Roman Muzalevsky

Roman Muzalevsky works for iJet Intelligent Risk Systems, Inc. and is a Contributing Analyst at Wikistrat. He received his MA in International Affairs with concentration in Security and Strategy Studies from Yale University. He has authored a book titled “Central Asia’s Shrinking Connectivity Gap: Implications for U.S. Strategy,” which can be found here https://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pdffiles/PUB1236.pdf.

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Articles by Roman Muzalevsky

Border Disputes in the Ferghana Valley Threaten to Undermine Regional Trade and Stability

On July 21, eleven days after a recent skirmish between Tajik and Kyrgyz communities and border guards in the Ferghana Valley, Kyrgyzstan’s Deputy Prime Minister Abdyrakhman Mamataliev commented on the

Kazakhstan Makes Bet on Development of Country’s Transit Capacity

On January 17, Kazakhstani President Nursultan Nazarbaev delivered his annual address to the nation, titled “Kazakhstan’s way—2050: common aim, common interests, common future.” The address largely elaborated on the national

CASA-1000 Project Moves Forward Despite Security Risks

On September 16–17, officials from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Pakistan and Afghanistan met in Islamabad to sign a Resolution on Contracting Structure and Commercial Principles in the effort to launch the CASA-1000

SCO Attempts to Deepen Cooperation at Head-of-State Summit in Kyrgyzstan

On September 13, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) held its 13th session of the Council of Heads of State, in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, in a bid to strengthen cooperation on pressing

China’s Development Plans in Xinjiang Threaten Kazakhstan’s Water Security

Water security and sustainability represents one of the foremost challenges facing China’s development plans, including in its western region of Xinjiang, which serves as the origin of two trans-border rivers

Ukraine Looks to Turkmenistan to Solve Its Energy Security Challenges

On February 12, Ukrainian President Victor Yanukovych paid a three-day visit to gas-rich Turkmenistan to sign a memorandum of understanding on energy cooperation and reiterate Kyiv’s interest in resuming direct

Turkey Looks Forward, Talks SCO

In his TV interview on February 1, Turkish Prime Minster Recep Tayyip Erdogan suggested that Turkey is ready to drop its European Union membership bid and become a member of

Kyrgyzstan Leverages Geo-Economics and Geopolitics to Expand Its Economy

“Money loves quiet,” Kyrgyzstan’s President Almaz Atambayev once stated, stressing the need for a better investment climate amid occasional instability plaguing the aspiring democracy, which boasts Central Asia’s first parliamentary

Uranium Waste in Central Asia Presents Serious Security Challenges

News agencies reported on January 10 that the European Union had earmarked 2.1 million euros ($2.8 million) for Kyrgyzstan to administer and rehabilitate the country’s former uranium-producing site in Min-Kush

Japan Looks to Central Asia for Strategic Resources

On November 10, Japan announced it would provide $700 million to the resource-rich Central Asian countries for exploitation of oil, gas and rare earths minerals (REM). The announcement was made

India’s ‘Connect Central Asia’ Policy Seeks to Compensate for Lost Time

“The [United States] can work with India over its growing role in the world,” US Ambassador to India Nancy Powell said at a discussion with her Indian counterpart Nirupama Rao

Twists and Turns of Uzbekistan’s Foreign Policy

Stability is cherished by the regime in Uzbekistan, but it does not mean changing foreign policy views is out of line. Such is the outlook in Tashkent where, on July

China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway Scheme: Fears, Hopes and Prospects

“It is not important for China as to who will be building this railway line. The most important thing is that it is built,” Chinese Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan Wang Kaiwen

Kazakhstan Views Its Inter-Faith Dialogue Initiative As Key To Global Security

On May 30-31, Kazakhstan will host the 4th Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions – for the fourth time since it initiated the practice in 2003 – to

Why Is Russia Against the US’s Central Asia Counternarcotics Initiative?

“Why is Russia against the US’s Central Asia Counternarcotics Initiative [CACI]?” was the question the Kommersant newspaper asked Victor Ivanov, Director of the Russian Federal Drug Control Service (FDCS), in

Will Common Challenges Force Central Asian States to Integrate?

