Regional:

Registan - www.registan.net
Originally set up to discuss Uzbek politics, now covers entire region with regular posts about Pakistan and Caucasus too. Topics also include history, arts and culture. Demonstrated real strength during significant regional events of recent years ( e.g. Kyrgyz ‘revolution’, Andijan massacre), when interested people turned to site for vital background and news from the streets. Published in English.

Global Voices - www.globalvoicesonline.org
Almaty-based Regional Editor Adil Nurmakov regularly skims Central Asian blogosphere looking for best posts published each day. Other contributors from the region sum up bloggers’ reactions to breaking news stories. (Global Voices bloggers hold annual international conference to discuss state of the global blogosphere; Central Asia bloggers have attended since 2005, sharing insights and learning from other countries’ experiences.) Published in English.

Beyond the River - www.beyond-the-river.com
Bloggers Ian Chesley and Sue Sypko draw on studies at Harvard to call attention to Central Asian cultures from Antiquity to present. Publishes reviews of recent books about Central Asia and commentary on current political and social events in post-Soviet Central Asia and surrounding regions. Published in English.

The Opposite End of China - china.notspecial.org
Michael Manning’s witty dispatches from Xinjiang initially intended to be six-month travelogue, but for more than three years have come to encompass all aspects of life and politics in Xinjiang. Manning: ‘A lot of people out there are fascinated with Xinjiang, but almost no media outlets cover the region – certainly not from the inside.’ Voted ‘Best News Blog’ in 2007 by China Blog Awards. Not only provides news coverage of Xinjiang, but also adds on-the-scene perspective. Published in English.

neweurasia - www.neweurasia.net
Founded in 2005 by group of European and American students. Covers the five former Soviet Central Asian countries. Attracts approximately 2,000 visitors each day. Has become one of the most popular blogs on the region. Bolstered by funding from Hivos, a Dutch NGO. Teamed up with Transitions Online to promote blogging in the region, employing ‘bridge-bloggers’ and holding regional training workshops. Published in English, Russian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Uzbek.

The Roberts Report - www.roberts-report.com
Blog by Sean Roberts, Central Asian Affairs Fellow at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. Writes regular posts delving deep into politics and economics of Central Asia. Roberts views blog as offering means for influencing US policy towards Central Asia. Frequent source for journalists, government officials and private sector both in US and in Central Asia. Entries offer deeper analysis and well-informed context for breaking news stories Roberts writes about. Published in English.

Central Asian Borders - bordersca.wordpress.com
Blog mainly about border issues in Central Asia. Maintained by Uzbek national living abroad.

Joshua Kucera - www.joshuakucera.net
Blog maintained by freelance journalist based in Washington, D.C. Spent six months in 2007 traveling through the Caucasus and Central Asia to write a serial travelogue for EurasiaNet.org and a blog, Istanbul-Beijing. Published in English.

Non Pon - nonpon.wordpress.com
Unfortunately discontinued blog. Provided great insights into the life in Central Asia and the wider politics/economics of the region from an expat perspective. Published in English.

Afghanistan:

Afghanistanica - www.afghanistanica.com
Surprisingly well-informed blog written by graduate of Indiana University’s Central Eurasian Studies Department. Serious analysis of Afghanistan refreshingly combining solid argument with sarcastic wit, often spiced with humorous photos and hilarious captions. Author also manages The Afghanistan Analyst ( www.afghanistan-analyst.org), an online research resource mostly focusing on the study of conflict and development in Afghanistan. Both published in English.

My State Failure Blog - statefailure.blogspot.com
Blog on Afghanistan by Hungarian academic Péter Marton, whose focus is on state failure. Marton takes time to follow news stories even when they are not in international headlines anymore. Of particular note is his coverage of unruly province of Uruzgan, where conflict between local warlords, Taliban and Canadian and Dutch forces, as well as struggle for reconstruction and development, are symbolic of problems facing the whole country. Published in English.

The New Afghanistan After Years of War - the-rumi.blogspot.com
Mohammad Fahim Khairy is trying to make sense of the chaos and beauty of his homeland.

Afghan Lord - www.afghanlord.org
Nasim Fekrat writes his award-winning blog, which is often highly critical of Hamid Karzai’s government in Kabul.

Afghanistan Watch afghanistanwatch.org
Carl Robichaud, a scholar with the Century Foundation, writes from a less personal perspective of the policy and military implications of events in Afghanistan.

