The U.S. military should reassess its force posture in Europe and reduce its reliance on revolving door-style unit rotations, a major think tank’s analysts concluded in a Monday report.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies’ transnational threat team based their study on official documents, open-source materials and interviews with subject-matter experts.

The report’s authors recommend that the Army abandon the rotational armor brigade deployment model that “eats up … the Army’s force structure and long-term readiness.” Currently, two armor brigades are deployed to Europe. Instead, the report said, the service should permanently station an Armored Brigade Combat Team in Poland to replace one rotational unit and eliminate the remaining rotation altogether.

An Army Times investigation found that tank brigades and enlisted tank crew members were at higher risk of suicide than other soldiers in recent years, due in part to a decade of high operational tempo fueled by such non-combat deployments. The service once had armor brigades in Europe, but they were removed in the early 2010s.

Currently, the Army maintains a large presence of rotational forces in Europe. V Corps’ forward headquarters in Poznan, Poland oversees the three temporarily deployed brigade combat teams, which includes one light infantry brigade in addition to the two armor brigades. Other rotational forces include division headquarters, a combat aviation brigade, fires assets and sustainment units.

But the short-tour model has consequences, the report’s authors argued. They cost more money in the long-term compared to permanent bases, and they are less integrated into the continent’s culture and defense network. The deployment-based model negatively impacts soldiers, too — the authors said evidence suggests they “separate military personnel from their families,” causing “low morale” that can spawn “discipline issues and increased divorce rates.”

Army spokesperson Col. Roger Cabiness II told Army Times, however, that “forward basing of an ABCT is not a simple task.” Doing so would require diplomatic and legislative approvals both at home and abroad.

Despite efforts to reduce their operational tempo, the Army’s armor units continue to deploy at a high rate to fulfill the Europe requirements. The 4th Infantry Division’s 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team cased its colors Monday, signifying its departure for an eight- or nine-month Europe rotation. The Iron Brigade’s new mission is beginning roughly 16 months after returning to Fort Carson, Colorado from another Europe deployment that wrapped in December 2022.

The report’s authors also recommended that the Air Force station an additional F-16 squadron in Germany; increase anti-submarine warfare capability and air defense forces; bolster stockpiles of prepositioned equipment and ammunition; and continue modernization, cyber, space and security cooperation efforts.

Source: Army Times

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The latest Mideast mission by America’s top diplomat opened with talks in Turkey and Greece before shifting to the region for “not necessarily easy conversations” with allies and partners about what they are willing to do “to build durable peace and security.”

Blinken’s fourth visit in three months comes as developments in Lebanon, northern Israel, the Red Sea and Iraq have put intense strains on what had been a modestly successful U.S. push to prevent a regional conflagration since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, and as international criticism of Israel’s military operation mounts.

Blinken held meetings with Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, in Istanbul about what Turkey and others can do to exert influence, particularly on Iran and its proxies, to ease tensions, speed humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza and begin planning for reconstruction and governance of postwar Gaza. Much of the territory has been reduced to rubble by Israeli bombardments.

In Chania, a port city on the Mediterranean island of Crete, Blinken later visited with Greece’s prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, at his residence. “These are difficult and challenging times,” Mitsotakis said.

Blinken’s day was ending in Jordan, with stops in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia on Sunday and Monday. Blinken will visit Israel and the West Bank on Tuesday and Wednesday before wrapping up the trip in Egypt. He said his priorities are protecting civilians — “far too many Palestinians have been killed” — getting more humanitarian aid into Gaza, ensuring Hamas cannot strike again and developing a framework for Palestinian-led governance in the territory and “a Palestinian state with security assurances or Israel.”

The ultimate goal, he said, is lasting peace, and his talks will focuses on what U.S. allies and partners are prepared to do to help with that process.

