News

Kyrgyzstan

Intercommunal violence afflicting the people of Kyrgyzstan’s second city, Osh, has been leading the news of late. Sources within the newly established interim Kyrgyz government suggest 200 have died in attacks that appear to have targeted the city’s ethnic Uzbek population, others put the figure nearer 2,000. The United Nations estimates that almost 400,000 people have been displaced by the fighting including thousands of ethnic Uzbeks who have sought sanctuary across the border in Uzbekistan.

Author of Bradt’s Kyrgyzstan guide, Laurence Mitchell, comments ‘Things appear to have quietened down in Osh, Jalalabad and the south but it is still too soon to recommend travelling there for the time being. The British FCO currently advises against all travel to any part of Osh and Jalalabad provinces. Bishkek, and the north in general, is currently stable and safe to visit. Presidential elections proposed for October this year have been postponed until 2011, although the referendum vote of June 27th went ahead without incident. Travellers should be aware that some border crossings may close wthout warning. Border crossings with Uzbekistan are closed for the foreseeable future for non-Uzbeks.’

Osh lies in Central Asia’s Fergana Valley, an area whose natural ethnic constituency Stalin chose to ignore and instead apportion territory in an arbitrary manner across the three Soviet republics of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. It’s generally understood that this intrinsic instability was a foundation of the Kremlin’s strategy to divide, rule, and maintain dependence on Moscow. Since the collapse of the Soviet super state, and specifically in the case of Kyrgyzstan since the overthrow of Kurmanbek Bakiyev’s discredited government, a power vacuum has existed, leading at least in part to recurrent ethnic tensions. More…

New Titles

Uruguay

With the merciful termination of England’s residency at the global football love-in, at least the flags can come down and the hollow celebration of a ‘collective’, not a team, of overpaid idiot savants finally end. Not so in Uruguay… Winners of the first soccer World Cup, and with a very un-English record of success in the current competition, Uruguay play Ghana 2nd July. Bradt’s new, dedicated Uruguay guide is out this month and if you haven’t already seen the press release it’s here – and for retail info here – More…

Paraguay

Continuing, briefly, the World Cup theme, needless to say neither the ‘hand’ nor ‘ref’ of God has yet intervened to effect the Paraguayan team’s premature flight to Asuncion – the happy band from one of South America’s poorest countries plays again today. What’s more, Paraguay author and former theologian Margaret Hebblethwaite appears to have been inspired by the writings of Times Sport Correspondent, and Bad Birdwatcher, Simon Barnes. Barnes’s Paraguayan tales of ‘…birds, people, frogs, toads and wood sprites’ obviously did the trick as Hebblethwaite upped sticks and moved there full time in 2000. For a country that lies at the heart of South America, it’s often ignored, except by the ‘US Pigeon shooters’ and Brazilian sport fishers. Hebblethwaite describes Paraguay as ‘mercifully free of gringos’, and continues ‘It is, to a large extent, pure, virgin, undiscovered territory. You do not want to tell other people about it, for fear of spoiling it for yourself. And yet at the same time you do want to tell other people about it because you love it so much.’ Everyone at Bradt is familiar with that dilemma. More…

100 Bizarre Animals

Secularists attempting to stem the tide of reactionary anti-evolutionary theories espousing intelligent design may acquire a second string to their bow with the publication of Bradt’s 100 Bizarre Animals. 100 fabulous beasts that in every aspect of their being seem to defy the application of either ‘intelligence’ or ‘design’, are succinctly collated in a colourful celebration of extreme genetic randomness reassuringly manifest in the natural world. From star-nosed moles, lowland streaked tenrecs and narwhals, to aye-ayes, ground pangolins, shoebills and short-beaked echidnas, this is animal kingdom as designed by competing motor manufacturers, not an all knowing, all powerful god. Okay, so there are some Ferraris, a few Jaguars, and the occasional Alfa Romeo but the you can’t miss the slow convoy of rusty orange Austin Allegros, driven by vicars, occupying the outside lane, forgotten indicators still flashing away. 100 Bizarre Animals is not out till August but preview PDF spreads are available on request – just drop me an email. More…

New Editions

Estonia

Neil Taylor sets out on his sixth edition crusade to convert us all into Estonians, and remarkably, through a combination of wit, charm, enthusiasm and encyclopaedic knowledge his work is almost done. Indeed The Economist has already made Estonia ‘Essential Reading’ – see here. In his introduction Neil says what we’ve all long suspected, ‘Writing this book makes me feel young again. I visit bars that have an unspoken upper age limit of 25. I am often seen in restaurants well after 23.00 and in clothes that should not have been brought into the 21st century.’ Neil has displayed the courage of his convictions by buying an apartment in Tallinn, soon to be European Capital of Culture 2011, and characteristically apologises for having an easier time than most Bradt authors: ‘Buses and trains run to time and are sufficiently comfortable for me to keep notes… However, journeys in them do not provide enough time for me to master the 14 cases of the Estonian language. Perhaps I will reach six before the next edition.’ And if that doesn’t make you feel like an underachiever… Estonia 6 is out now! More…

Serbia

Serbs and Serbia have a mixed press in Western Europe, an immediate hangover for the break up of Yugoslavia, the conflicts that then arose, including the NATO’s intervention in Kosovo and Bosnia Herzegovina, and the procession of Serbian war criminals through the Hague’s international courts. Laurence Mitchell, author of Bradt’s third edition Serbia guide thinks ‘Thankfully, Serbia’s bad-boy reputation is wearing a bit thin these days and its demonised reputation is starting to be seen as a thing of the past… 2010 sees the country’s elevation to the so-called Schengen White List which will herald the lifting of trade restrictions and the easing of visa requirements for its citizens.’ Certainly Belgrade’s arrival on the party scene has already suffused the cognoscenti, and each year more visitors arrive for Novi Sad’s summer EXIT festival – not a celebration of euthanasia, rather a glitzed-up Balkan Glastonbury – and whilst hosting the Eurovision Song Contest may have a been a double edged sword, it does appear as though Mitchell has a point. Serbia 3 is due for publication mid July 2010. More…

Bosnia & Herzegovina

It’s 15 years since the Dayton Peace Accords brought an end to Bosnia’s bloody conflict. Today, though Bosnia & Herzegovina’s (BiH) resulting two entities, Republika Srpska and the Federation of Bosnia & Herzegovina, are peaceful, current affairs pundits are voicing doubts over Dayton’s long-term durability. Tim Clancy, Sarajevo resident and author of Bradt’s third edition Bosnia & Herzegovina, reports that ‘the independence vote in Montenegro and the succession of Kosovo have again flared heated debates about Bosnia’s status. This political stalemate has halted political progress since then.’ However, he then points to some hopeful signs, ‘Another round of elections is due in October 2010, and polls suggest the nationalist parties’ stronghold might finally be broken.’ For the visitor, Clancy suggests these political machinations will be barely discernible, ‘Cafes are always full of smiling faces, people walk the streets wearing the finest of European fashions, and the warm hospitality you’re sure to find everywhere will certainly make you ask “Why did this happen here? This really is a great place.” Bosnians ask themselves this question every day.’ Bosnia & Herzegovina 3 due August 2010. More…