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Catherine Putz

Catherine Putz is managing editor of The Diplomat. She tweets @LadyPutz.

Catherine (Katie) Putz is managing editor of The Diplomat.

She manages the monthly magazine as well as writing on Central Asia and Afghanistan. She writes on politics, security and culture in former Soviet spaces, particularly where they link to greater Asia.

Katie is a graduate of the Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce at the University of Kentucky, where she studied international security and Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania, where she majored in history with a focus on U.S. diplomatic and conflict history. Previously, Katie worked in several positions at the Atlantic Council and as a communications consultant at the World Bank. She is a member of the Military Writers Guild and the National Press Club.

Get in touch with Katie on Twitter, Linkedin, or email. PGP public key.

Posts by Catherine Putz

June 14, 2023

Kyrgyz MPs Resurrect Bid to Brand NGOs ‘Foreign’ Agents

By Catherine Putz

The new attempt uses the phrase "foreign representative" but the implications are the same for Kyrgyzstan's largely foreign-funded NGOs.

June 13, 2023

Wildfire in Kazakhstan Sparks Corruption Complaints

By Catherine Putz

Clearing out entrenched corruption – abetted by an autocratic system in which the roads that are paved are those the president walks on – is a monumental task.

June 09, 2023

Era of the First President Waning Further in Kazakhstan With Office Closure

By Catherine Putz

With the expected closure of the Office of the First President, de-Nazarbayevification marches on.

June 08, 2023

The Shangri-La Dialogue Hits 20 Years With US-China Tensions at the Center

By Catherine Putz and Ankit Panda

What does the 2023 Shangri-La Dialogue tell us about Asian geopolitics?

June 08, 2023

What’s the Status of Plans to Export Russian Gas to Uzbekistan?

By Catherine Putz

Moscow’s needs are more immediate, giving Tashkent time and space to negotiate.

June 07, 2023

EU-Central Asia Leaders’ Meeting Latest to Highlight Region’s Geopolitical Centrality

By Catherine Putz

Last year, the EU’s meeting with Central Asian leaders followed their summit with Putin; this year it trailed their meeting with Xi.

June 06, 2023

Hobbled Economic Prospects in Central Asia

By Catherine Putz

Emerging economies are “struggling just to cope,” the World Bank says. The latest Global Economic Prospects report notes slight improvements but many risks.

June 06, 2023

Brooklyn Lawyers Abuse Asylum System in Advising Clients to Fraudulently Claim LGBTQ Persecution

By Catherine Putz

Taking advantage of the very real persecution of the LGBTQ community in Russia and across much of the former Soviet Union, a pair of lawyers conspired to commit immigration fraud.

June 05, 2023

Uzbekistan Supreme Court Issues Ruling on Karakalpakstan Appeals

By Catherine Putz

Tazhimuratov’s 16-year sentence was upheld while terms of others were either reduced or shifted to house arrest.

June 01, 2023

Kyrgyz Opposition Leader Madumarov Again Under Pressure

By Catherine Putz

For the second time in just over a year, Kyrgyzstan’s prosecutor general has sought to strip opposition politician Adakhan Madumarov’s immunity so he can be prosecuted.

June 01, 2023

Kazakhstan Keeps Discussion of Political Repression Firmly in the Past

By Catherine Putz

Kazakh President Tokayev said in tweet that it was the “duty” of all to “learn the terrible lessons of the past and do everything possible so that such events do not happen again in the future.” What about the present?

May 31, 2023

War and Migration: Central Asian Migrant Worker Flows Amid the Ukraine Conflict

By Catherine Putz

The same circumstances that do not dissuade Tajik migrants from heading to Russia drive some Russians toward Kyrgyzstan and beyond.