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Tajikistan's Difficult Development Path
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Tajikistan's Difficult Development Path

The Tajik leadership faces an urgent choice between fully embracing reform and continuing on its current failed track. Tajikistan’s decision will have very real implications for this troubled region.

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By Martha Brill Olcott
Published on Oct 15, 2012

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Russia and Eurasia

The Russia and Eurasia Program continues Carnegie’s long tradition of independent research on major political, societal, and security trends in and U.S. policy toward a region that has been upended by Russia’s war against Ukraine.  Leaders regularly turn to our work for clear-eyed, relevant analyses on the region to inform their policy decisions.

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Eurasia in Transition

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Source: Washington

Tajikistan teeters on the brink of failure. This mountainous and landlocked country, the poorest in Central Asia, struggles with corruption and its citizens lack a number of basic freedoms. These domestic challenges become even more problematic as international forces prepare to withdraw from neighboring Afghanistan, leaving the Central Asian countries to ensure regional stability.

In Tajikistan’s Difficult Development Path, Martha Brill Olcott traces the political, economic, and social change following the country’s independence and international efforts to prevent a collapse of the state. The Tajik government’s commitment to reform has been limited at best, and substantial foreign assistance provided since the end of the country’s civil war has not led to real economic and political development.

Olcott concludes that the Tajik leadership faces an urgent choice between fully embracing reform and continuing on its current failed track. Tajikistan’s decision will have very real implications for this troubled region.

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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Martha Brill Olcott
Former Senior Associate, Russia and Eurasia Program and, Co-director, al-Farabi Carnegie Program on Central Asia
Martha Brill Olcott

Additional Links

Hardback - $49.95Kindle - $9.99iTunes - $9.99Paperback - $19.95Nook - $10.39
Central AsiaTajikistanEconomy

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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