The Times of Central Asia

1 week ago | timesca.com | Naima Morelli

In the art world, fairs often have a meteoric rise and fall in an oversaturated market of competing events. But every so often, one lands with a quiet, deliberate weight, embedding itself in the soil of its context and revitalizing it. VIMA Art Fair in Limassol, Cyprus, is one such project. Unfolding in a transformed wine warehouse near the sea, VIMA resisted the sterile polish of typical fair venues.

1 week ago | timesca.com | Nikola Mikovic

ASTANA - Central Asia is no longer on the periphery of global events, but a place where major countries come together with their ideas, money, and projects. In a turbulent and highly uncertain geopolitical environment, global powers are seeking to establish their presence in this strategic, energy-rich region. Italy is no exception. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was initially scheduled to visit Kazakhstan in late April, but in light of Pope Francis' passing her trip to Astana was canceled.

1 week ago | timesca.com | Nikola Mikovic

ASTANA - The United Nations, envisioned as a pillar of global cooperation, has often struggled to rise to the challenges it was created to address. Its inability to bridge cultural divides hampers meaningful solutions to regional issues, while structural weaknesses and the exclusion of diverse regional voices from the Security Council deepen its shortcomings. Compounding these flaws is the frequent deadlock among permanent members, whose competing agendas stifle consensus and action.

1 week ago | timesca.com | Nikola Mikovic

For Kazakhstan, strengthening ties with neighboring Central Asian states - as well as with Russia, China, and the West - is a top foreign policy priority. That, however, does not mean that the energy-rich nation is not also seeking to build stronger relations with other actors on the international stage. The largest regional country views itself as an aspiring middle power.

2 weeks ago | timesca.com | Stephen M. Bland

A recently uncovered letter written by Captain Arthur Conolly, the British officer who coined the term " Great Game," has captivated historians and scholars of 19th-century geopolitics. The correspondence offers a rare glimpse into the mind of the officer whose ill-fated expedition to Central Asia would become emblematic of the imperial rivalry between the British and Russian empires.