Tajikistan: Year in Review
Tajikistan embarked into the New Year with a decidedly bright future ahead of it in comparison with the rest of Central Asia. Obviously Tajikistan is far from a beacon of democracy and freedom, but keeping in mind gross setbacks for human rights in Uzbekistan, underwhelming elections in Kazakhstan, and a new regime disappointingly similar to the last one in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan is at least making steps in the right direction.
Several news sources have evaluated Tajikistan in the year 2005. RFE/RL published an excellent survey of the region as a whole, and emphasizes Tajikistan’s strengthening ties with Russia, and setbacks in human rights in the country.
However, Daniel Kimmage’s article at RFE/RL overlooks the many improvements in human rights and expansions of freedoms Tajikistan has made in the past year. Tajikistan has embarked on a path that seems to be very strongly committed to development, and can boast improvements to the status of women, weapons cleanup, advances in combating the drug trade, enacting anti-trafficking legislation, and addressing HIV/AIDS head on. RFE/RL is right to point out that it is a mixed bag, and the article provides a good survey of the region, but overall Tajikistan saw a very progressive year, especially given its turbulent past.
Ahmed Rashid, author of Jihad and Taliban, seems to agree with this sentiment. In an editorial in the International Herald Tribune, Rashid writes:
Not all the news from Central Asia is about rigged elections, the torture of dissidents, massacres of civilians and economic decline. On the far edge of the Central Asia landmass, amid the rugged Pamir mountains, Tajikistan is trying to open its borders to serve as a new route for north-south trade, while allowing Islamists and Communists to sit in Parliament.
Pundits writing about Tajikistan frequently make the mistake of attributing the same significance to geopolitical struggle in Tajikistan as other countries in Central Asia. In countries like Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, struggles for influence are arguably a zero-sum game, in which, for example, Russia’s gain is the United States’ loss, because any resources they gain control of are resources lost to the US. This analogy simply does not apply to the same extent in Tajikistan. Many of Tajikistan’s potential “resources” are of a different nature entirely: secure borders, social and economic stability, and trade facilitation are all unlimited resources that benefit foreign powers and Tajikistan alike. Consequently, Russia, China, and the West share many of the same goals.
Everyone stands to benefit from an economically prosperous and stable Tajikistan, and history has shown that competing outside powers are at least partially aware of this. For example, Russia assisted with the United States’ evacuation during the civil war.
There is therefore no real contradiction when Tajikistan strengthens its relationship with Western international organizations, the Russian military, and Iran all at the same time. In 2005 Tajikistan ably demonstrated exactly that by capitalizing on the advantages of not being an energy exporting nation.
It seems that practically everyone has strengthened ties with Tajikistan in 2005. The winner, if this is a “Great Game”? Tajikistan.
on January 9th, 2006 at 6:03 pm
Do I see a positive tone in your articles? Seems you are catching up with the latest developments in Tajikistan. Although I do overall agree that Tajikistan has a relatively poor human rights records and no so perfect government, it has been taking the right steps towards making itself a democratic nation. I personally believe in the spirit of Tajiks as a freedom-loving nation and having put the civil war behind they will definitely move forward to building a brighter future.
on January 9th, 2006 at 7:02 pm
Agreed. Tajikistan has made some great reforms this year. Even though there have been some clear setbacks, overall I think the trend is positive.
on January 11th, 2006 at 11:05 am
Unless, of course, you are trying to heat your home with public utilities and receive a state pension, in which case the overall trend is quite negative. They didn’t even get electricity or gas to apartments the day before holidays for baking purposes! Shame, shame, shame. Well, at least we have the Palace of the Nation.
on January 12th, 2006 at 3:43 pm
I know this is a shameful situation, but can we blame the Tajik government alltogether? Before all the energy we had was from neighboring Uzbekistan and now we just can’t seem to afford it. That is not to say that the minister of energy is a law abiding person and spends all the funds allocated to him to exactly that purchasing energy.
on January 13th, 2006 at 2:17 am
but still tajikistan government not doing well!…
on July 14th, 2006 at 10:24 pm
What a bloody nonsense. “Freedom loving nation”, soviet essentialism stinks! Rahmanov is getting richer, centralizing political and economical power, independent press is muted, journalists threatened, people from Dangara rules all important positions, including MB and TVT, and Yatimov is happy in MID. The old opposition is marginalized or in prison. Cotton is as currupt as always, and now an increasing amount is under the control of the presidents close family. Please, can you give me the references to any serious research were convincning claims are made that Tajikistan is more democratic today than it was five years ago? What about the elections? Political pluralism? And of course the tajik government is not doing well, if Tajikistan would have located in Europe most of the ruling elite would be in Haag now. What about the massgraves? No words. Jolly good that the MB now is controlling the drug trade so that the minister can make more than is basic salary of USD70. Centralasia is a big joke, and as soon as the oil price is dropping, or russia is running out of oil, and the male tajiks between 16 and 40 return to Tajikistan, then we will see an explosion that will destablize the whole area, if they are not dead in aids before that.