Author: Adil Nurmakov

The Tajikistan opposition is furious at the recent parliamentary election results and is planning massive protest actions. However, Dushanbe advises caution: the opposition must be very careful not to open themselves to accusations of fomenting a Color Revolution.

Nathan Hamm reports that Uzbekistan's anti-AIDS campaigner Maksim Popov was sentenced in to seven years in prison. The court found that a brochure he distributed is “incompatible with local traditions.”

Christian Bleuer opines on the aftermath of Tajikistan’s parliamentary elections and expects no serious demonstrations.

Vlad writes about the human rights record in Turkmenistan, citing a report on the state of the country’s prisons, and the government's surprising response with reduction of the maximum pison sentence. However, the authorities still fall short on the issue of oversight, the blogger says.

Joshua Foust argues that in Afghanistan the U.S. should abandon its war on drugs if it hopes to ever reduce the drugs trade.

Yesterday, Adam Kesher, a Kazakh blogger, asked a pretty rhethoric question about the state of Kazakh passionarity and devotion to the homeland, but surprisingly received a variety of answers [ru]:

Lately, I have heard a story of how Belarusians were celebrating their first Vancouver medal in Minsk. In Kazakhstan it's hard to imagine such massive and public festivity. Our first medal was hardly covered even by the official media; the popular rejoicing was manifested in one-line long blog post and facebook status … There are no fans here – and it is not only about sports. There is a lack of enthusiasts or just people, who are able to express themselves out.

Well, I can't say that there is no national pride at all, but it's a bit condescending. There is a notorious stereotype about the Kazakh laziness. But what is primary here – laziness or inertness, idleness or ignorance, indifference or lack of faith in ourselves and our country? There is an opinion that Tzarist regime and Bolsheviks kicked out our passionarity and inculcated reticence and the instinct of “staying aside” because “nothing can be changed”. Is it for ever?

Here is a row of comments to the topic, varying from the issues patriotism to sports, culture and politics [ru].

To be an enthusiast means to love your country, to be proud of it and to believe that it is a worthy one. That's a massive problem in Kazakhstan. There is a lot of patriots, but little love to the country. But I don't think it's for ever, just because nothing is forever”, says Rillyah.

Farwood explains his vision:

The reason is because we all are temporary citizens. Everybody is saving money to emigrate. Because we were never told that this is our country everlastingly, that we are the citizens and have real rights. That's it. Turks in Germany were told – “you are here to stay”. We were not. Whose country is this?

Restec notes disappointedly:

From the mass media and billboards we know that there can be only one hero in the country…

Pacifistt adds:

It's ridiculous to discuss love to the homeland in the LiveJournal, which is blocked in Kazakhstan.

Mantrovkz sees the root of evil in media situation, namely – absence of quality domestic TV content:

As a result, we live in the Russia's information field. Those who still watch domestic channels receive distorted messages – “state policy is more important than sports etc.

But not everybody thinks there is a problem actually. Ghola-tleilaxu writes:

I think there are two reasons for that. 1. Winter sports are not too interesting for our population … 2. Crisis gives a hard time for everybody, people are less interested in sports. Summer Olympics always were a big deal here – especially performance of the Kazakh boxers.

Fw82 agrees:

It's more banal – winter sports are not Kazakh ones. Besides, timing of broadcast were not convenient. Besides, our population is not urbanized enough – so, everything is yet to come!

Roman Litov insists that sports fans are not a myth in Kazakhstan:

When we won Serbians in 2007 (UEFA qualifiers), people leaving the stadium were very festive, singing songs and giving cheerful hugs to each other. When Shishigina won her gold, people were driving around the city with national flags on their cars.

Samshib notes that

one silver medal is not a sufficient reason for mass popular rejoicing, while modesty is a virtue.

and Pycm is satisfied with such discretion in the society:

Modern sports in general is hardly a pleasant spectacle. Moreover, when the state tries to eulogize it, the whole stuff start smell like fascism. So, I think that reaction in Kazakhstan is normal.

Kazakhstan's performance at the Vancouver Winter Games was pretty humble with the only silver medal won by Elena Krustaleva in the women’s 15km biathlon. Elena is from Russia and until recently raced for Russia but Kazakhstan apparently bought her and the investment paid off, writes KZBlog.

Pacifistt reacts [ru]:
Krustaleva raced for various countries. She was not accepted in Belarus – thus she came to Kazakhstan. She does not actually belong here. I was glad, when she won the second place, but this has little to do with Kazakhstan, and Kazakhstan means little for her.

Another performance represents a success in future outlook. Denis Ten, a teen rising star of the world-class figure skating is groomed as a future champion after “a beautiful and technically almost perfect short and freestyle programs”, the blogger continues and adds that it was was rather good “for a 16-year-old competing with Pluschenko”.