“These are not necessarily easy conversations. There are different perspectives, different needs, different requirements, but it is vital that we engage in this diplomacy now both for the sake of Gaza itself and more broadly the sake of the future for Israelis and Palestinians and for the region as a whole,” Blinken said.

“There is clearly a strong desire among the majority of people in the region for a future that is one of peace, of security, of de-escalation of conflicts, of integration of countries and that’s one path, that’s one future. The other future is an endless cycle of violence, a repetition of the horrific events that we’ve seen and lives of insecurity and conflict for people in the region, which is what virtually no one wants.”

Turkey, and Erdogan in particular, have been harshly critical of Israel and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the prosecution of the war and the impact it has had on Palestinian civilians.

But Blinken told reporters before he flew from Crete to Amman that “from our conversations today, it’s clear that Turkey is prepared to play a positive, productive role in the work that needs to happen the day after the conflict ends and as well more broadly in trying to find a path to sustainable peace and security.’’ Blinken would not go in details about what he heard from the Turkish officials.

“I think they’re also prepared … to use the ties, the influence they have, the relationships they have with some of the critical players and some of the critical countries in the region to do everything possible to deescalate and to prevent the conflict from spreading. … They clearly have a shared interest with us in doing just that and I’m confident from these conversations that they’re going to make every possible effort,” Blinken said.

Hours before Blinken’s meetings, Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah militia fired dozens of rockets at northern Israel and said the barrage was an initial response to the targeted killing, presumably by Israel, of a top leader from the allied Hamas group in Lebanon’s capital this past week.

Stepped-up attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have disrupted international trade and led to increased efforts by the U.S. and its allies to patrol the vital commercial waterway and respond to threats. The coalition of countries issued what amounted to a final warning to the Houthis on Wednesday to cease their attacks on vessels or face potential targeted military action. Since Dec. 19, the militants have carried out at least two dozen attacks in response to the Israel-Hamas war.

From the Turkish officials, Blinken sought at least consideration of potential monetary or in-kind contributions to reconstruction efforts in Gaza and participation in security arrangements, according to U.S. officials.

Blinken also stressed the importance that the U.S. places on Turkey’s ratification of Sweden’s membership in NATO, a long-delayed process that the Turks have said they will complete soon. Sweden’s entry to the alliance is seen as a significant response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

A Turkish official said Fidan told Blinken that Israel’s “increasing aggression” in Gaza was a threat to the region and he called for an immediate cease-fire and the delivery of “uninterrupted” humanitarian aid. Fidan said negotiations for a two-state solution should begin “as soon as possible,” according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issues in the private talks.

Fidan also said Turkey was awaiting the outcome of its request to upgrade its fleet of F-16 fighter jets and stressed that the ratification of Sweden’s NATO membership lay in the hands of the Turkish parliament.

Source: The Star

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Thanksgiving, a celebration intended to express gratitude or give thanks for the bounty at the end of the harvest season. It was thus codified, by President George Washington, who declared it a national holiday in the newly-minted United States of America in 1789. Canada followed suit, Canadians being notorious followers. Washington decreed this celebration would fall on the fourth Thursday in November, not being able to look into the future and see that that is the day after the greatest tragedy to befall the nation in modern times: President John F. Kennedy’s fateful November 22 trip to Dallas, where he would get his brains blown out by parties still unidentified, conveniently followed by the rise of the modern surveillance state.

Thanksgiving 2023 occurs on Thursday, November 23. The day after Thanksgiving Day is known as “Black Friday”, and unofficially marks the start of the Christmas holiday season, and the rampage of shopping. You can get killed in the stampede, if you do not avoid the eager masses swamping the Dollar Stores. Many believe these are the End Times, and are wearing out their credit cards.

Thanksgiving Day is a holiday when family members, many of whom deeply dislike one another, force themselves to gather, pretend geniality, and eat a mammoth meal. Stomach medicine sales surge the day after. Thanksgiving Day is indeed a busy time on American streets, similar to Eid in Indonesia or Imlek or Chinese New Year in the Middle Kingdom, when citizens pause for a moment in their delirious hunt for money to go through the motions.

