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The Islamic State (IS) is attracting Central Asians to Syria and fostering new links among radicals within the region. Unless the five Central Asian governments develop a credible, coordinated counter-action plan, including improved security measures but also social, political and economic reforms, growing radicalism will eventually pose a serious threat to their stability.

Growing tensions in the Ferghana Valley are exacerbated by disputes over shared water resources. To address this, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan urgently need to step back from using water or energy as a coercive tool and focus on reaching a series of modest, bilateral agreements, pending comprehensive resolution of this serious problem.

China’s influence is growing rapidly in Central Asia at a time when the region is looking increasingly unstable.
 

Paul Quinn-Judge, Crisis Group's Deputy Asia Director, discusses the deep crisis facing the Central Asian states of Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan and analyzes the region's relationship with neighboring powers Russia and China.

Only a concerted effort from national governments, donors and the international community to modernise Central Asia’s infrastructure can avert the region’s decline into chaos.