Latest Articles about Tajikistan
Counterterrorism Operations Continue in Tajikistan
Having recently abandoned the pretense that they were running anti-narcotics sweeps rather than counterterrorist operations in eastern Tajikistan, the Interior Ministry and the State Committee for National Security (GKNB) announced on July 8 that counterterrorist operations in Tavil-Dara district were completed (Interfax, August 5; see... MORE
Russia Oversees Tajikistan’s Efforts to Find Partners in South Asia
While Moscow's decision to open another base in Kyrgyzstan received intense coverage in the international media, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's recent visit to Tajikistan was largely overlooked. Along with the Presidents of Pakistan and Afghanistan, Asif Ali Zardari and Hamid Karzai, Medvedev visited Dushanbe last... MORE
Russia Seeks to Boost Ties with Tajikistan
Russian officials have reiterated their continued interest in deepening bilateral cooperation with Tajikistan, while the authorities in Dushanbe appeared to remain hesitant on some issues. On July 31 the Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev, traveled to Tajikistan, and used the opportunity to launch a major joint... MORE
Are the Afghan Taliban Using Tajikistan’s Islamist Militants to Pressure Dushanbe on NATO Supply Routes?
As Pakistan’s military continues to consolidate its control over the Malakand region of the North-West Frontier Province and talks of continuing on into South Waziristan, there is some apprehension in neighboring states that foreign fighters based in northwest Pakistan may begin leaving their now-endangered bases... MORE
Controversy Intensifying Over the Construction of Dams in Central Asia
Following the meeting of the leaders from the five Central Asian states in Almaty on April 28, discussions continue over the future direction of transnational water management. While the Kyrgyz and Tajik regimes are keen to build large water dams to increase electricity production, their... MORE
Tajikistan Claims Border Security Improving
Tajikistan’s border security agencies, severely challenged by the continued flow of narcotics and arms across the country’s porous borders, have released official statistics and details on their successes over the past year. On January 7 Colonel-General Khayriddin Abdurahimov, chief of the main border directorate within... MORE
Need for More Transparency in Kyrgyz and Tajik Energy Sectors to Avoid Future Crises
Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, both upstream countries with abundant water resources, face the same problem: their water resources are benefiting the ruling regimes while the public is deprived of basic services. In Kyrgyzstan President Kurmanbek Bakiyev’s regime has allegedly been secretly selling electricity to neighboring Kazakhstan... MORE
Hydroelectricity or Irrigation: a Central Asian Dilemma
A regular lack of hydroelectric power during the winter in upstream Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan and shortages of water during the summer in downstream Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan are making it necessary that the Central Asian states find common grounds for long-term cooperation on water management in... MORE
Russia Wants New Airbase in Tajikistan
Russia’s defense priorities within Central Asia are changing in the aftermath of its war in the South Caucasus. There, the Russian armed forces rediscovered the importance of airpower, which it used efficiently to achieve rapidly its operational goals to the surprise of some Western analysts.... MORE
Russia Dominates Tajikistan’s Energy Sector
In the new "Great Game" between the West and Russia over the vast energy reserves of Central Asia, Tajikistan has always stood apart, owing to its geographical isolation, degraded economy, and relative lack of hydrocarbon resources. Now the poorest and most isolated of the "Stans"... MORE