Interviews / Tajikistan

Symbat Abisheva 18.05.23

In an exclusive interview for CABAR.asia, Dr. Jennifer Turner talks about the Choke Point Initiative in China, how China addresses the water-energy challenge, and its implications for Central Asia. (more…)

Marinin Sergey 02.05.23

As the EU faces challenges in promoting democracy in Central Asia, many wonder what the current strategy for democracy promotion should look like. What are the key elements of a successful strategy, and how can conditionality be used effectively? Moreover, can the goals of promoting democracy, protecting human rights, and supporting civil society in the region realistically be achieved, given the current complex political and economic realities? CABAR.asia explores these questions and more in an exclusive interview with the Ghent University expert. (more…)

Navruz Karimov 28.04.23

Central Asia became more attractive for Beijing since the Russian invasion of Ukraine made the northern trade routes unavailable to use for China. Growing vacuum of influence in the region is going to be filled by China, believes Brian Carlson, the head of the Global Security Team at the Center for Security Studies (CSS) think tank. (more…)

CABAR.asia 17.04.23

Amid strengthened discourses about the processes of political decolonisation, the term “decolonial feminism” can be heard more often. However, feminism per se in Central Asia is still the subject of bitter debates: on the one hand, it is considered as the liberation of women from patriarchate,  on the other hand, it is criticised over intervention into the national culture and traditional values. (more…)

Marinin Sergey 27.03.23

CABAR.asia talked with the esteemed UN Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders, Ms Mary Lawlor, to explore potential avenues for safeguarding and upholding human rights in Central Asia. The rapporteur emphasized her people-centred approach, focusing on the most vulnerable defenders. The rapporteur encouraged anyone with reliable information about human rights defenders’ rights violations to contact her office. We discussed the importance of UN mechanisms in protecting human rights and holding governments accountable, despite the challenges of “democratic backsliding” in some countries of the Central Asian region.

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How do US-Chinese contradictions affect the geopolitical picture of Central Asia? Are there any concerns in the US about the growing role of China in the regional security of Central Asian countries? How do the US experts assess China’s soft power? These and other questions were discussed with Johns Hopkins University Sinologist and Professor Andrew Murtha, exclusively for CABAR.asia. (more…)

Marinin Sergey 31.01.23

How has the war in Ukraine transformed the security landscape in the post-Soviet space, particularly in Central Asia? What new developments are we witnessing in the energy security domain, and how will they change the region? These questions to Ambassador Dr Thomas Greminger, Director of the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP) He is sharing his views on the changing security situation in Central Asia and beyond exclusively for CABAR.asia. (more…)

Marinin Sergey 29.12.22

Tajikistan’s foreign policy trajectories are not drastically changing. In light of the Ukraine war only a few new actors entered its foreign policy scene, while traditional strategic players remain the same. Perspectives of regional integration are also bleak against the background of the existing protracted conflicts between some Central Asian countries, – notes Karolina Kluczewska (Belgium) in an interview, exclusively for CABAR.asia. (more…)

What problems can machine learning and AI solve in Central Asia? Which countries or stakeholders can contribute to the advancement of machine learning and AI? What are the challenges and risks facing societies with the gradual introduction of AI and machine learning into our lives in political processes? The editors of CABAR.asia discussed these and other issues with Professor of the Higher School of Economics (Russia) Evgeny Sedashov. (more…)

Navruz Karimov 21.10.22

“What we have seen over the past year is that violence has broken out in all Central Asian countries, but Turkmenistan. Even though many of the early warning signs were there, we were caught partly by surprise”, – Teri Hakala, EU Special Representative, on massive violations of human rights and freedoms in Central Asia.  (more…)