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CAPS Unlock Podcast

CAPS Unlock Podcast

Peter Leonard 54 Episodes Oct 6, 2026

The CAPS Unlock Podcast is a show hosted by Peter Leonard, focusing on topics related to the CAPS Unlock community. It features discussions and insights, likely covering various subjects of interest to its audience. The podcast is distributed via Substack and is available on Apple Podcasts.

Episodes

Turkmenistan’s e-visa test: A door opens... on paper
Turkmenistan’s e-visa test: A door opens... on paper Oct 6, 2026 2232 This week, we begin with Turkmenistan’s announcement that its e-visa system has finally gone live. On paper, this could remove a major obstacle for visitors. Tourists have traditionally needed a letter of invitation and a package from a licensed local agency, with hotels, transport and a guide arranged in advance. The new system is supposed to move the application online and eliminate the separate
Caspian tragedy forces Kazakhstan’s army reckoning
Caspian tragedy forces Kazakhstan’s army reckoning Sep 29, 2026 2478 We began this week’s edition of the CAPS Unlock podcast with the deaths of 14 Kazakh servicemen during a naval exercise on the Caspian coast. Seventeen men were swept into the sea during an amphibious landing, but only three survived. The Defence Ministry initially attributed the disaster to a sudden deterioration in the weather, but weather forecasters had already issued a warning. President Kass
Why does gas-rich Kazakhstan need Gazprom?
Why does gas-rich Kazakhstan need Gazprom? Sep 22, 2026 2151 This week, after an unplanned delay, we return to the podcast with a discussion of Kazakhstan’s seemingly growing reliance on Russian natural gas for its domestic needs.The country plans to buy around 11 billion cubic metres from Gazprom in 2026, almost three times last year’s volume, with another 9 billion under discussion for 2027. That sounds counterintuitive for a major oil-and-gas producer. T
SCO’s future looking increasingly Chinese
SCO’s future looking increasingly Chinese Sep 1, 2026 2683 This week, we begin in Bishkek, where leaders have gathered for a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit that marks 25 years since the group took its present institutional form. The prestige has come at a considerable cost for the host city, with road closures, commercial restrictions and severe disruption as Kyrgyzstan stages the summit alongside the World Nomad Games.We look back at the SCO’s
From population boom to AI diplomacy: Central Asia's next chapter
From population boom to AI diplomacy: Central Asia's next chapter Jul 21, 2026 2311 Central Asia is one of the world’s youngest and fastest-growing regions, but what do the latest demographic trends tell us about its future? This episode begins with new population figures from Kyrgyzstan, where the latest statistics point not only to continued growth but also to accelerating urbanisation. The discussion explores why Bishkek is expanding faster than the country as a whole, what fa
Kazakhstan’s uranium bargain with China
Kazakhstan’s uranium bargain with China Jul 14, 2026 2310 Central Asia’s electricity systems are under growing strain. Kyrgyzstan expects to import more than 4 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity this year as rising demand collides with its heavy dependence on hydropower and low water levels at the Toktogul Reservoir. Tajikistan faces a similar problem: reduced inflows into the Nurek Reservoir have cut power generation and forced the government to curb
The rise of AI surveillance in Kazakhstan
The rise of AI surveillance in Kazakhstan Jul 7, 2026 2168 Uzbekistan’s strategic outlook continues to evolve. This week we examine President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s landmark state visit to Georgia, the first by an Uzbek president in more than two decades. Beyond the diplomatic symbolism, we discuss what was actually agreed: plans to deepen cooperation on the Middle Corridor, new logistics infrastructure centred on Georgia’s Black Sea ports, and a growing ec
The long arm of Turkmenistan
The long arm of Turkmenistan Jun 30, 2026 2529 Russia’s fuel crisis is no longer just Russia’s problem. As Ukrainian strikes continue to disrupt refinery capacity, shortages are spreading across the country, forcing Moscow to manage supplies and raising difficult questions for its neighbours. We examine what this means for Kazakhstan, whose own refining capacity remains limited despite its vast oil reserves, and for Kyrgyzstan, which depends h
What Central Asia teaches us about happiness
What Central Asia teaches us about happiness Jun 23, 2026 2502 This week’s episode begins with Uzbekistan’s historic World Cup appearance, the first by any Central Asian country. The opening match against Colombia did not deliver the result Uzbek fans wanted, but it did produce the country’s first ever World Cup goal and a striking display of regional support. From fan zones in Bishkek to messages of solidarity from neighbouring countries, Uzbekistan’s campai
How COVID became a toolkit for control in Central Asia
How COVID became a toolkit for control in Central Asia Jun 16, 2026 2366 This week’s episode of the CAPS Unlock podcast is devoted to a conversation with Luca Anceschi, Senior Lecturer in Central Asian Studies at the University of Glasgow, about his newly published book, Pandemic Politics in Central Asia.The book examines how three Central Asian governments, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. Anceschi argues that the pandemic w
Turkmenistan’s migration trap
Turkmenistan’s migration trap Jun 2, 2026 1949 This week’s CAPS Unlock podcast does something different. Instead of our usual regional round-up, we devote the full episode to Turkmenistan, a country too often left at the margins of Central Asia analysis, or reduced to caricature.We speak with Gulshat Chmaisse, a PhD candidate at the Australian National University’s Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies, about her new paper, Turkmenistan’s migrat
Central Asia tries to become a region
Central Asia tries to become a region May 26, 2026 2016 This week’s episode of the CAPS Unlock podcast begins with the legal and political dispute around Gazprom and Naftogaz in Kazakhstan. A court at the Astana International Financial Centre recognised a Swiss arbitration award of around $1.4 billion in favour of Ukraine’s Naftogaz against Russia’s Gazprom. But Kazakhstan’s justice minister later said the ruling would not be enforced, arguing that the

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