Luca Anceschi

Luca Anceschi holds a degree in Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Naples ‘L’Orientale’ and a PhD in International Relations from LaTrobe University (Melbourne, Australia). He is currently an ARC DECRA Fellow in the School of Social Sciences at LaTrobe University, where he also lectures in International Relations. His most recent book – Turkmenistan’s Foreign Policy: Positive Neutrality and the Consolidation of the Turkmen Regime – is the first book-length analysis of Turkmenistani foreign policy published by a Western scholar.

Central Asian Islam: Activism, Radicalism, and Opposition

Analysis on the changing face and role of Islam in Central Asia. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, a significant portion of the attention devoted to post-Soviet Central Asia focused on the role that Islamic activism was likely to play in the politics of the region. After the systematic repression of the Soviet years, many feared that Central Asia’s ‘rediscovery’ of its... Continue Reading

Fair Observer

Elections in Turkmenistan: Niyazovshchina Redux?

Commentary on the recent elections held in Turkmenistan, and what this bodes for the country’s political future. Elections in Turkmenistan are quick affairs. While the eve of the 2012 presidential consultations in the Central Asian republic was characterised by a low-key campaign, life reverted to its normal pace immediately after the vote that saw the (re)-election of Gurbanguly M.... Continue Reading

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