Well, 2007 has come and gone, and to commemorate the new year, neweurasia recently asked its contributors and friends to survey the events of 2007 and evaluate which of them will go down in history as the most important. Now you can tell us what you think by voting below for which event or development was most crucial for the region as a whole.

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As the year 2007 comes to a close, we at neweurasia thought it would be fun to pose the question: What was the most important event of the year? When historians update the textbooks fifty years from now, what are they going to remember about 2007?

After you read the entries below, head over to the interactive poll to decide for yourself which event of 2007 was the most notable.

Guest Contributors

Martha Brill Olcott at Central Asian Voices highlights a number of important developments in 2007, with the unifying theme of merging the new with the old: Kazakhstan returned to one-party ruled and cemented Presedent Nazarbayev’s power while gaining chairmanship of the OSCE; President Berdymukhamedov of Turkmenistan proved himself a shrewed politician on the international stage while continuing the legacy of Niyazov; Tajikistan reopened historic connections to Afghanistan with the construction of a new bridge; and the Kyrgyz proved themselves adept at constitution writing and rewriting (ENG).

Josh at the Registan argues that 2007 will be remembered as the year the Taliban became a permanent fixture in Afghanistan. The resurgent Islamic movement can not occupy villages and hold them against the combined might of NATO for extended periods of time (ENG).

Over at Beyond the River, Ian explains the domino effect of rising grain prices in Tajikistan. As China’s middle class grows, its demand for meat increases. Land that would otherwise have been used for grain is used to feed cows, thus pushing grain prices up. The consequences of this chain of events hit poverty-stricken Tajikistan the hardest and exacerbates social tensions there (ENG).

neweurasians

Turkmenistan - Abdul Gamid writes that the most important development for Turkmenistan was the construction of a gas pipeline connecting the country with China. Already Russia has agreed to higher gas prices when only a few years ago it was dictating them. Moreover, the economic relationship will lead to political cooperation, and an option beside taking sides in the competition between Russia and the West (RUS).

Kazakhstan - Adam Kesher outlines a host of issues that will be remembered for years to come. Although most outsiders saw Kazakhstan’s chairmanship of the OSCE as the most notable development, citizens of the country grew weary of the government’s constant promotion. Other issues are perhaps more worthy of focus, notably: the manipulation of the constitution, the development of a one-party parliament, the “Nurbank” affair and disgrace of Rakhat Aliyev, and the mortgage crisis and corresponding increase in prices (ENG).

Kazakhstan - For Ben, 2007 was the “Year of Black Gold.” With oil prices soaring, 2007 will be remembered as the year when Kazakhstan truly began throwing around its economic might. However, the increase in natural resource revenue brings with it heightened tension over how to equitably distribute that boon, a controversy that will only increase in the coming years (ENG).

Uzbekistan - Libertad discusses the inevitable reelection of Islam Karimov, and the consequences this tinkering of the constitution will have for the country’s future. Although there are other candidates for president, all of them openly support the current president, so the election is little more than a political show. Even if predictable, this chapter in Uzbekistan’s history represents a path not taken that will be remembered in the coming years (ENG).

Tajikistan - Vadim thinks that 2007 will be remembered as the year of cultural reforms. Lavish weddings and big funeral ceremonies were prohibited; newly born babies can no longer have names with Russian endings; and the state media is emphasizing cultural achievements like the increased frequency of marriage (ENG).

Turkmenistan - According to Maciula, the most notable aspect of Turkmenistan’s 2007 experience was the distinct lack of reform. Former President Niyazov (Turkmenbashi) died at the very end of 2006, and the world waited to see what sort of changes the reign of his successor, Berdymukhammedov, would bring. The answer: not a whole lot, aside from some notable foreign policy successes. Instead, Turkmenistan seems to be saddled with Turkmenbashi the Second.

Kazakhstan - Asqat takes an objective approach, and judges the most important events of 2007 by which posts on the Kazakh language blog got the most comments. For instance, the National Internet Award was something of an upset because the judge was a Russian could not speak kazakh. In another example from his picks, the lack of a unified alphabet for the Kazakh language seemed to be a pressing issue of the past year (ENG, KAZ).

Humour is, it seems, a constant presence in life even in the most dire situations. As neweurasia’s latest cross-blog survey shows, humour in Central Asia takes many forms and expressions, though, as might be expected, political satire features prominently.

Over on the Kazakhstan blog, Adam kicks off the survey with an article looking at popular jokes and anecdotes in Kazakhstan (ENG, RUS). Meanwhile on the Kazakh-language blog, Askhat interviews humorist and blogger tehosyndrom, who believes the internet is the only place left that is free of an official presence (KZ). Askhat has also has photographic evidence of people’s efforts to fulfil President Nazarbaev’s development strategy “Kazakhstan 2030″ (KZ). Also, although not technically part of the survey, Kamneed’s latest Friday Photo is worthy of a mention for the bizarreness of the photos that will raise a smile with anyone acquainted with everyday life in Central Asia (RUS - but pictures don’t need translating).

Moving south to Kyrgyzstan, Asel introduces the phenomenon of internet humour, noting how political humour has become increasingly popular after the events of March 2005 and the so-called Tulip Revolution (ENG). Mirsulzhan continues the theme with a clip from Video.kg showing how popular culture references are used to create political satire, in this case targeting well-known politicians including President Bakiev and ex-speaker Omurbek Tekebaev (RUS).

Unsurprisingly given the political situation in Uzbekistan, satire very much of the laughter through tears sort is the order of the day. Kamron looks at possible scenarios for Uzbekistan’s future up to 2015 as a logical but ridiculous extension of reforms that are currently being discussed (RUS), while Erkin considers the Uzbek elections experience from the point of view of a young farmer (UZ) Feministka takes an ironic look at what would happen if men and women swapped places (RUS), and Zingy recounts an encounter with a fortune teller in Jizzak region (ENG).

On the Turkmenistan blog meanwhile, Abdulgamid chooses a different target for his sharp satire in the form of a review of the infamous film “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan”. With arguably as many jokes and certainly as much innuendo as the film itself, Abdulgamid argues that the film has made us all look like fools - or, to use a more entertaining image from a Russian idiom, “has hung a noodle over everybody’s ear”. See if you agree (RUS, ENG).

Finally, our Tajik bridge blogger Vadim writes about Hoja Nasridin, also known as Afandi, and shares some stories about this well-known figure (ENG), while Roma reckons that no-one laughs like the Tajik do (RUS).