Turan Research Center

We’re live! The Turan Research Center is proud to launch our new website: turancenter.org We focus on the shifting geopolitics of Eurasia—from the Caspian to Central Asia and the Caucasus. Check out our latest insights and meet the team. #Eurasia #Geopolitics #TuranCenter #ForeignPolicy

Why China Has a Secret Military Base in Central Asia China's first military base outside its own territory is in Tajikistan — ten miles from the Afghan border. 500 personnel. A helipad. And it's just the beginning. Deadly attacks on Chinese workers are forcing Beijing into a security dilemma it never wanted. New video featuring @EdwardLemon3 and @IdoLevy5. #China #Tajikistan #CentralAsia #Geopolitics #Afghanistan #ChinaMilitary #BorderSecurity #TuranResearchCenter youtu.be/UqmLb6gRP0I

Cairo is positioning itself as mediator between Washington and Tehran while simultaneously normalizing ties with Iran. Research Fellow @EmilAvdaliani unpacks Egypt's strategic calculus: turancenter.org/analysis/why-e…

The Russia-Iran relationship is the most misunderstood partnership in geopolitics. The word "Turkmanchay" — a 19th-century Russian-imposed treaty — is still used in Persian as slang for humiliation. In 2022, a former Iranian central bank chief used it to describe interest rates Russia tried to impose on grain imports. New video breaks it all down. Featuring Alex Grinberg @Alexg_zza1401 and Nikita Smagin @NikitaSmagin. youtu.be/27bmtqjL_Q4

Three weeks ago, it would have been unthinkable for Al Jazeera to publish an op-ed arguing that the US-Israeli campaign against Iran is working. My latest for @TheNatlInterest on the shift in GCC strategic calculus and the opportunity it presents to Washington. nationalinterest.org/blog/middle-ea…

A must-read from @TuranCenter to understand the hostilities between Afghanistan and Pakistan. By @sid_abu turancenter.org/analysis/war-w…

The Hormuz crisis reveals that Central Asia's energy infrastructure was built for a geopolitical reality that no longer exists. I spoke with @AzattyqRadiosy on what it would take for Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan to become real alternative suppliers — and why the window won't stay open. azattyqasia.org/a/33703950.html

The Taliban used to be Pakistan's proxy. Now they are at war. @sid_abu on how former allies became enemies. turancenter.org/analysis/war-w…

Stay ahead with expert insights from the weekly Turan Brief. Join our mailing list via our website—scroll down and sign up in the “Join Our Network” section to stay updated. Link to website: turancenter.org

87% voted yes. More than 80% of the existing constitution was rewritten. The vice-presidency is back. And Tokayev's pledges not to seek another term are already being quietly questioned. @ChrisRickleton on what Kazakhstan's referendum actually decided: turancenter.org/analysis/kazak…

Iranian drones struck Azerbaijani territory. Baku foiled plots to bomb its oil pipeline and Jewish community sites. C-4 was already in the country. Azerbaijan placed its military at full combat readiness. Then it sent humanitarian aid to ethnic Azerbaijanis inside Iran. Why? Our new video breaks it down — from the $5 billion military buildup no one understood, to the IRGC's telegraphed aggression, to the cold logic behind Baku's restraint. Featuring exclusive interviews with @E_Namazov_AZ, @alghabra, @hayeytan, and @HuseynovVasif. youtu.be/oa8RNcRgihQ #Azerbaijan #Iran #IranWar #Nakhchivan #Caucasus #Geopolitics #MiddleCorridor #BTC #Turkey #Israel #IRGC #CaspianSea #EnergyPolitics #MiddleEast #MilitaryStrategy #AzerbaijanIran #TuranResearchCenter

My piece on what Russia stands to gain — and lose — from the war in Iran for @TuranCenter On balance, Russia is not particularly alarmed by what is unfolding in Iran — the developments produce costs and benefits in roughly equal measure. If the Islamic Republic survives while generating sustained regional instability, Moscow could emerge as a net beneficiary: higher oil prices, new pipeline dependency from China and India, and a more pliable Tehran. A significant share of the negative consequences — a potential refugee crisis, regional destabilization — would fall on neighboring countries rather than on Russia directly. The critical conditions are that the conflict does not escalate into a truly large-scale war, does not disrupt Russia’s alternative transit routes through countries like Turkey, and does not produce regime change in Tehran. The latter is particularly important, as almost any government that might replace the Islamic Republic would be far less interested in maintaining such close relations with Moscow. If these conditions are met, Russia may ultimately gain far more than it loses. There is, however, a dimension that cuts deeper than the immediate ledger. Trump’s strikes against Iran are undermining the entire strategy that Russia has been constructing in the Middle East. The situation is becoming highly unpredictable — not in a way that simply reshuffles gains and losses, but in a way that forecloses coherent long-term planning. Moscow may find itself able only to react, improvising responses to events it no longer has any capacity to shape. For Russia, in other words, the consequences of this war may prove far more complex than a transaction of gains against losses. What is at stake is whether Moscow retains any strategic agency at all. turancenter.org/analysis/what-…

In this podcast, Director of the Turan Research Center @epsteinjos joins Author & Columnist @ArunAnandLive to discuss the impact of the Iran war on Central Asia, is china coming into big play? @TuranCenter #IranWar‌ #centralasia #china youtu.be/ZbkDzgssv0k?si…

Tokayev’s sprint for constitutional referendum perplexes Kazakhstan intellinews.com/pannier-tokaye…

Russia stands to gain from the Middle Eastern war. It also stands to lose. @NikitaSmagin breaks down the benefits and losses — and asks whether Moscow retains any strategic agency at all. turancenter.org/analysis/what-…

Hormuz is closed. Khamenei is dead. Oil prices jumped 35%. Thousands of kilometers away, Central Asia is already feeling the shock. In our new roundtable with @TUmarov (Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center) and @epsteinjos (Turan Research Center) we examine how the Iran war could reshape Eurasian energy routes and geopolitics. Watch ↓ youtu.be/IikdovefQjc #Iran #CentralAsia #Energy #Geopolitics

¿Se convertirá Kazajstán en el nuevo Ucrania? Video muy recomendable de @TuranCenter sobre las ambiciones rusas en Kazajstán y el frágil equilibrio de Astaná y su política exterior multivectorial youtu.be/nqf9aYyu6as?is…

Very well-produced video @TuranCenter with @BrucePannier on Russia's potential threat to Kazakhstan sovereignty youtu.be/nqf9aYyu6as?si…

Could Kazakhstan become the next Ukraine? Dugin says sovereign Kazakhstan "cannot exist." Solovyov suggests "special military operations" in Central Asia. 7,600 km of border. Ethnic Russian majorities in the north. Leaked GRU destabilization plans. Featuring exclusive interviews with Kazakhstani analysts @DosymSatpayev and @GazizAbishev. youtu.be/nqf9aYyu6as #Kazakhstan #Russia #Ukraine #CentralAsia #Geopolitics #Putin #Dugin #Solovyov #RussiaUkraineWar #PostSoviet #KazakhstanPolitics #Eurasia #InternationalRelations #SecurityAnalysis #TuranResearchCenter