The Thanksgiving Day legend dates the celebration from the time enterprising Europeans invaded the American continent, a gun in one hand and the Bible in the other, having been severely persecuted in the old country on account of their peculiar religious convictions. The somewhat apocryphal story is that the radical Christian Europeans who were known as the “Pilgrims” invited members of local Native American Indian tribes to join them for a dinner party, in 1621.

These recent uninvited migrants from Europe had encountered difficulties in cultivating crops in the strange soils of the New World. Thus the native Americans, taking pity on the innocents (many of whom had starved to death, in early colonies) patiently taught them how to farm. The Pilgrims grudgingly invited these Native Americans, whom they considered pagan savages, to a dinner party, as a way of thanking  them for their help. Next, the newcomers, breeding like rabbits, stole all the Indian land and went to war against any aborigines who did not submit to the rule of the Republic. Thus began the American custom of Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Foods customarily served by overworked housewives (many also working the fields, caring for children and fighting predators) are heavy: turkey, breads, potatoes, cranberries and pumpkin pie. Thus the country has turned into fatty-land, with 20% of the American population dangerously obese and suffering from all that good eating.

Thanksgiving celebrations have lost much of their original religious significance, in many American households; folks just want to dig in and shovel down the eats. Turkey, a Thanksgiving staple so ubiquitous it has become all but synonymous with the holiday, may or may not have been on offer when the Pilgrims hosted the inaugural feast in 1621. The President of the United States of America customarily “pardons” one turkey every Thanksgiving, so the bird is saved from the slaughter.

Nearly 90 percent of Americans will be eating the hapless turkey—roasted, baked or deep-fried—on Thanksgiving, according to the National Turkey Federation (strangely enough, none of its members are turkeys). Foreigners visiting during the celebration are astonished at the volume of stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie the locals stuff into their bellies. Each plate would feed a family of five in Cambodia.

Volunteering is a common Thanksgiving Day activity, and communities often hold food drives and host free dinners for the homeless millions, representing the increasingly expanding dark face of post-modern capitalism.

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Paylan, who criticized the American military presence in Greece, was repeating the propaganda arguments frequently used by the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan about supposed US military bases in Greece.

Claiming that the real winner of the tension between Greece and Turkey is the United States, Paylan stated that a quarrel between the Turkish and Greek leaders had led to a rise in nationalism.

“Look, the US quadrupled its number of military bases [in Greece], and the number of American soldiers has also increased,” said Paylan.

The supposed US military bases in Greece are frequently brought up by the government-funded Turkish media and nationalist circles that support the government. Claiming that US bases are targeting Turkey, pro-government experts give contradictory figures for the number of bases. Paylan also seems to have been influenced by the government’s rhetoric and pro-government media coverage when he claimed the number of US military bases had quadrupled.

Erdoğan, following a Cabinet meeting last May, harshly criticized Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who asked during an address to the US Congress that the US decline to sell dozens of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey.

The US got its share of Erdoğan’s anger as he criticized the US’s growing military presence in the neighboring country. “There are nearly 10 [US] bases in Greece,” he claimed. “Who is being threatened with these bases? Why are these bases being established in Greece?”

Erdoğan had previously stated that Greece itself had become a US military base. “At the moment, I can’t count all the American bases in Greece, there are so many. … It almost looks like Greece itself is a US base,” Erdoğan had said. 

However, there’s only one actual US base in Greece, at Souda Bay, which the US has operated since 1969. American forces have been granted access to four additional Greek bases according to the US-Greece Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement (MDCA) signed in October 2021 and ratified by the Greek parliament on May 13.

According to Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency, the defense agreement will permit the US military to use Georgula Barracks in Greece’s central province of Volos, the Litochoro Training Ground and an army barracks in the northeastern port city of Alexandroupoli, apart from the naval base at Souda Bay on Crete.

