@Nathan: I hear ya. Motivation is a bitch. But, hey, your writings on Registan boost your visibility. You’ll get noticed in due time. Job offers will follow. It’s nice to face suitors. Feels sexy. Think about all that and inspiration will hit you big time. As always, you are welcome.

@Joshua: Man, you have every right to be proud of Registan. You, Nathan and Michael have made it a top site for all things Central Asian. I wasn’t disputing that.

Onto the main subject. You contradict yourself. You say people shouldn’t be hypersensitive and in right there you admit you are (about DC being a swamp). Well, if you feel the choice is stark, it’s a dichotomy, it’s either the way it is or boring academic prose. Well, then definitely keep it as is. Nobody wants a boring Registan. But if you think shades of gray are possible, then some thoughtfulness wouldn’t hurt. Barnett Rubin, whom you seem to respect, doesn’t suffer fools lightly. But he doesn’t go all out either. The idea is not to bend over backwards to please every random visitor to the site. I don’t think the Oldchoolboy is hypersensitive. Nor is he a random visitor. He’s been coming here for quite some time. He’s been cool and wrote good stuff. There is no evidence that he’s the type who flies off the handle at the slightest irritation. So, why not accommodate his sensibilities instead of risking pushing him away?

I am no expert on any of the subjects you write about. But a pattern does seem to exist. You voice your opinion and then some expert with tons of verifiable expertise under his belt shows up and says you are wrong. Your counter-response sometimes feels like a backtracking. Overtime, good folks here can unjustly think of you and Registan as a place where some dudes just blow hot air. Again, the idea is not either-or. It’s more about a balance between using the time just to write or using the time to read a lot and then write. Just my 2 cents’ worth.

@Oldschoolboy: By the looks of it, you know what you say about doing your “internationalist duty”, you are old enough that we can say you got good, old Soviet education. Those commies were good at drilling into people’s heads the idea that criticizing the government or the state equals insulting the country. I’m not saying you have that attitude. But I think it”s sitting in the back of the head of all the former Soviets. It’s good to be on the lookout for it before it jumps into action. Or, you can dissolve it in a massive amount of a good single malt stuff. The way I handle difficult attitudes of mine.

JARV, I would not call myself an emotional but rather a go-getter and someone who has seen one or two things. Likewise, what happens in CA is much more ‘my business’ that some think just because you were not born and did not grow up in the region. As for contributing more than comments, it is flattering but I don’t have the time to research and write fully-fledged articles for the blogsosphere.

“Being nice and inoffensive is wonderful in the vast majority of cases, but it really can be taken too far. This is not a detached academic blog — those exist about the region, and their readership reflects how interesting they are to read — but rather a space for those who are passionate about the region and wish to see it given its right due, both within media coverage but also within the West’s strategic milieu.”

Yes Joshua. And also, if you don’t play it tough or run into things with a bulldozer, no-one listens. Registan is ‘very American’ and I don’t belong to that sphere but indeed two things I like a lot about the blog is a) that it is written and animated by sincerely interested people and passionates who all have spent certain amounts of time in the region and b) that I reaches out beyond the Southern Soviet rim into Afghanistan and Pakistan too.

There’s also New Eurasia but I find that it has become really tame and boring lately.

“BTW, did you tell Turgai to shut up on that other discussion where he was multiple posting the same text?”

You mean the thread on Protestants in Kyrgyzstan? That message was accidentaly posted six times (st. with the blog) not because I wanted if that way (I’m not gaga to that point yet ).

“This is not a detached academic blog — those exist about the region, and their readership reflects how interesting they are to read (…) As such, being dry and perfectly Swedish about the topic really gets us no where.”

Of course, any similarity to Svante Cornell and John Schöberlein is purely coincidental. LOL

And hey, Josh, I don’t spend all my time outside of work with my better half. I do have a damned lawn that won’t quit growing. (Wait until you see the lawn at the new house — it’s disgustingly unnecessary; I’d let it turn to prairie if I could.) And I have been spending a lot of time cruising the streets of Liberty City and slaughtering teenagers in Halo 3 lately. (My gamertag is Hulagu if anyone would like to join me.)

Believe me, the biggest obstacles for me are motivation and my deep distaste for repeating myself. And there’s unfortunately been a downturn in good fodder for the areas and subjects in which I’m most interested.

Anyhow, I’ve tried to move more into a recruit and manage role myself. I’d be delighted to have more people writing here. I have a real problem getting people to follow through after the first post or two.

Not to pick nits, but the way we’ve described things isn’t exactly grating. If accurately describing the Ishym as a mosquito pit creates such consternation (especially when it is, in fact, a mosquito pit), then the onus is on the reader’s hypersensitivity to national criticism. Similarly, as a former resident of Washington DC I still sometimes bristle when someone inaccurately describes it as a swamp, or build on a swamp (it is neither), but it doesn’t create the blind outrage seen in this thread. And my friends from both Louisiana and Mississippi have laughed and agreed with me when I’ve called their home states swamps!

