The Emir of Qatar has travelled to four of the five Central Asian republics as part of a trip that highlights the role the Gulf countries can play in the region. The…
Tag: Tajikistan
Conscripts in Central Asia, a dangerous obligation
Soldiers in the Central Asian republics have to face worse dangers than enemy bullets or shells. Bullying, hazing, accidents, and psychological pressure are responsible for a large share of deaths and injuries…
The European Union’s Tajik contradiction
The different bodies of the European Union are issuing contradictory messages regarding Tajikistan. From condemning the government’s actions and repressive measures in its easternmost region, to looking to invest in the country’s…
The ‘new normal’ along the Tajik-Kyrgyz border
Since the spring 2021 clash between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, the situation along the border continues to be unstable and we have now grown accustomed to reports of shootings and casualties. Despite last…
Turkey and Central Asian military cooperation: more than just drones
From arms sales to joint military exercises and cooperation agreements, in the last few years Turkey has stepped up its security links with the Central Asian nations. This has opened new opportunities…
Tajikistan takes centre stage amid the Afghan crisis
Tajikistan has recently become the centre of attention for Eurasian geopolitics. The Central Asian nation stood out in the region for its outspoken criticism of the Taliban takeover, and it will also…
Central Asian leaders’ meeting yields results even before taking place
On August 5 and 6 the Central Asian presidents are meeting in the Turkmen resort of Avaza to celebrate the Third Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia. A…
Russia steps up its (uneven) relations with Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan following the border crisis
Vladimir Putin has significantly increased his contacts with his Tajik and Kyrgyz counterparts following the border clashes between the Central Asian neighbours. While the Kremlin might favour Dushanbe over Bishkek, its main…
Japarov fails his first major test as president of Kyrgyzstan
Less than five months after becoming Kyrgyzstan’s president, Sadyr Japarov has had to face a crisis with neighbouring Tajikistan. After a series of remarks in March that contributed to tense relations with…
Tajik-Uzbek relations, from fists to handshakes
This summer’s visit of Uzbekistan’s Shavkat Mirziyoyev to Tajikistan is the latest development in the neighbours’ bilateral ties. For years, the Tajik and Uzbek governments had probably the worst relations among all…
Homosexuality in Central Asia: A problem of social mentality?
Members of the LGBTQ community throughout Central Asia suffer unimaginable hardships. Each day they are forced to decide between living openly, which could lead to punishment and death under their oppressive regimes…
Rahmon’s electoral alibi
The upcoming presidential elections in Tajikistan will result in a new term for the country’s long-standing president, Emomali Rahmon. However, to be able to brag about the democratic process, the incumbent president…
Reemphasizing everyday traditions in Central Asia during the COVID-19 pandemic
As most of the world has resigned to staying home during the COVID-19 pandemic, there is an increased emphasis on rediscovering traditions, customs, and familial connections. The coronavirus has forced humanity to…
China and Tajikistan, an uneven relationship
Tajikistan has become China’s entry point into Central Asia. Not economically, but politically and militarily. Dushanbe has been doing a series of concessions to China in the past decade and now an…
In the fields of wheat: an authoritarian obsession
The Central Asian republics have been shaped by the personality of their leaders since their independence from the Soviet Union. From Kazakhstan’s Nursultan Nazarbayev to Uzbekistan’s Shavkat Mirziyoyev, they all have developed…
Border disputes: old and new reactions
As recent border clashes in Central Asia have shown, the old-fashioned blame game is still being used by the parties involved in such events. However, a proactive diplomatic approach spearheaded by Uzbekistan…
Surnames and individual freedoms in Tajikistan
On April 29, the Tajik lower chamber, the Assembly of Representatives, passed a bill banning bans Russified family names and patronymics for newborns. This can be interpreted as a nationalistic move but…
Tajik and Turkmen migrant workers susceptible to ISIS
Coronavirus has introduced mass instability worldwide and can have especially dangerous political effects in regimes that do not acknowledge the presence or threat of the pandemic. Undoubtedly, coronavirus has had a significant…
Presidential elections next for Tajik president’s son?
Tajikistan is making the headlines these days for coronavirus-related news. Or lack of to be more accurate. The country is one of the few in the world that claims it has no…
Football in times of coronavirus
Sports, like many other aspects of everyday life, have come to a standstill in the world as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Football junkies have no other option but to re-watch…
After senator, what is next for the Tajik president’s son?
On March 27 an important event took place in Tajikistan’s power structure that did not attract much attention amid the coronavirus pandemic. The president’s son, Rustam Emomali, took another step in his…
What is in a name? The (re)naming of cities in Central Asia
For centuries, London has been London, Paris has been Paris and Rome has been Rome. Despite revolutions, wars and upheavals, the names of those cities have remained the same after evolving naturally…
A majolica façade: Central Asia’s fabricated political parties
In the last weeks, the Uzbek people have gone to the polls to elect their representatives for the Oliy Majlis, the lower house of parliament. The nation was able to choose between…
Graphomania among the Central Asian leaders
It is not uncommon for politicians to write books. Once they have left the reins of power, one can expect them to write their memoirs in which they justify their past deeds…
Tajikistan, a tool in China’s security policy
During the second week of August, Chinese troops openly carried out military drills together with their Tajik counterparts in southern Tajikistan. A situation which would have come as a surprise a decade…