Some pro-government experts attribute the increasing American military presence in Greece to the uneasy relations and a crisis of confidence between Turkey and the US in recent years. According to them, the US has disrupted the balance that had been carefully maintained since the Cold War between its two NATO allies in favor of Greece instead of Turkey.

However, it is not the first time that Paylan has used the rhetoric of the Erdoğan government. At a parliamentary session on November 22, 2022, during which the budget of the Ministry of Defense was negotiated, Paylan accused the Gülen movement, a group critical of the Erdoğan regime, of involvement in an incident in which two policemen were killed in the Ceylanpınar district of Şanlıurfa in 2015. After the assassination of the police officers, the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) claimed responsibility but later announced that it was not involved. 

However, Paylan’s party, the HDP, still argues that the murders were organized by Erdoğan, who lost his parliamentary majority in the general election of June 7, 2015. The HDP, like opposition parties, claims that the murders took place in order to end Erdoğan’s negotiations with the Kurds in order to get nationalist votes before the new elections on November 1, 2015, due to the failure to form a government. The association of the Gülen movement with such an incident that would benefit the Erdoğan government the most had never been mentioned before by anyone other than Paylan.

After the policemen were killed, the Turkish army bombed PKK targets in Iraq. Between June 7 and November 1, Turkey witnessed a bloody period in which 862 people, both civilians and soldiers, lost their lives. In the elections held on November 1, the Justice and Development Party (AKP) regained its parliamentary majority and came to power without the need for a coalition.

Paylan had lambasted opponents who criticize the Turkish government at meetings abroad during a parliamentary committee session last year.

Source: Nordic Monitor

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As Ankara continues to stick to its guns on the Nordic nation’s bid to join the Atlantic alliance, it’s unclear whether Sweden will become a NATO member in line with Washington’s and the majority of the bloc’s members’ expectations before the alliance’s annual summit in the Lithuanian capital on July 11-12.

Neutral in world affairs since 1815, Sweden applied to join NATO along with its eastern neighbor, Finland, in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. Before Stockholm and Helsinki filed their applications in May 2022, many observers expected that the two nations would see a swift acceptance into the alliance. However, there was opposition from Turkey. Ankara has claimed that the two countries — particularly Sweden — are harboring members, recruiters and fundraisers of what it deems terror groups. In addition to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which remains on the terror lists of many European countries and the United States, these groups include the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Unity Party (PYD), the main US ally in the anti-Islamic State coalition in Syria, as well as the followers of the US-based Sunni preacher Fethullah Gulen. Gulen is accused of masterminding the 2016 coup attempt in Turkey.

After lifting a de facto defense sales embargo against the country — one of a series of demands tabled by Ankara in return for the Nordic expansion of the alliance — Finland became a member in early April. However, Hungary and Turkey are still dragging their feet in a process that requires consensus among all NATO member states.

The Swedish side finds Turkey’s expectations impossible to meet and feels they go beyond a deal that Sweden and Finland had made with Turkey at NATO’s Madrid summit last year under which the Nordic nations pledged to address Ankara’s security concerns. In line with the deal, Sweden passed a new counterterrorism law and amended its constitution and recently cut off its aid to the PYD. 

Erdogan and his government, in turn, deem demonstrations in Sweden by Kurdish activists as support for the Kurdish groups. Ankara also expects that Sweden should extradite PKK members and Gulenists to Turkey, an unlikely prospect given the state of Turkish rule of law.

According to Paul Levin, the director of the Stockholm University Institute for Turkish Studies, the prospects of Sweden joining the alliance before the annual summit are dim. “The chances of a Swedish membership by Vilnius just got a lot smaller with Erdogan’s recent statement. Sweden is unlikely to change its long tradition of liberal freedom of speech protections,” Levin told Al-Monitor. “So my guess is that it is now largely a question of whether negotiations over F-16s between Ankara and the US Congress can reach a successful conclusion. Congress wants Turkey to ratify Sweden’s NATO membership before approving the sales. Ankara wants the jets before letting Sweden in.”