Being nice and inoffensive is wonderful in the vast majority of cases, but it really can be taken too far. If someone cannot handle a mature, honest, and no-holds-barred discussion, then they are welcome to get their news and analysis of Central Asia elsewhere (you’re right that this isn’t a ploy for readership). This is not a detached academic blog — those exist about the region, and their readership reflects how interesting they are to read — but rather a space for those who are passionate about the region and wish to see it given its right due, both within media coverage but also within the West’s strategic milieu. As such, being dry and perfectly Swedish about the topic really gets us no where.

I’m proud of Registan.net, of where it came from, where it is now, and where it is going in the future. And we’d love to have some company. In case it weren’t already obvious given Nathan’s many calls for it, anyone who wishes to write for us is welcome to—that’s how Michael came on board! Just ask. It is no one’s fault Nathan chooses to spend time with his girlfriend outside of work, or that Michael doesn’t post more book reviews, or that I happen to be much more interested in what’s going on in Afghanistan/Pakistan than the intricacies of Uzbek power politics. We all have our beats we cover, and we each rely on a narrow focus to zoom in on what matters to us (I don’t understand the superficiality dig, though — do you mean about my coverage of Central Asia, or about all of my writing?).

So again: everybody just back the hell off, breathe a bit, chill out, and let’s have a constructive conversation.

@Michael: You have shown yourself more pro-Kazakhstan than many people who live in that country. Anyone who takes even a cursory look through your writings on this blog and on your own blog will sense that. Having said that, I’d like to quote a Russian poet who wrote:”It’s not given us to foretell how our words will echo.” Try to be more sensitive. Here are some examples. Some people from Louisiana may not like it if you describe their home as a swamp. And some folks from Harlem may not be happy if you describe their neighborhood as a ghetto. Same with folks who grew up on the Ishim. You don’t have to deliver the truth in a package that grates people’s feelings. Especially since such a constraint wouldn’t limit your ability to express yourself.

@Oldschoolboy: Keep in mind that on this site, people are in agreement with you on almost all problems. Whether problems in your country or any other country, including the US. Look at what they say about the US foreign policy. They are as critical of it as they are of Nazarbaev’s policies. They are consistent. They do make sense on top of that. Here’s an example. A Kazakh blogger (megakhuimyak.livejournal.com) has written that each oblast has had to cough up $3 bln tenge to fund those fireworks. That seems like a lot of money. Wouldn’t it be better spent on schools and hospitals, as Michael suggested?

@Turgai: Your outrage at corruption and stupid decision making that permeates all of the former Soviet Union is understandable. But go easier on emotions and use the freed-up space for saying the substantive stuff. You do seem to know a lot. Put all that in writing and share with the rest of us. P.S. I don’t know if you said anything insensitive. If you did, then see my suggestion to Michael.

@Joshua. Like Michael, you have shown yourself very pro-Central Asian. And your posts suffer from the same weakness as Michael’s. [I understand that it can help generate traffic but I don't really think that's your intention.] So, same advice here as to Michael. You are welcome. As I said, you owe me a beer. Also, given the range of subjects you are interested in, both on this blog and the other one, your writings inevitably suffer from another weakness: superficiality. The solution is to be more of a manager less of a writer. Focus on promoting Registan, including recruiting more writers. I think, it’s a total shame that someone like Turgai only posts comments. It’s also a shame that Nathan has been allowed to be a slacker as of late. Write less frequently, using the time to do more background reading. You are very welcome. Sure, two beers would be great. BTW, did you tell Turgay to shut up on that other discussion where he was multiple posting the same text? If not, you should. Just for the sake of integrity.

OK, folks, the ice in my Glenlivet is melting fast. I gotta go. Sorry if I’ve delivered the truth in a package that grates people’s feelings. Had to do that for the sake of clarity. No mean feat when you are writing while intoxicated.

Enough with the hostility. Neither Michael nor I nor Nathan could be honestly accused of hating Kazakhstan or wishing for its downfall. Criticizing the country is not verboten for foreigners — especially as an American, I appreciate everyone’s right to be critical of one anothers’ governments. Pointing out the vast wealth disparity in Kazakhstan, and wondering why money is spent on celebrations but not practical measures like institution-building, education, children’s health, or poverty alleviation, is pretty standard practice — especially in the U.S., where that is the main substance of complaints against the Bush administration.

So, basically, either say something substantive (which you normally do) or SHUT UP. Crossing your arms and stomping your feet is just annoying at this point.

@ Turgai – oh, no, that long comment wasn’t aimed at you. We’re in pretty close agreement on every topic mentioned.