The Diplomat | Author
Colleen Wood
Colleen Wood is a writer and educator based in St. Paul, Minnesota. She holds a PhD from Columbia University, where she studied activism and social media politics in Kazakhstan.
Colleen Wood is a writer and educator based in St. Paul, Minnesota. She teaches courses in political science at Century College and researches human rights and digital politics in Central Asia. She holds a PhD from Columbia University, where she studied activism and social media politics in Kazakhstan.
December 01, 2023
Bill on Flag Redesign Survives First Reading in Kyrgyzstan’s Parliament
By Colleen Wood
Government officials say the current iteration, which was designed just after independence, looks like a sunflower.
November 14, 2023
Kazakhstan’s First Go at Direct Elections of District Mayors
By Colleen Wood
Incumbents from the ruling party swept elections for district-level leadership.
November 01, 2023
How Is the Israel-Hamas War Being Framed in Central Asia?
By Colleen Wood
Journalists, influencers, and religious teachers are using social media to inform Central Asians about the Israel-Hamas war.
October 30, 2023
Central Asian Governments React to the Israel-Palestine Conflict
By Colleen Wood
To what extent have religious ties or geopolitical ambitions shaped Central Asian governments’ responses to growing violence in Gaza?
October 06, 2023
Kyrgyzstan Undermines Constitutional Court With New Avenues to Revise Decisions
By Colleen Wood
Two years after re-instituting the Constitutional Court, Japarov has approved a law that opens its decisions to presidential interference.
September 21, 2023
What Happened at the First-Ever Central Asia-US Leaders’ Summit?
By Colleen Wood
Biden met with Central Asian presidents on the sidelines of UNGA to discuss security, economic cooperation, and critical minerals.
August 31, 2023
Soccer School Sparks Controversy in Kyrgyzstan
By Colleen Wood
FC Barcelona visited Kyrgyzstan to inaugurate two new football academies. Japarov is touchy about investigations into how the schools are funded.
August 28, 2023
Kyrgyzstan to Return Issyk-Kul Resorts to Uzbekistan
By Colleen Wood
Ownership of four lakeside resorts built during the Soviet period is another facet of water diplomacy in Central Asia.
August 21, 2023
Atambayev Allies Courting Diplomatic Relationships
By Colleen Wood
Kyrgyzstan’s Social Democrats have limited influence on domestic politics. What to make of their sustained push for international partnerships?
August 01, 2023
Kyrgyzstan Opens the Door to Matronymics Amid Pushback – and a Power Grab?
By Colleen Wood
Some worry that the push for matronymics, the use of a second name derived from a person’s mother rather than their father, has enabled a concentration of presidential power.
July 04, 2023
Cancel Culture Hits Central Asia’s Concert Scene
By Colleen Wood
How should we interpret the recent cancellations of a number of planned concerts by Russian performers in the region?
June 23, 2023
Who Is Responsible for the Fires in Kazakhstan?
By Colleen Wood
Patterns in criticism of government officials reveal how President Tokayev views the chain of responsibility for the fires, but the broader public may disagree.
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