https://www.iess.ir/en/issues/social_cultural Fri, 25 Apr 2025 15:35:24 GMT /skins/default/en/normal/ch01_newsfeed_logo.gif https://www.iess.ir/ 100 70 en Copyright (c) Institute for East Strategic Studies, all rights reserved. Fri, 25 Apr 2025 15:35:24 GMT Social and cultural 60 https://www.iess.ir/en/note/3975/ During Nowruz (the Persian New Year, literally means New Day), citizens of various regions of Turkmenistan engage in their traditional ceremonies. These include lighting fires (Şam-od) and jumping over them, growing sabzeh (greenery), organizing Nowruz celebrations such as setting up tents and tall swings in the days leading up to the holiday, preparing special sweets and dishes (such as Kachi Nowruz), holding local wrestling matches, horse races, ram fights, and rooster contests. The festivities also feature various musical performances, group dances, and songs, as well as the collective preparation of Samanu (a sweet paste made from germinated wheat) by neighbors. Traditional youth games like Ai Terek – Gun Terek and Monjuq Atdilar are also played during the Nowruz celebrations. Nowruz festivities in Turkmenistan are characterized by their visual splendor, as they involve group activities, colorful traditional attire, and gatherings in open spaces—usually outside cities or in town squares and parks—during the vibrant spring season. ]]> Central Asia Wed, 19 Mar 2025 05:16:43 GMT https://www.iess.ir/en/note/3975/ https://www.iess.ir/en/roundtable/3836/ IESS's specialized meeting on "A look at the latest status of Islamic groups in Central Asia/ Examining emerging religious movements in the region" was held with the presence of domestic and regional experts. ]]> Central Asia Sun, 13 Oct 2024 05:31:30 GMT https://www.iess.ir/en/roundtable/3836/ https://www.iess.ir/en/interview/2401/ China is an emerging world power that has increasingly extended its influence in Central Asia. Since 2010, the development of bilateral relations between China and Central Asian countries has grown significantly within multilateral initiatives such as “Belt and Road Initiative”. At the same time, on institutional platforms, the the Shanghai Cooperation Organization has been working in cooperation with Russia, but Chinese idea. In this regard, there have been some Chinese mutual plans without Russia in Central Asia, namely the joint military exercises. However, these all have never been without challenges. The Sinophobia is among the most important obstacles, pulled back Beijing in some projects and increased the costs. However, apart from all these, China has focused on the 5+1 platform that has been used by United States, as well as other Asian actors such as Japan and South Korea previously. The dimensions, backgrounds and consequences of such a platform is the key subject to our interview with Yau Tsz Yan. Yau Tsz Yan is a Junior Researcher at OSCE Academy in Bishkek specialized on China and Central Asia. ]]> Central Asia Thu, 31 Dec 2020 09:00:12 GMT https://www.iess.ir/en/interview/2401/ https://www.iess.ir/en/analysis/2432/ ​Alongside its language and ethnic boundaries, Afghan society is now facing a new frontier: the “ideological polarization”. Although this ideological polarization is currently mild and overshadowed by other variables, it can be revealed by anatomizing Afghan society. This polarization is more obvious in major cities, between cities and villages, and between the older and younger generations. Symbols of this phenomenon can also be seen in some rituals in the society or in cyberspace, but in Afghanistan’s presidential election which was a race for power, confrontation between these two intellectual currents was more visible than before. ]]> Afghanistan Tue, 10 Nov 2020 09:21:14 GMT https://www.iess.ir/en/analysis/2432/ https://www.iess.ir/en/analysis/2383/ The Russian Federation and Afghanistan inherited an old, complex and unique relationship that has seen many ups and downs. In the recent years, especially after 2014, when the withdrawal of the US troop in Afghanistan was accelerated, Russia's strategy towards Afghanistan was changed too; an issue that needs to be examined from different aspects. The Russian officials, who adopted a policy of cooperation with Washington against the Taliban regime in 2001, began to limit their cooperation in the middle of the first decade of the new century and explicitly expressed their opposition to the expansion of the US presence in Afghanistan. Then, they chose the strategic patience and exactly when Barack Obama started the reduction of the US troops, Russians changed their own policy towards Afghanistan. Trump’s victory in 2016 was coincided with implementation of Russia’s new strategy. This strategy largely reflects Moscow’s alignment with the US policy in Afghanistan. The climax of this alignment can be seen in Russia's approach towards the Afghan peace talks, something that is difficult to understand in the context of Russia’s regional policies. ]]> Afghanistan Wed, 30 Sep 2020 09:07:44 GMT https://www.iess.ir/en/analysis/2383/ https://www.iess.ir/en/analysis/2373/ Almost 19 years have passed since the fall of the Taliban regime and formation of a new government in Afghanistan. But, despite the country's progress, the place of "public trust" as one of the most important factors of political development is empty. In the post-Taliban era, people still do not trust in the government. Injustice, discrimination, corruption, insecurity, the existence of ethnic and transnational identities, foreign interventions, and domestic political differences are the main factors that have created the current situation. ]]> Afghanistan Mon, 28 Sep 2020 08:41:28 GMT https://www.iess.ir/en/analysis/2373/