Rosvet comments [ru]:

I think he's done a great job. 11th place in figure skating at the Olympic Games is a success. Have you ever seen any Kazakh in this kind of sports? He's just 16 … and may well win a medal in Sochi … On the other hand, there is no powerful national figure skating federation behind him – and the country's authority means a lot in sports.

It should be said that there are problems not only with separate sports federations. KZBlog laments over the Kazakhstan Olympic Commitee's website:

I went [there] to find out more information about Kazakh athletes. I hoped to find interesting facts about them so I could blog about them … and generate some interest about Kazakhstan Winter Olympians in the world … And what did I find? The profile stolen from the official vancouver site – and for most of the profiles, it’s really boring because all we have here is name, height, weight and date of birth!

The bloggers of Kazakhstan were talking about children and the President Nazarbayev's annual address to the nation. The kids topic, probably, aroused from the news about the death of Casey Johnson, heiress of the multi-national pharmaceuticals empire Johnson&Johnson, whose daughter Ava Monroe was adopted from Kazakhstan in 2007.

Thousand-pa says [ru]:

I am very happy for the girl. Although she has lost her mother again, nevertheless it looks like a Christmas fairy tale – be born as an orphan in Kazakhstan and grow up as the Johnson's heiress.

Izhanov believes that attempts to develop a uniting national idea for the Kazakhstani society should end up with puttling children to the top of it [ru]:

Children, families having many children, everything for the children. The idea is simple: you help the society by bringing up children. The goal is to sharply increase the population without immigration. Youth would stop degrading, creation of children-related infrastructure would provide for employment, giant family parks would boost tourism. The country's image would improve too – children are the future. Unlike the resource nationalism.

Megakhuimyak wonders how modern pop art would influence the today's children [ru]:

There are two cultures fighting for their minds – American one (Sponge Bob, Spiderman, Batman et al.) and Japanese (Naruto, Bakugan Battle Brawlers, Pokémons). In the Grand Meloman Store (major DVD, gaming and books retailer) the amount of anime and manga production is equal to the amount of Soviet films and books.

But the Kazakh bloggers wouldn't be themselves if they omit the topic of politics. This time the presidential annual address was in their focus. Pycm ironizes on the verbal symbols of autocracy [ru]:
According to the news, “the President delivers Poslanie [Address] to the people in the Parliament”. All words are with a capital “p” – except “people”.

Zhuldyz comments on the social bloc of the presidential promises to the people of a country having abundant mineral and energy reserves [ru]:

He said that the basic pension will reach 60 per cent of the minimal cost of living by 2015. Well, Kazakhstan looks as a country of high ambitions and opportunities – can you imagine, more than half of a minimum…

Idsg adds [ru]:

The wholly beloved president stressed that crisis did not hurt our country, and all we have ahead is success. I think the crisis is here, because selling oil, minor increase of pensions and a handful of new schools are not signs of a developed country. We still don't have middle-class […] and quality development of cultural life.

Last week, the a court in Kazakhstan banned all Kazakh media and printing houses from publishing any information that discredits the honor and dignity of president's son-in-law, a high-ranking energy executive after a series of allegations about corruption, brought up by Mukhtar Ablyazov, the fled and prosecuted Kazakh banker. Adam Kesher says [ru]:

The court did not investigate the circumstances or arguments of the parties and just introduced a full-scale censorship in the country at the request of one man. This fact proves that notorious dependency of the Judiciary branch on the Executive power is only a part of the disaster.

Alpharabius reports on a border incident between Uzbek border guards and Tajik servicemen, which almost led to a gunfire, and wonders could an alleged attempt to steal a cow provoke an armed conflict.

“Turkmenistan’s leadership has been insisting that the country was not affected by the global financial', Annasoltan says and comments on how could this be.

Kyrgyz blogger writes about Uzbekistan's resitriction to Kyrgyz citizen to visit Uzbekistan more than once in three months.

Peter Marton reports on a cheese factory in Afghanistan. It was started 30 years ago, destroyed in the 1980s and re-launched again in 2006.

Alpharabius reports on a lawsuit by three Tajik Supreme Court judges against three independent newspapers, and interviews a judge of the Tajikistan’s Supreme Court on this and other matters.

Nuraika talks about advantages and achievements of active youth with Antonio Henriques, one of 20 top-managers in AIESEC who has been visiting Kyrgyzstan lately.

Vicki reports on a visit of Kazakh Secretary of State and Foreign Minister Kanat Saudabayev to the United States on the wings of Kazakhstan's chairmanship in the OSCE. Some videos of his appearences attached.

Nick Fielding reviews a report on President Karzai's re-election in Afghanistan, which notes that the US diplomats underestimated his grip on the political machine in Kabul.

Joshua Foust criticizes General McChrystal, a top U.S. military commander in Afghanistan, who offered a hint of optimism on the situation in this country by declaring it is no longer “deteriorating”.