Meeting with ambassadors on March 2, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev suggested that Central Asian states launch a common free trade zone, saying the region “enjoys a vast potential to be

Kazakhstan Adamant to Lead in Global Nuclear Non-Proliferation Efforts

In Soviet times, the Kazakh republic was a testing ground for nuclear explosions, having witnessed more than 400 nuclear blasts at the site in Semipalatinsk. Much has changed since Kazakhstan

NATO Supply Routes to Afghanistan Under Threat

“Issue ignored is a crisis invited,” Henry Kissinger once famously said writing on US foreign policy. This sums up the predicament in which the US may find itself if it

Pakistan Beats Kyrgyzstan to Gain UN Security Council Seat

On October 18, Hina Rabanni Khar, Pakistan’s first female foreign minister, met with Roza Otunbayeva, Kyrgyzstan’s first female president, in Bishkek to persuade Kyrgyzstan – its competitor for a non-permanent

India Seeks To Project Power In and Out of Central Asia

When the British-Russian rivalry was starting in Central Asia about two centuries ago, few could have predicted that India – a British platform of that geopolitical struggle – would rise,

Will Flight Price Cuts Stimulate Development In Kyrgyzstan?

On July 27, the Kyrgyz government issued a decree aimed at ensuring price cuts for domestic flights between the capital Bishkek in the north and Batken and Isfana towns in

Russian-Led Customs Union Intensifies Sino-Russian Rivalry in Central Asia

July 1 marked the launch of the now “fully operational” Customs Union (Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia) fueling debate on the future of the post-Soviet space and even the grouping itself.

China’s Growing Car Exports and Central Asia’s Future

Only two decades ago this would probably have been unimaginable, but today China’s car exports are targeting consumers in the industrialized and emerging countries worldwide. This dramatic car export expansion

Kazakhstan Pushes For Integration With the Global Economy

For Kazakhstan May was full of economically and geopolitically significant developments worth exploring in the national, regional, and global contexts. The country hosted the 4th Economic Forum in Astana on

Will Russia’s Fuel Shortages Stimulate Energy Cooperation within Central Asia?

Russia, one of the world’s leading energy producers and exporters, has recently announced its decision to significantly increase customs duties on the fuel it sells abroad starting on May 1.

India and Kazakhstan Bolster Their Strategic Partnership

On April 15-16, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev adopted a “Road Map” for 2011-2014 to strengthen the strategic partnership between India and Kazakhstan, signing seven

Global Struggle for Kazakh Uranium Resources

As global nuclear energy demand grows, countries possessing uranium reserves are poised to reap enormous economic and political dividends from production and export of this resource. Yet, the gains may

US Foreign Aid To Central Asia Reveals Washington’s Regional Priorities

As with other great powers, today or in history, the United States has been pressured to balance ends and means to retain its influence in the world, currently marked by

Food Security Problems in Central Asia Challenge Local Regimes

Food security serves as an indicator of any country’s ability to ensure supply, affordability, and safety of food for its population. But it can also be a barometer, testing the

Faster Economic Recovery in Kyrgyzstan: Glimmer of Hope for a Better Future

On February 11, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) issued a positive report saying the Kyrgyz economy has been recovering faster than expected. This is surprising considering the wave of instability

TAPI and CASA-1,000: Energy Geopolitics on Whose Terms?

As Central Asia opened up to the rest of the world after the collapse of the Soviet Union opportunities have emerged for the regional countries to build links with Europe,

Tajikistan and Pakistan at a Crossroads: Energy, Trade and Transport Across Central and South Asia

Pakistan and Tajikistan have actively advanced their partnership in the energy, trade and transport spheres in recent months. The three pillars of cooperation are crucial components of the national strategies

Russia and Kazakhstan Agree to a Joint Air Defense Shield

Russia and Kazakhstan have agreed to establish a joint regional air defense shield, with Moscow pledging to transfer several S-300 air defense systems to Astana. The S-300’s are designed to

OSCE Summit Highlights Gaps and Prospects for Regional Security

When the Helsinki Final Act was adopted in 1975 to reduce tensions between East and West during the Cold War, few believed in its potential to transform the international security

Turkmen Energy Initiatives Cripple Russia’s Status as an “Energy Superpower”

A few years ago it was common to refer to Russia as an “Energy Superpower.” High global energy prices prior to the global financial crisis and Russia’s control over Central

The EU and Kazakhstan Aim for Enhanced Partnership

In late October Kazakhstan’s President, Nursultan Nazarbayev, visited Brussels where he met with Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme, the European Council president, Herman Von Rompuy, and NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh

Uzbekistan Considers Closer Ties with the Persian Gulf

Uzbekistan is increasingly set on expanding regional trade and transport initiatives, which is also part of a wider regional trend. In September, Uzbek President, Islam Karimov, and his Azeri counterpart,

Turkmenistan Seeks Expanded Cooperation with Qatar

On October 11, Turkmen President, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, visited Qatar and met with the country’s Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Khamad al-Tani, concluding a series of agreements in the energy, trade, and

Is there a Revival of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan?