The United States barred Turkey from the F-35 fighter jet program in response to its acquisition of the Russian-made S-400 defense system. In a bid to maintain Turkish air force operations, Turkey announced its intention to use the $1.4 billion Turkey that had given to the United States for the F-35s to purchase upgraded models of F-16s in late 2021. When the issue of Swedish membership in NATO came up in 2022, Congress added Turkey’s approval of Sweden’s bid as a condition for the sale of the F-16s.

The Turkish side finds the precondition unacceptable. A senior official in the Turkish foreign and security policy bureaucracy, who spoke to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, reiterated Ankara’s argument that Stockholm did not fulfilled the promises it had made at NATO’s Madrid summit last year including extraditions of alleged PKK members and Gulenists and restriction of their activities in Sweden.

“Linking Sweden’s NATO bid with the success of the Vilnius Summit or Turkey’s bid for F-16s is both unfair and irrelevant,” said the official, adding that despite public impressions, Ankara wishes to see Sweden as a NATO ally sooner rather than later. “We do not agree with the conviction that Sweden has already done what it must. They are making progress. They are on the right track. But they are not there yet. This is not a simple issue of some demonstrators with flags on the streets of Stockholm.”

All three parties have a good reason to hold their positions. 

For the Swedes, there is clearly a point beyond which they could not accommodate the Turks without compromising their own democratic and legal values. The Swedish authorities can’t also afford to risk the country’s domestic security by going after the members of the PYD, the PKK or Gulenists. 

Furthermore, given how the war against Ukraine has weakened Russia and how Finland has already assumed the role of bulwark against Moscow by joining the alliance, Sweden’s sense of urgency to join may dissipate.

For the Turkish side, ratifying Sweden’s application will not a guaranteed way to prevent the US Congress from imposing new conditions regarding the F-16 sale.  Some members of Congress are already pressing for more by demanding Ankara restrict its military activities in the Aegean Sea over contested territorial claims between Turkey and Greece. There is an additional risk of the US Congress imposing new sanctions on Turkey even after the approval of the sale.

For the US side, the concern is what would happen if the administration and Congress approve the F-16 sales to Turkey but Ankara fails to approve Swedish accession. 

Yet the wars in Ukraine and Syria have proven one thing: Having Turkey on one’s side — even if only partially — is much better than facing off against it.

Source: AL-MONITOR

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The US had proposed that Turkey send to Ukraine the S-400 air defense system it bought from Russia, but Ankara refused, Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Sunday.

“The US asked us to send the S-400s to Ukraine, and we said no,” Cavusoglu was cited as saying by state news agency Anadolu, and he added that such proposals were unacceptable as they sought to infringe on Turkish sovereignty.

Turkey’s purchase of the Russian S-400 has been a point of contention with the US and NATO for years, as they cited concerns that it would compromise the security and interoperability of NATO’s military operations. The US and NATO have warned Turkey that the S-400 system is not compatible with NATO’s defense systems and could expose sensitive information to Russia.

As a result of Turkey’s refusal to back down from the deal, the US has taken several punitive measures, including suspending Turkey from the F-35 fighter jet program in 2019 and imposing sanctions on Turkish officials and entities involved in the purchase of the S-400.

The ongoing dispute has strained the relationship between Turkey and its NATO allies and raised questions about Turkey’s strategic alignment in the region.

Asked about a possible return to the F-35 program, Cavusoglu said: “Ankara does not want to return to the program but rather wants back from Washington the money it paid for fighter jets before it was out of the program, while its jets were never delivered.”

He added that Turkey wants to improve its ties with the US, pointed to its current interest in buying F-16 jets and modernization kits.

