Environmental Issues and Regulations at the Kashagan Oilfield
The Kashagan oilfield is located in the nature reserve area of the northern part of the Caspian Sea. The waters here are shallow with depth of two to ten meters. Moreover, the area has an extreme weather conditions with hot summers and cold winters. Due to the shallowness of waters […]
The Challenges on the Way of Reforming the UN
On September 18, 2017, a day before the opening of the 72nd session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly (GA), 128 UN member states signed the U.S. drafted political declaration of the 10-point plan for broad reforms of the world body. The document, known as the Political Declaration for UN […]
The Fifth Caspian Summit in Astana: to be or not to be?
On October 6, 2017, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visited Astana to have consultations with his Kazakh counterpart Kairat Abdrakhmanov. At the joint press conference following the talks, Lavrov stated that the V. Caspian Summit would be hosted by Kazakhstan next year as the heads of states agreed (Ministry of […]
The Caspian Sea Level Changes: Causes and Consequences
After the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, the new independent Caspian littoral states faced with the necessity to adopt their own strategies towards the development of the coastal territories including energy and transport infrastructure improvement. However, since the Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed water body, […]
Latest Developments in Kazakhstan’s Uranium Industry*
In the Soviet period, Kazakhstan’s uranium industry played an important role as an integral part of the USSR’s nuclear military-industrial complex. When the Soviet Union collapsed, in addition to the nuclear-weapon systems and facilities, the newly independent state inherited a developed civilian uranium mining and processing infrastructure (Nuclear Threat Initiative, […]
Where Happy People Live
During his working visit to Aktobe city a few days ago, the President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev familiarized with the work of several industrial enterprises and summed up: “In Aktobe there is a road to China, railway, gas. There are no such conditions in most cities. You are happy people, […]
Syrian Refugees in the Turkish Labor Market: Current Situation, Policies and Opportunities
In 2015, the number of people who forcibly leave their homes reached to 65.3 million people. Among them, 21.3 million are refugees and 40.8 million of them are relocated within their country. Comparing with 2014 this figure is increased by 5.8 million where developed countries host only 5% of them […]
Russian Policy towards the Syrian Kurds*
The Syrian Kurds are considered one of the most significant and influential parties of the ongoing conflict in Syria, mostly due to their direct engagement and relative successes in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), and resulting support they receive from the major powers, the […]
The New U.S. Administration and the Role of Iranian Domestic Politics in Upholding JCPOA
On July 14, 2015, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was signed in Vienna between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany (P5+1), effectively curbing the Iran’s capability to go nuclear for at least next 15 years. According to the agreement, Iran had […]
Uzbekistan’s Foreign Policy under the New President
Uzbekistan is a country that has a great clout in shaping the dynamics of Central Asian politics given its size, economy and population. Therefore, any changes in its foreign policy are followed closely by the regional states and the major global powers. After being elected as a president, Shavkat Mirziyoyev […]
