https://bsky.app/profile/joelucbarnes.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/joelucbarnes.bsky.social/post/3lqufam3gk22iMy latest for @timesca.com on the slow motion crisis unfolding on the Syr Darya, where rice, cotton and hydro projects all vie for precious water supply across four countries. https://timesca.com/strained-currents-managing-the-syr-daryas-waters/05 Jun 2025 13:07 +0000at://did:plc:332vlbdri3uzsep4lgmbrslt/app.bsky.feed.post/3lqufam3gk22ihttps://bsky.app/profile/joelucbarnes.bsky.social/post/3llay477cek2hAre these scholastic overtures changing public opinion in Central Asia? Not really. Is it nevertheless an effective tool? Probably. [contains quote post or other embedded content]26 Mar 2025 04:46 +0000at://did:plc:332vlbdri3uzsep4lgmbrslt/app.bsky.feed.post/3llay477cek2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/joelucbarnes.bsky.social/post/3lkucepyyj22qMy latest for @thediplomat.com on how control over AI is not just an economic imperative for Central Asian nations such as Kazakhstan, but represents a new front in the linguistic battle against Russian https://thediplomat.com/2025/03/kazakhstans-bid-for-ai-sovereignty/21 Mar 2025 03:45 +0000at://did:plc:332vlbdri3uzsep4lgmbrslt/app.bsky.feed.post/3lkucepyyj22qhttps://bsky.app/profile/joelucbarnes.bsky.social/post/3lkfbq6jp7c2dSad piece in The Diplomat on US halts to air quality monitoring in Central Asia, giving governments here another excuse just to make it up. In Bishkek right now, the domestic air quality monitor has the AQI at 40.7; the Swiss embassy has it at 142. https://thediplomat.com/2025/03/after-us-cuts-accountability-on-air-quality-to-take-a-hit-in-tajikistan/15 Mar 2025 04:23 +0000at://did:plc:332vlbdri3uzsep4lgmbrslt/app.bsky.feed.post/3lkfbq6jp7c2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/joelucbarnes.bsky.social/post/3lke7mdwfd223You can always tell bad journalism when it’s pockmarked with taxi driver interviews. On this occasion, however, I feel I was justified 😁 [contains quote post or other embedded content]14 Mar 2025 18:13 +0000at://did:plc:332vlbdri3uzsep4lgmbrslt/app.bsky.feed.post/3lke7mdwfd223https://bsky.app/profile/joelucbarnes.bsky.social/post/3ljsfikwqgk26Inaugural post 💪 In 2025, Ramadan has fallen during a month of festivals, making it a time of fasting and feasting across Central Asia. In this piece for @timesca.com, I look at how these festivals interact with powerful marketing campaigns to affect Tashkent’s caterers https://timesca.com/fast-now-feast-later-the-culinary-traditions-of-ramadan-in-uzbekistan/07 Mar 2025 16:10 +0000at://did:plc:332vlbdri3uzsep4lgmbrslt/app.bsky.feed.post/3ljsfikwqgk26