In October 2021, Ankara requested F-16 fighter jets and modernization kits from the US in a deal worth $6 billion. The proposed deal included 40 new F-16 fighter jets and modernization kits for 79 existing Turkish F-16s.

While Joe Biden’s administration expressed its support of the F-16 sale to Turkey, it has faced opposition from Congress which has expressed concerns over Ankara’s human rights record and contentious foreign policy such as in Syria.

Source: Al Arabiya

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The escalation of geopolitical tensions linked to the Ukrainian crisis has highlighted two main opposing camps of countries — an Alliance of Democracies on one side and a Group of Authoritarian Regimes on the other. A number of countries have resisted choosing sides, however, as they strive to balance their national interests with international developments while simultaneously advocating the need to maintain peaceful diplomacy and global connections.

While the number of these so-called “in-between” countries abound (particularly in Latin America, Africa, and South and Central Asia), only a few of them have upheld an outspoken commitment to the principles of multilateralism and non-violence. One of these is Kazakhstan, which, through its rhetoric and actions, has consistently demonstrated a commitment to international principles enshrined in the UN Charter despite severe challenges to the country’s economy and stability brought on by recent global developments. Impressively, Kazakhstan’s strong compliance with economic sanctions imposed by Western countries against Russia has stood the test of time.

Amid a slew of destabilizing events including a violent coup attempt in January 2022 and an ongoing international crisis embroiling its neighbor Russia, Kazakhstan has taken important steps towards strengthening democracy and stability at home such as limiting presidential powers, fighting oligopolies and recovering assets stolen from the country by cronies of the old regime. Kazakhstan has also maintained its commitments to Ukraine’s territorial integrity and has contributed to energy and food security in Europe.

Last year, in a public discussion with Vladimir Putin at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, President Tokayev made it very clear that his country remained committed to the UN principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity. “Kazakhstan recognizes neither Taiwan, nor Kosovo, nor South Ossetia and Abkhazia. This principle will be applied to quasi-state entities, which, in our opinion, are Luhansk and Donetsk,” the President sad. Such position of Kazakhstan has been vocal and proved by consistency in voting pattern on UN Ukraine-related resolutions.

Kazakhstan has taken important steps towards strengthening democracy and stability at home, such as limiting presidential powers, fighting oligopolies and recovering assets stolen from the country by cronies of the old regime.

Still, such persistent dedication to international democratic principles (by a relatively weaker country squeezed in a geopolitical triangle with two much-stronger neighbors, i.e. China and Russia) has not been enough to alter a seemingly entrenched negative opinion of Kazakhstan. With an especially strong viewpoint particularly in the West, under the banner of “human rights”, oligarchs can bait international NGOs and the media into believing their proxy political figures are victims of authoritarian abuse. When every decision taken by Kazakhstan courts against these local proxies is criticized, their oligarchic overlords gain enormous leverage at the expense of damaging Kazakhstan’s international credibility and reputation, as well as undermining its fledgling process of democracy building.

One such case involves a Kazakhstani citizen Zhanbolat Mamai, who was sentenced in September 2017 to a three-year suspended sentence for the theft and embezzlement of funds. Considered an independent journalist and a political activist, Mamai allegedly violated Kazakhstan’s law again and has been charged for insulting a government representative (under Kazakhstan’s Criminal Code, Article 378), spreading false information (under Article 274), and organizing illegal protests (under Article 488). Amnesty International has called this decision an “act of retribution” by the government. However, Amnesty’s coverage of the Mamai case tells only half the story.

Charged with illegal actions, Mamai has subsequently positioned himself as a persecuted human rights defender. He has received financial and political support from Mukhtar Ablyazov, who stole billions of dollars from a Kazakhstan bank and then fled the country. Ablyazov has already lost various court cases in the United States, Great Britain and France. Mamai has allegedly used Ablyazov’s money to run an unregistered political party called the Democratic Party of Kazakhstan.

