Is there a relationship between the bombing of Lebanon and the inauguration of the World’s largest strategic pipeline, which will channel more a million barrels of oil a day to Western markets?

That sounds adventurous. What is it?

Prior to the bombing of Lebanon, Israel and Turkey had announced the underwater pipeline routes, which bypassed Syria and Lebanon. These underwater pipeline routes did not overtly encroach on the territorial sovereignty of Lebanon and Syria.

On the other hand, the development of alternative land based corridors (for oil and water) through Lebanon and Syria would require Israeli-Turkish territorial control over the Eastern Mediterranean coastline through Lebanon and Syria.

The implementation of this project requires the militarisation of the East Mediterranean coastline, sea ways and land routes, extending from the port of Ceyhan across Syria and Lebanon to the Lebanese-Israeli border.

Is this not one of the hidden objectives of the war on Lebanon? Open up a space which enables Israel to control a vast territory extending from the Lebanese border through Syria to Turkey.

It is somewhat relieving to read that the pipeline politics of the Israelis is only one of their hidden objectives, and that Mr. Chossudovsky doesn’t blame it all on oil. Nevertheless, there is a flaw in his argument. The BTC’s throughput covers around 1-2 percent of global oil demand, a respectable amount, however, no vital vein in the global energy grid. Also, one should not get the impression as if most of the BTC’s oil is transported to Israel, an impression the article undeniably creates:

Meanwhile, Israel has emerged as a new powerful player in the global energy market.

(…)

The objective of Israel is not only to acquire Caspian sea oil for its own consumption needs but also to play a key role in re-exporting Caspian sea oil back to the Asian markets through the Red Sea port of Eilat. The strategic implications of this re-routing of Caspian sea oil are farreaching.

Why would investors invest in Israel for it to become a new powerful player in the global energy market or as a hub for Central Asian oil? Wouldn’t it make more sense to have oil tankers take on most of the oil in Ceyhan directly and ship it from there?