The death of Tahir Yuldash, the late leader of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), in an August 2009 U.S. Predator airstrike in Pakistan raised questions surrounding his succession and

Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan Agree To Look Beyond Politics

September 27 marked the second visit by Azerbaijan’s President, Ilham Aliev to Uzbekistan since 2004. Meeting with Uzbek President, Islam Karimov, Aliev emphasized the high degree of bilateral political relations,

The Kazakh-Russian “Eurasia” Canal: The Geopolitics of Water, Transport, and Trade

The Kazakh-Russian joint working group will soon present a proposal for the construction of the “Eurasia” canal linking the Caspian and Azov seas (www.izvestia.ru, September 28). From expanded trade and

CSTO: Half Dead, Half Alive

“CORF [Collective Operational Reaction forces] will be no worse than NATO,” claimed Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev, only one year ago. Today, these words are used in Russia to popularize the

The “Persian Alliance” and Geopolitical Reconfiguration in Central Asia

August 5 marked the fourth occasion in the last four years that the leaders of the Persian-speaking countries of Iran, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan convened, this time in Tehran, to chart

Japanese-Kazakh Nuclear Energy Cooperation: a Partnership for the Future

Japan, the world’s third largest producer of nuclear energy after the US and France, plans to launch a feasibility study this month to explore the possibility of importing uranium from

The US Expands Military Ties with Tajikistan

The US Ambassador to Tajikistan, Ken Gross, announced on June 25 that the US plans to open a military training center in Tajikistan pending the signing of related agreements with

TAPI and the Prospects of an Indian-Turkmen Strategic Partnership

For more than 15 years, the Trans-Afghanistan Pipeline (TAPI) project, which proposes to deliver gas from Turkmenistan to Pakistan and India via Afghanistan, has remained an elusive scheme. Backed by

Turkmen-Chinese Cooperation: Key to Turkmenistan’s Diversification Strategy

The visit of the Turkmen President, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, to China on May 2 has once again reaffirmed the significance of China for Turkmenistan following the launch of the Turkmenistan-China gas

The US and Azerbaijan: Unraveling a Strategic Partnership?

The hitherto strong relations between the US and Azerbaijan have hit a low point following the US-facilitated signing of the Armenian-Turkish protocols on October 10, 2009. If ratified, the protocols

The Economic Underpinnings of China’s Regional Security Strategy in Afghanistan

Cooperation between China and Afghanistan has not been consistent since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1955. However, following 9/11, their economic and security cooperation has continued to develop.

The Implications of China’s High-Speed Eurasian Railway Strategy for Central Asia

Beijing’s plan to build a high-speed railway network across Asia and Europe through Central Asia? is its key project for the continent. A reflection of the rise of China on

Shifting Regional Dynamics Force Russia to Suspend Promised Loan to Kyrgyzstan

The financial crisis and energy deficits have significantly exacerbated political and economic tensions in Kyrgyzstan. It is in these circumstances that the Kyrgyz leadership secured a $2.15 billion package from

Holbrooke’s Visit Highlights US-Uzbek Regional Dilemmas and Opportunities

Richard Holbrooke, US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, visited Uzbekistan on February 19 as part of a series of meetings across the Central Asian capitals to boost regional support

NATO-Kazakhstan Transit Agreement: Unleashing the Potential of Northern Supply Route

NATO and Kazakhstan reached an agreement on January 27, allowing the Alliance to supply non-military goods through Kazakh territory to Afghanistan, substantially enhancing the capacity of the Northern Distribution Network

Turkmenistan’s Naval Plans: Promoting its Maritime and Energy Interests

Turkmenistan’s President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov has approved a program to create naval forces under the jurisdiction of the defense ministry, and will be deployed at the Turkmenbashi Caspian Sea port by

Kazakhstan Offers to Hold Joint Military Exercises With Turkey

On January 20, the Turkish Ambassador to Kazakhstan, Atilla Gunay, met the Kazakh Defense Minister Adilbek Zhaksybekov in Astana as part of a series of recent meetings to foster bilateral