Nonetheless, the above facets of the Mamai case are sometimes not taken into consideration by human rights organizations.

It is also worth noting that Mamai is not in prison (as stipulated by Articles 378 and 274) but has instead received a suspended sentence.

The fact that not all sides are taken into consideration is now facing a backlash in Kazakhstan. Local NGOs are questioning whether the motivations behind attacking Kazakhstan over these high[1]profile cases are truly about human rights. In the meantime, the government is implementing reforms to address the everyday concerns of Kazakhstani people, including protecting their social welfare, healthcare and financial prospects.

The difficult balancing act that Kazakhstan’s government is trying to manage in both its international and domestic affairs faces many challenges. But credit should be given where it’s due. In this environment, Western NGOs and media falling prey to tactics by the beneficiaries of the old Kazakhstan regime only hurt the country’s nascent democratization process and its efforts to break from authoritarianism and corruption still widespread elsewhere in Central Asia.

Luc Rodehefer is a foreign policy expert and a freelance financial analyst. A former banker, he is currently based in France and covers political and economic relations between the EU and emerging markets.

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The authors of the document emphasized that after Dushanbe Mayor Rustam Emomali took the post of speaker of the upper house of the Tajik parliament in April 2020, he became the second person in the state and the first in line for the presidency.

At the same time, according to analysts, the 2020 parliamentary elections, like the presidential elections held in the same year, were “neither free nor fair.”

The State Department considers Tajikistan an authoritarian state, which has been ruled by Emomali Rahmon for more than 30 years, concentrating power in his own hands. For example, all law enforcement agencies of the republic and the Customs Service report directly to the president.

“While the country’s constitution provides for a multi-party system, the government has historically hindered political pluralism,” the report says.

According to Radio Ozodi (the Tajik service of Radio Liberty, recognized in the Russian Federation as a foreign agent), earlier the Tajik authorities criticized the reports of the US State Department for their politicized nature. Dushanbe believes that the document “does not trace an objective analysis of the current situation with human rights in the country”, and the speakers rely mainly on “information from interested sources, which casts doubt on the reliability of the published data.”

The US State Department has been publishing annual country reports on human rights for nearly 50 years. Analysts are preparing the document in cooperation with local and international human rights organizations, as well as with statistical agencies.

Let’s add that in the post-Soviet republics of Central Asia, presidents are reluctant to give up power, sometimes resorting to amendments to the Constitution, “nullifying” the previous terms and giving the right to run for office again.

In Uzbekistan, from the first days of gaining independence, the country was ruled by Islam Karimov for 26 years, until his death in September 2016. A few months later, Shavkat Mirziyoyev was elected the head of the country. At the end of April, a referendum will be held in Uzbekistan to change the text of the Constitution, which will allow Mirziyoyev to reset his presidential term and hold the post of head of state for another 14 years.

In Turkmenistan, Saparmurat Niyazov, who came to power during the years of independence, remained in the presidency until his death in 2006. His successor was Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, who in March 2022 gave way to his son Serdar Berdimuhamedov and became the speaker of the country’s parliament.

The first President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, held this position from 1990 to 2019. He then resigned of his own accord. For some time, the duties of the president were performed by the speaker of the upper house of parliament, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who in June 2019 held early presidential elections and won them. Elections were again held in the country last fall (due to changes to the constitution), which will keep Tokayev in power for at least the next seven years.

Only in Kyrgyzstan, presidents changed quite often, but, as a rule, this was accompanied by revolutions and popular unrest. Apart from acting duties, there are six presidents in the republic: Askar Akaev (from 1990 to 2005), Kurmanbek Bakiyev (from 2005 to 2010), Roza Otunbaeva (2010-2011), Almazbek Atambaev (from 2011 to 2017), Sooronbai Jeenbekov (from 2017 to 2020) and the current head of state Sadyr Japarov.

Source: fergana

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