Afghanistan: Heroin Trade Dilemma
If the new Afghan government bows to international pressure to ban poppy cultivation the economic consequences could be catastrophic.
21 Feb 05
Uzbekistan
Troubled Ismaili Homecoming
Exiled Ismailis returning to their homes in the north find little has changed since end of Taleban era.
21 Feb 05
US Set for Long Stay in Central Asia
The US has said it won't contribute to the Afghan peacekeeping force, but it is stepping up military deployment elsewhere in the region.
21 Feb 05
Uzbekistan: Calls for End to Mine Policy Rejected
Tashkent is to continue mining its borders even though the threat from Islamic militants appears to have diminished significantly.
21 Feb 05
Race Against Time to Destroy Locust Menace
A plague of locusts is threatening to devastate large swathes of farmland, just as tens of thousands of refugees return from exile.
21 Feb 05
Compromise Key to Loya Jirga Success
Delegates to the Afghan grand assembly must strike a balance between democracy and stability otherwise it could serve to divide the Afghan nation once again.
21 Feb 05
Bollywood, Afghan-style
Indian and Afghan filmmakers are back in Kabul, hoping to cash in on an audience starved of cinema.
21 Feb 05
Instability Threatens Reconstruction
Efforts to rebuild Afghanistan are being undermined by warlordism and the resurgence of the Taleban.
21 Feb 05
Grozny Haggles for Power
Plan to grant Chechen administration wide economic powers is still in first draft, but it is already under fire from all sides.
3 Feb 05
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