International Crisis Group
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Central Asia: Unrest and Instability

1. Overview
2. Crisis Group analysis
3. News & other reporting
4. Maps & Photos
5. What you can do
6. What Crisis Group does

1. Overview

Fifteen years after independence from the USSR, the Central Asian states continue to face serious problems with political succession and governance. A grave human rights situation in Uzbekistan may give way to serious instability after the eventual departure of President Islom Karimov (see report). The death of Turkmenistan's leader President Saparmurat Niyazov in early 2007 after over 20 years in power raised new concerns of instability (see report) in the country after years of repressive rule. Kyrgyzstan continues to confront unrest since its own leader Askar Akayev was toppled in March 2005; in November 2006 tensions between President Bakiyev and parliament spread to the streets as pro- and anti-government protestors clashed, bringing the country to the verge of political breakdown and possible civil war before a new constitution was agreed. Drugs continue to play a growing role in Tajikistan's vulnerable economy, and its record on democratisation and economic reform remain poor. The region’s more energy-rich countries (Kazahkstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) must also respond to the threat of the “resource curse”, under which energy-rich nations fail to thrive or develop distorted, unstable economies (see report).

2. Crisis Group analysis

Crisis Group reports

CrisisWatch

Other articles

For more information, see also our Conflict Histories: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. 

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3. News & other reporting

News sites with a special focus on unrest in Central Asia

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4. Maps & Photos

Central Asia is an extremely large, landlocked region of Asia. Its varied geography ranges from high plateaus and mountains to vast deserts and treeless, grassy steppes. Much of the land is too dry or rugged for farming. Central Asia has historically been closely tied the Silk Road and has acted as a crossroads for the movement of people, goods and ideas between Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

Interactive Europe and Eurasia Map (USAID) 

Interactive Map Central Asia (IWPR)

Major Ethnic Groups in Central Asia (University of Texas)

Major Muslim Ethnic Groups in Armenia, Iran, and the Islamic Commonwealth States (University of Texas)

Central Asia Map - political (University of Texas)

 

Photos

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5. What you can do

Inform yourself about the situation. Read Crisis Group's publications on Central Asia, details of which are set out above. 

Tell a colleague - Email your friends and colleagues about the conflict. Click here to go to our "tell a colleague" page. Insert a message, or copy information from this page and paste it into your e-mail. The more people who are aware of the instability and unrest in Central Asia, the better our ability to get the international community to respond.

Write to your newspaper - Write a letter to the editor of your national newspaper urging your support for increased international engagement in Central Asia. A selection of international newspapers is listed here, with email addresses to their letters pages.

Write to your elected representative - Write a letter or email to advise your elected representative of your views of the situation in Central Asia.  A selection of countries with links to their governing institutions and contact details are listed here.

Donate to aid and humanitarian organisations working in Central Asia - A selection of aid and humanitarian organisations working in Central Asia is listed here with links to their websites, where you can donate to their efforts to deal with the humanitarian problems in Central Asia. The list is not exhaustive, and is not intended as an endorsement of any particular organisation. You are of course also very welcome to make a donation to our own International Crisis Group: we are an analysis and advocacy organisation, rather than an aid-delivery one, but we depend very much on public support, as well as grants from governments and foundations, to carry on our work of conflict prevention and resolution.

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6. What Crisis Group does

Crisis Group advocates policy solutions to the world's leading policy makers on areas of actual or potential conflict across four continents. Strong advocacy means disseminating the product as widely and effectively as possible, making sure that policy-makers hear the message and then persuading them to take action. Crisis Group distributes its reports:

• by direct mail of printed reports and papers to over 4,100 senior policy makers and those in the media and elsewhere who influence them;

• by email notification or attachment of reports and papers to 24,000 targeted “influentials”, and over another 65,000 recipients subscribing through the Crisis Group website; and

• through our website, www.crisisgroup.org, which in 2006 received 4.9 million visits, and from which 3.1 million copies of Crisis Group reports and briefing papers were downloaded during the course of the year.

Our major advocacy offices, in Brussels, Washington, DC and New York, continue to ensure Crisis Group has the access and influence at the highest levels of the U.S. and European governments, the UN, EU and NATO. Our liaison offices in London and Moscow work to strengthen Crisis Group's profile and improve access to UK and Russian decision makers, while Brussels is responsible for the other European "Permanent Five" member, France. All Crisis Group offices, both advocacy and field, receive a regular flow of senior political and official visitors.

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