Safrang - safrang.wordpress.com
Starting as the personal blog of Javaid Zeerak, Safrang has since turned into an insider’s look at the current events and history of Afghanistan.

Rejuvenation of an Afghan Soul - kabulaus.blogspot.com
Atash Parcha explores the personal side of living in Kabul—from the car bombs that only sometimes frighten her to the very joyous event of her recent engagement.

Kabulistan - afghanphoto.blogspot.com
Mustafa photographs his life in Afghanistan, always heartbreakingly.

Kabul Diary - kabul-diary.blogspot.com
Õnne Pärl, an Estonian photo journalist, chronicles the softer moments of Afghanistan.

Uruzgan Weblog - oruzgan.web-log.nl
Open source information about 1 NLD/AUS Task Force Uruzgan; the Dutch-Australian contribution to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. The archives contain over four thousand older reports of the situation in the province.

Kazakhstan:

Megakhuimyak - megakhuimyak.livejournal.com
A blog of an environmental analyst. Posts original views on various topics and reviews official statistics from different, sometimes unexpected angles. Also contains personal notes, which provoke emotional discussions. Updated in Russian.

Adam Kesher’s LiveJournal - adam-kesher.livejournal.com
LiveJournal published by Kesher, a Kazakh political scientist working in Almaty. One of the most popular blogs in Kazakhstan. Features a variety of articles from politics and culture to fun stuff and photography. Updated daily. Entertaining read for its many visitors and commentators. Published in Russian.

KZBlog - kazakhstan.blogsome.com
Well-written and entertaining blog authored and maintained by American expatriate in Astana. Provides regular analysis and commentary on current affairs from Kazakh capital. Offers real value and insight, especially when it comes to understanding political machinations of the country’s elite. Occasional food and film reviews. Published in English.

The Oil and the Glory - www.oilandglory.com
Originally launching pad for namesake book by former Central Asia/Caucasus Wall Street Journal and New York Times correspondent Steve LeVine. Has since transformed into what author calls part of a fresh new trend: serious, non-fiction book publishing process becoming organic. LeVine: ‘One gets the whole history from the book and then can literally jump out of the hardcovers and into participatory current life on the blog’. Same events, places and characters one gets to know in the book come to life in blog’s current news, and everyone able to participate. Published in English.

Almaty Development - almatydev.blogspot.com
Almost entirely devoted to some of the largest projects taking place in former Kazakh capital. Provides excellent computer-generated renderings. Links to major construction companies taking part in Kazakhstan’s current massive building boom changing the skylines of Almaty and Astana and attracting big-name architects (Norman Foster, Eric Owen Moss, Zaha Hadid, Robert Stern, Skidmore, Owings and Merrill).

PartyZan - PartyZan.kz
Weblog fully devoted to night life and booming clubbing culture in Almaty and some other cities of Kazakhstan. Here, enthusiasts of electronic music, prominent DJs and promoters - make their outreach efforts.

The Competitiveness Research Centre - www.rating-kz.info
Kazakh think tank website looking closely at Kazakh government’s efforts to propel the country into the league of the world’s “fifty most competitive nations” – a targeted goal frequently announced by President Nursultan Nazarbayev. Centre aims to study social and institutional aspects of competitiveness in Kazakh society, business and governance, monitoring the country’s performance in various ratings and rankings published by foreign and international organisations. Published in Russian.

Kyrgyzstan:

Genderstan - genderstan.wordpress.com
Anna Kirey’s thematic blog on gender issues in Kyrgyzstan. Anna is one of the Kyrgyz NGO activists and works for Labrys in Bishkek. Published in Russian and English.

Naryn Aiyp - naryn-aiyp.livejournal.com
Personal blog covering topics related not only to Kyrgyzstan, but the rest of the world, too. Naryn Aiyp lives in Prague and has worked for the Kyrgyz edition of Radio Liberty - Radio Azattyk - for a long period of time. Published in Russian.

Tolkun Umaraliev - tolkun-umaraliev.blogspot.com
Personal blog of Tolkun - a young and ambitious student who writes on different topics and issues. Published in English.

Kyrgyz Weekly - kyrgyz-weekly-r.livejournal.com
A blog that updates on the latest events in Kyrgyzstan, especially in the political and economic spheres. Published in English and Russian.

