In The Media
Martha Brill Olcott
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Source: Getty
In The Media
Central Asia: Living in Afghanistan’s Shadow
While the U.S.-led NATO operations in Afghanistan have resulted in somewhat enhanced security capacity for Central Asian countries, their long-term security challenges seem to be increasing, given the current situation in Afghanistan and the growing instability of Pakistan.
Published on Nov 10, 2009
Source: Norwegian Peacebuilding Centre Policy Brief
While the US-led NATO operations in Afghanistan have resulted in somewhat enhanced security capacity in the Central Asian countries, most projects designed to strengthen the regional economy remain on the drawing board. In fact, the long-term security challenges faced by the Central Asian states seem to be increasing, given the current situation in Afghanistan and the growing instability of Pakistan.
As public pressure mounts in the US and in Europe to wind down their military involvement in Afghanistan, and to find other ways to protect their populations from the risks posed by al-Qaeda, Central Asian elites are left pondering how best to protect their own populations, in view of the limited regional, multilateral or bilateral assistance on offer.
Nato withdrawal would be very damaging for the Central Asian states and would greatly exacerbate the deteriorating economic and security conditions in some of these countries. Aid from the West is badly needed; however, in the past Western funding for projects in Central Asia has often fallen short. Given the financial climate, the current emphasis on smaller bilateral exchanges and cross-border production of electricity should be encouraged.
About the Author
Martha Brill Olcott
Former Senior Associate, Russia and Eurasia Program and, Co-director, al-Farabi Carnegie Program on Central Asia
Olcott is professor emerita at Colgate University, having taught political science there from 1974 to 2002. Prior to her work at the endowment, Olcott served as a special consultant to former secretary of state Lawrence Eagleburger.
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- China’s Unmatched Influence in Central AsiaArticle
Martha Brill Olcott
Recent Work
Political ReformDemocracyEconomySecurityMilitaryForeign PolicyNorth AmericaUnited StatesSouth AsiaAfghanistanPakistanCentral AsiaKazakhstanKyrgyz RepublicTajikistanTurkmenistanUzbekistan
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
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