Publication

All is not well in the five Central Asian states, argues the author of this analysis. The chronic problems that have traditionally plagued the region’s authoritarian regimes are now colliding with new geopolitical realities. The latter difficulties include 1) Russia’s revived hegemonic zeal; 2) China’s growing leverage outside of Asia; 3) the shifting attitudes of Western states towards Central Asia, particularly in the wake of their partial retreat from Afghanistan; and 4) the destabilizing effects of events such as the death of Uzbekistan’s President Karimov.