Edward Lemon

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www.hurstpublishers.com/book/backlash/

Kyrgyzstan takes down Central Asia's tallest Lenin statue The monument to the Soviet patriarch will be replaced with a flagpole, authorities in Kyrgyzstan say.

The Times They Are A-Changin

Central Asia's tallest Lenin statue taken down
www.bbc.com/news/article...

Trump partially restricts entry for Turkmen citizens due to high overstay rates.

Turkmen travels. May 2024.

How China is Adapting to Tajikistan’s Demand for Security Cooperation Tajikistan is at the forefront of China’s evolving role in global security. But China is not simply imposing its will on Tajikistan’s authoritarian government; the Tajik side is shaping the relationsh...

My latest with Ruslan Norov on how Tajikistan shapes China's security assistance for China Local/Global @carnegieendowment.org carnegieendowment.org/posts/2025/0...

Trump Orders Gutting of 7 Agencies, Including Voice of America’s Parent (Gift Article) The order targeting the agencies, largely obscure entities that address issues like labor mediation and homelessness prevention, appeared to test the bounds of the president’s power.

A thread on Trump’s latest unlawful executive order dismantling the U.S. Agency for Global Media (which oversees Voice of America and RFERL) and the Wilson Center, where I was a fellow across two programs for four years. 🧵

(Gift link 🎁)

www.nytimes.com/2025/03/15/u...

I was a fellow at the Wilson Center for over five years. They were partially responsible for bringing me to DC. It is a uniquely non-partisan space for research, networking and policy engagement. I hope it can find a way to survive.

The Act of Congress establishing the Wilson Center doesn’t have a provision saying the president can abolish it by EO: www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/...

In Central Asia, as governments have cracked down on media freedoms, RFERL has been at the forefront of independent reporting on the region. In my forthcoming book Backlash, we draw on 92 RFE reports. The book benefited massively from their critical work.

В Таджикистане проходят парламентские выборы – без оппозиции, наблюдателей ОБСЕ и независимых СМИ По данным Центральной комиссии по выборам и референдумам (ЦИК), в выборах участвуют шесть из семи зарегистрированных партий, за исключением Социал-демократической партии Таджикистана (СДПТ).

Parliamentary elections are being held in Tajikistan – without opposition, OSCE observers and independent media

rus.ozodi.org/a/v-tadzhiki...

Bradley Jardine and I submitted the revised manuscript to the publisher today. Backlash will be out in July. You can pre-order here:https://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/backlash/

Tajikistan remains the most remittance dependent country in the world. Kyrgyzstan’s dependency has gradually lessened, but still high

Apt to be reading this on the same day that John Wood arrived at Lake Zorkul, claiming it to be the source of the Amu Darya (Oxus) in 1838

Backlash | Hurst Publishers How have Central Asians responded to China’s growing role in their countries? Can Beijing maintain its dominant position in an increasingly hostile region?

Reviewer 2 for Backlash came back today with a constructive and positive review. The perfect birthday present!

Pre-order it here!

www.hurstpublishers.com/book/backlash/

It was a great discussion!

Whether this person ends up being linked to the attack or not, this will likely fuel more xenophobia in Russia

@Jardine_bradley and I have a chapter in this new volume on BRI: "Securing the Belt and Road and Establishing Hierarchy in Central Asia." It's an important volume. Check it out: global.oup.com/academic/pro...

See you on Monday...

The changes, however, do not significantly improve the situation for the accused.

In this week’s Threat Monitor, I’ll detail the latest developments and the wider context of the investigation.

🚨 Crocus City Hall attack: Charges amended 🚨

Four suspects in one of Russia’s largest terrorist attacks in recent years — the March 2024 bombing of Moscow’s Crocus City Hall — now face charges of assisting terrorism, rather than direct participation.

#Russia #Terrorism

One Chinese citizen killed, four others injured in attack near Tajik-Afghan border | Tajikistan News ASIA-Plus

A “working group” dispatched by China’s embassy in Dushanbe has arrived at the area of the attack to “express sympathy to the injured and coordinate the handling of subsequent matters”, the ministry added.
asiaplustj.info/en/news/taji...

Tomorrow is the 1,000th day of war in Ukraine, if you only count from 24 February 2022.

Its more than a decade long if you count from February 2014.

Its consequences will take generations to overcome.

Attack From Afghanistan Kills Chinese National In Tajikistan, Sources Say One Chinese national was killed and five others, four of them Chinese, were injured in a cross-border attack in Tajikistan's Zarbuzi Gorge, two sources close to a Tajik investigation told RFE/RL's Taj...

The incident, which occurred in the southeastern Shamsiddin Shohin district, bordering Afghanistan, has not yet been officially addressed by the Tajik authorities.

www.google.com/amp/s/www.rf...

Dear #CentralAsia crowd. Here is a first "starter pack". Please reach out if you want me to add you !
go.bsky.app/LXZM1qx

Missing Tashkent's beauty and food. Hopefully returning in the coming months!

Backlash | Hurst Publishers How have Central Asians responded to China’s growing role in their countries? Can Beijing maintain its dominant position in an increasingly hostile region?

Coming in 2025! www.hurstpublishers.com/book/backlash/

It was a pleasure to join Temur Umarov and Bruce Pannier to talk regionalism in Central Asia after last week's leaders summit. And they met again just days later yesterday in New York. www.rferl.org/a/majlis-pod...