Roza's Revolution

Revisit the inteview with Roza Otunbaeva, now interim President of the Kyrgyz Republic, which originally aired in August 2008. Roza talks candidly about the failed ambitions of the Tulip Revolution, the corruption of the Bakiev regime and the inevitability of another revolution - now proved true.

A year in Roza's Life: Interview with former Foreign Minister Roza Otunbaeva, originally aired August 30, 2008 [original link]

On Aljazeera English - People and Power

AIDS on the Heroin Trail

The ancient silk road has been replaced by a modern day drug trafficking route, as heroin and opium make their way through Central Asia on route to Russia and Europe – leaving in its wake a trail of addiction and corruption, and an HIV epidemic on Europe's doorstep.

Experts warn that Central Asia stands on the brink of the next mega-AIDS-epidemic: “Take the epidemics in Africa and South-East Asia – and add them together – that’s what you have in Central Asia”.

The question is not if the epidemic is coming, but when.

Now Showing on Aljazeera English - online

Myth of Extremism in Central Asia

With recent speculation that the West may not win the battle in Afghanistan, many fear that a resurgent Taliban will lead to increased radicalisation in neighbouring Central Asia.

Since Nato's offensives in Afghanistan and Pakistan have seen hundreds of al-Qaeda fighters flee into Central Asia, experts are concerned that the former Soviet republics of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan could be the next flashpoint in the fight against Islamic extremism.

Critics of Central Asia's oppressive governments argue that the extremist threat does not stem from Afghanistan but from local oppression of political opponents and religious groups.

The autocratic Central Asian rulers, many of whom have been in power since Soviet times, have been using the fear of Islamic extremism to justify their oppression for decades. It is exactly this brutal clamp-down on any kind of political opposition or independent religious activity which is sending more people flocking to outlawed religious organisations to vent their frustration.

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Abkhazia - A forgotten Country

In 2008, when Russian tanks crossed Georgia's borders, 10,000 Russian soldiers were also moving into Abkhazia, another breakaway republic. A few weeks later Russia recognised both South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states.Nationalists in Abkhazia have always underpinned claims for its independence, by citing a distinct history, culture and political identity. The West refused to accept these claims for autonomy and has now severed almost all relations with the breakaway Georgian state, though this seems only to have pushed the state deeper into Moscow's embrace and increased tensions in the region.What lies behind Abkhazia's bid for independence? And could it lead to another war and yet more pressure on Georgian President Saakashvili?

Part I

Part II

Revolution:  A year in Roza's Life: Interview with former Foreign Minister Roza Otunbaeva 

Aired August 30, 2008

The Bullets Fell like Rain - Witness to the massacre in Uzbekistan

Aired July 2, 2008 on Al jazeera English