Central Asia

Teak logs are loaded onto a lorry at a logging camp in Pinlebu township, Sagaing division in northern Myanmar March 9, 2014. Picture taken March 9, 2014. To match story MYANMAR-FORESTS/ REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun (MYANMAR - Tags: BUSINESS SOCIETY TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - GM1EA3L14CT01

The deforestation risks of China’s Belt and Road Initiative

Elizabeth Losos, Alexander Pfaff, and Lydia Olander

Monday, January 28, 2019

Sheikh Chemseddine Bouroubi (L), a well-known imam who follows a traditional Algerian school of Islam, reads a religious book at a Salafist stand during the 15th International Book Fair (SILA) in Algiers October 29, 2010. Algeria is cracking down on imports of books preaching the ultra-conservative Salafist branch of Islam, officials and industry insiders say, in a step aimed at reining in the ideology's growing influence. Salafism is a school of Islam that has its roots in Saudi Arabia and emphasises religious purity. Its followers reject the trappings of modern life, including music, Western styles of dress and taking part in politics. Picture taken October 29, 2010. To match Feature ALGERIA-RELIGION/BOOKS REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra (ALGERIA - Tags: EDUCATION SOCIETY RELIGION) - RTXV0GL

“We pray for our president”: Saudi-inspired loyalist Salafism and the business sector in Kazakhstan

January 2019

A girl is silhouetted against the sun standing next to Uzbek flags in Tashkent November 5, 2005. REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov/File Photo - S1BEUGTDXIAA

Uzbekistan’s star appears in the credit rating universe

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

A factory floor of XCMG Group is seen in Xuzhou, Jiangsu province, China August 14, 2015. Two years after China unveiled a sweeping plan to rebuild Silk Road trade links with Europe and Asia, machinery maker XCMG Group has opened a factory in Uzbekistan, sent 300 staff abroad and set ambitious goals to grow overseas. XCMG's foreign venture piggybacks on China's bold scheme to extend its global influence through financing infrastructure projects in 65 nations that are home to two-thirds of humanity, and at the same time win new markets for companies weighed down by profit-crushing overcapacity at home. Picture taken August 14, 2015. REUTERS/Brenda Goh - GF10000192838

How Uzbekistan is transforming into an open economy

Lilia Burunciuc, Wolfgang Fengler, Wiebke Schloemer, and Daria Taglioni

Thursday, December 20, 2018

Construction site is seen at Chinese side of the China-Kazakhstan Khorgos International Border Cooperation Center (ICBC), in Khorgos, China May 12, 2017. Picture taken May 12, 2017. REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov - RC135481F090

The new geopolitics of Central Asia: China vies for influence in Russia’s backyard

Kemal Kirişci and Philippe Le Corre

Tuesday, January 2, 2018

A combine grain harvester gathers wheat at the Aktyk farm outside Astana September 10, 2013. Kazakhstan, Central Asia's largest grain producer, has threshed to date 10.4 million tonnes of grain from 8.77 million hectares, or 55.6 percent of the sown area, the Agriculture Ministry said on Wednesday. Picture taken September 10, 2013. REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov (KAZAKHSTAN - Tags: AGRICULTURE BUSINESS) - GM1E99I1DJP01

Creating markets in Kazakhstan

Wolfgang Fengler, Indermit Gill, Christopher Miller, and Aimilios Chatzinikolaou

Monday, December 18, 2017

A train launched to operate on the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) line constructed by the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) and financed by Chinese government arrives at the Nairobi Terminus on the outskirts of Kenya's capital Nairobi May 31, 2017.

Future Development Reads: China’s Belt and Road Initiative

Friday, September 22, 2017

A Palestinian girl uses a public tap to wash her hand in Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip January 24, 2017. Picture taken January 24, 2017. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem - RTSXG9H

Can nudge do more than regulation? The case for a behavioral approach to financial capability

Colleen Mascenik

Thursday, May 18, 2017

Afghan local police (ALP) keep watch at a checkpoint at Chardara district, in Kunduz province, Afghanistan June 23, 2015. Afghan government forces regained control of a key district near the northern city of Kunduz on Tuesday, after Taliban fighters had threatened to capture a provincial capital for the first time since being driven from power in 2001. REUTERS/Stringer - RTX1HQEK

How predatory crime and corruption in Afghanistan underpin the Taliban insurgency

Vanda Felbab-Brown

Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Turkish anti-drug police stand next to drugs and weapons, which according to Istanbul Police department are worth $3.6 million, that were seized during raids across Istanbul, Turkey March 27, 2017. REUTERS/Osman Orsal - RTX32WAY

Turkey has a major drug problem—here’s how to get a handle on it

Wednesday, April 5, 2017