For this episode I talked with Christian Bleuer, a research fellow at the Australian National University's Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies. We discussed the recent insurgent gains in northern Afghanistan, and whether those pose any threat to the Central Asian republics. I also took advantage of Christian's extensive knowledge of Tajikistan to get his perspective on domestic politics in that country, especially to what extent the government has gained control over the state and its territory. We digressed a bit into Western policymakers' perspectives on Central Asia, and got philosophical about whether the region is collapsed, collapsing, or just stable.
Resources:
Christian Bleuer and Said Reza Kazemi, Between Co-operation and Insulation: Afghanistan's Relations with the Central Asian Republics, Afghanistan Analysts Network, June 2014
RFE/RL, Central Asian Militants Return to Northern Afghanistan, May 12, 2015
Bethany Matta, The Failed Pilot Test: Kunduz' Local Governance Crisis, Afghanistan Analysts Network, June 5, 2015
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