David Trilling

In the ongoing battle that could be known as Tajikistan vs. Islam, Islam has taken some low blows lately: police nabbing bearded men on the street and submitting them to the razor; state television instructing viewers that women who wear hijab are prostitutes.

New data show that central Asian governments have been right to fear Russia’s economic crisis was heading their way: remittances from migrant laborers are falling sharply, more than in any other region worldwide.