Terra Libertas - mirsulzhan.livejournal.com
Written by young Kyrgyz political scientist Mirsulzhan Namazaliev, who is interested in Austrian School (free market) of Economics. Involved in new media projects, such as neweurasia, also an active civic activist and co-chairman of liberal youth alliance. Always tries to analyse political processes, incidents in Kyrgyzstan, and his blog is one of the most commented in the Kyrgyz blogophere. Published in Russian.

Kloop - www.kloop.kg
New blogging platform based in Kyrgyzstan. Started offering free blogs in June 2007 and has attracted more than 200 bloggers. Topics are colourful and limitless. Founders actively encourage local youth to start blogging. Runs on local servers, which makes it faster and less expensive to use. Hopes to expand access to larger group of local users. Published in Russian.

Elena Skochilo’s LiveJournal - morrire.livejournal.com
LiveJournal by Bishkek-based journalist and photographer Skochilo. Features regular short notes on Kyrgyz affairs as well as interesting photography. In her ‘normal’ life Skochilo writes for several Kyrgyz newspapers and magazines. Published in Russian. Skochilo also manages Just About Kyrgyzstan ( www.morrire.blogspot.com), an English-language blog with similar content to her LiveJournal.

Edil Baisalov - baisalov.livejournal.com
The owner of this blog is the young politician Edil Baisalov, who is the Secretary of the Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan. Has been an NGO leader from 1999 to 2007, and is known as a champion for democratic changes in the country. Mostly writes about politics. Published in Russian.

Azamat Imanaliev - azzzik.livejournal.com
Azamat Imanaliev, Editor of Central Asian News portal since Fall 2007. Before that had been an editor at the AkiPress Information Agency, which is most popular website in Kyrgyzstan. Reports on different news and incidents. Has a great archive of pictures and always shares them with his readers. Published in Russian.

Kairatbek Murzakimov - murzakimov.livejournal.com
Kairatbek Murzakimov, media assistent of the US Embassy in Bishkek, is one of the newest bloggers in Kyrgyzstan. Tries to analyse events from a neutral angle. Published in Russian.

Alina Kenjeeva - zigeunerin-kgz.livejournal.com
Alina is one of the most active Kyrgyz bloggers, and always provides her readers with interesting and quality photos.

Kyrgyz Report - www.kyrgyzreport.com
Project to “contribute sources of news/info/ideas on Kyrgyzstan in English”. Regularly updated, especially during times of political turmoil. Published in English.

Azamat Report - azamatreport.blogspot.com
Personal blog by written and maintained by young Kyrgyz graduate student, who regularly posts his insights from real life and his travels in the region. Published in English.

Bakyt Beshimov - beshimovbakyt.blogspot.com
Blog maintained by Vice-President of Academic Affairs at American University in Bishkek. Writes on Kyrgyz history, management in higher education, politicians and state officials, business and economics. Published in Russian and English.

Tajikistan:

Mountains of Tajikistan… - kellyinthemountains.blogspot.com
This is a Kelly Beck’s blog. As a CIDA intern with MEDA (Mennonite Economic Development Associates), she tells about her time in Tajikistan: From people and their lives to living conditions, restaurants, airlines and roads… Published in English.

Praktikum in Muminabad, Tajikistan - manuelstark.blogspot.com
Blog run by an expat working in Tajikistan with Caritas on “Natural Disaster Risk Management”. Muminabad District is situated in the South, between one of the few lowlands of Tajikistan and the foot of the Pamir mountain range. The author of the blog mostly talks about the harsh living conditions. Published in English.

Dushanbinskie hroniki (Dushanbe chronicles) - Literature journal - dc.turkestan.ru
An interesting blog written by several people who upload poems and short stories. This blog is not really a Tajik blog but a lot of posts are written about Tajikistan. Published in Russian.

Ekonomika Tajikistana (Economy of Tajikistan) - tajeconomy.wordpress.com
The first Tajik thematic blog run by young Tajik journalist. The author mostly writes about the economy of Tajikistan. Features interesting opinions which you won’t see in Tajik mainstream media. Published in Russian.

Turkmenistan:

“Nahili Innovation” - www.nahili.com
Blog by a young Turkmen, who for obvious reasons does not reveal his identity. As the author writes, this is an “extraordinary blog on Turkmen business and marketing. This is THE ONLY Turkmen blog from a real Turkmen guy”. Published in Russian.

Camel Spotting - www.br3it.com.
Britain Anderson is a Peace Corps volunteer teaching English in Turkmenistan. She writes about her life in the village of Altyn Asyr and expresses her opinion on Turkmen politics, society, etc. Published in English.

