Head of the Afghanistan and South Asia Research Center
Dr. Akram Umarov is the Deputy Director of the IAIS and an Associate professor of International Relations at the University of World Economy and Diplomacy. Dr. Umarov has a great interest in security studies, conflict management, public diplomacy, Afghanistan, Central Asian studies, CIS countries and development. Before joining IAIS, Dr. Umarov was a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at the Center for Governance and Markets, University of Pittsburgh in the United States, a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies and Academy of Public Administration under the President of Uzbekistan. Dr. Akram Umarov has earned an MA and PhD in International Relations from the University of World Economy and Diplomacy. He also received an MA degree in Governance, Development and Public Policy from the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex in the United Kingdom.
Kyrgyzstan is a country in Central Asia that during its recent 32 years of history has seen three of its president’s overthrown, two instances of mass ethnic violence and 32 prime ministers. After gaining independence in 1991, Kyrgyzstan encountered a range of socio-economic problems associated with the collapse of the USSR, the establishment of a new state, the rupture of traditional economic and trade relations with other Soviet republics, and the suspension of centralized financial subsidies from Moscow. The new government had to seek other sources of funding for its sustainability and development. The international community treated Kyrgyzstan as a “more advanced democracy” (Garcés de los Fayos and Mendonça 2018) than other regional states, as an “island of democracy” (Anderson 1999) surrounded by Russia, other authoritarian Central Asian countries, and China. This recognition led to increasingly international, mainly Western, support, which included development aid and assistance with democratiz‐ ation and governance reforms. There was an expectation that Kyrgyzstan would become a more liberal and prosperous state as a result.
Read the research article
-3.jpg)
This annual flagship report, including 13 policy briefs, offers an alternative glimpse at the events and developments in and around Afghanistan, prioritizing timely and significant thematic and regional approaches. Obviously, the Taliban’s rapid surge into power in August 2021 and the subsequent measures to solidify their position reshaped relations with Afghanistan’s neighbours.
Thematic analyses cover critical issues such as terrorism and extremism, humanitarian crises, transnational crime, as well as political and social problems stemming from Afghanistan. Additionally, sporadic efforts by the Taliban government to regulate the country’s economic situation are deeply analysed. The report also explores Afghanistan’s role as a centre for transport communications between its immediate and extended neighbours.
Policy briefs highlight emerging concerns such as transboundary water issues and border conflicts between Afghanistan and its neighbours. Furthermore, the report underscores Afghanistan’s growing importance for Central Asian Republics (CAR) as an alternative transportation corridor diversifying away from traditional partners. Several papers assess CAR’s pragmatic foreign policy towards Afghanistan amid a challenging international environment where varying approaches to establishing formal relations with the Taliban prevail.
Overall, the report presents ideas in an orthodox yet easily understandable manner, with historical events laid out chronologically to aid in understanding the contemporary developments.
Download the report
The radical change in the situation in Afghanistan, brought about by the return to power of the Taliban in August 2021, raised the question of the further development of the jihadist terrorist movements in the region, as well as the participation of citizens of Central Asian countries. Experts’ assessments, made immediately after the fall of Kabul, that Central Asia would be the target of direct coercive pressure from international groups, which would receive Taliban protection and funding, have not yet come true.
Download report