Life in the Kara Kum - dropkck1.blogspot.com
Written by Angela Generoso, a young Peace Corps volunteer living in Turkmenistan. She describes her every day life in the country and shares her impressions on Turkmen culture, society and lifestyle. Published in English.

Ashgabad LJ Community - community.livejournal.com/ashgabat
This personal blog written by anonymous authors combines opinions, thoughts and images related to Turkmenistan in general and its capital Ashgabat in particular. Published in Russian.

Bayram Shikhmuradov - shikhmuradov.livejournal.com
Blog run by son of Turkmenistan’s ex-Foreign Affairs minister who was jailed for 25 years for an alleged assassination attempt on Saparmurat Niyazov. He expresses his thoughts on political processes in Turkmenistan and Russia. Published in Russian.

Shokhrat Kadyrov - turkmeny.blogspot.com
Personal blog of Shokhrat Kadyrov, who since 1991 has been active in the political opposition in Turkmenistan. Presently living in Norway, Kadyrov along with political analyses of contemporary life in Turkmen society, provides links to historical, literature and geopolitical sources related Turkmenistan. Published in Russian, English and Turkmen.

Edebi Miras - edebi-miras.blogspot.com
Internet library of Turkmen literature created by a group of Turkmen intellectuals living abroad. This blog posts texts of modern and classical authors that tell about history, customs and culture of the Turkmens from the 12th century up until present times. Published in Russian.

Turkmeniya - turkmeniya.livejournal.com
Photoblog featuring many colourful and impressive images of modern Turkmenistan and Turkmen people. Published in Russian.

Uzbekistan:

Women’s Blog of Uzbekistan - community.livejournal.com/uzbek_woman
One of the most popular Uzbek blogs. The Women’s blog is run by several progressive young women, whose main aim is to discuss daily problems of women living in Uzbekistan which are not covered by the mainstream media. A great number of women in the country contribute their life stories - making the women’s blog very unique. Published in Russian.

Real Uzbekistan - realuzbekistan.kloop.kg
One of the most frequently updated blogs on Uzbekistan. The aim of the blog is to write with a different angle on topics that are covered in the government controlled media of Uzbekistan. The topics that blog usually covers are inequality, poverty and corruption. Published in Russian.

Ayollar Bekati (Women’s bus stop) - ayollar.wordpress.com
Another blog that focuses on contemporary problems of women in Uzbekistan and calls its readers for discussions. Frequently, the blog covers very delicate issues that are not openly discussed in society due to the traditional fabric of Uzbek society. Published in Uzbek.

Rowan Wagner - rowanwagner.livejournal.com
This blog is one of the few English language blogs written from inside Uzbekistan. Rowan, an expat from US currently working in Uzbekistan, writes about his life in Uzbekistan and often gives interesting first hand information about the situation in the country. Published in English.

Khorezm - khorezm.wordpress.com
Blog on Uzbekistan, particularly on Khorezm region. One of the few blogs on Uzbekistan that gives very detailed information on topics that are banned in mainstream media. Published in Russian.

Kamron - kamron.wordpress.com
Another blog that dares to write about banned topics in the country. The topics that the author of the blog mainly focuses on are contemporary social and political issues in Uzbekistan. Published in Russian and English.

Kamola Navo - kamolanavo.livejournal.com
Tashkent diary – one of the best examples of a personal blog. Its author Kamolanavo, a young promising Uzbek woman, regularly updates it and mainly writes about her personal life. Her beloved topics are music, movies, books and celebrities. Published in Russian.

Jamiyat - jamiyat.blogspot.com
“Current socio-political news and developments in Uzbekistan, and their analysis.” As its heading says, Jamiyat (Society) writes about the developments in socio-political life of Uzbekistan and gives its own vision on them. The range of topics discussed in Jamiyat is very broad and often touches delicate issues. Published in English.

Blog Afisha - blog.afisha.uz
A blog that is getting more famous from day to day. It mainly writes about the cultural life in Uzbekistan and posts announcement about coming cultural events. If you need to find information about photo gallery shows, fashion shows or a concert, do visit this blog. Recently, it has celebrated its first anniversary. Published in Russian.

Gerchik - gerchik.livejournal.com
Another successful personal blog. Its author Gerchik, a young man based on Termez city, mainly writes about the developments happening around him. Published in Russian.