Issues of Modern Security in Central Asia

The current state of security in Central Asia has developed as a result of several factors. In 2001, relying on the fifth article of the Atlantic Treaty, the armed forces of the United States and its allies entered Afghanistan, responding to the terrorist attack in New York. Twenty years later, the United States fled the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan after the Taliban came to power for the second time (banned in the Russian Federation). The “departure” of Americans has created new conditions, in its influence, all over the world. But, of course, the main difficulties appear in the nearest neighbors and geographically close states, primarily the countries of Central Asia and Eurasia. First of all, these are the countries of Central Asia, but also Russia, China, and the United States and Pakistan play different but important roles in the region. The issue of security has been discussed more than once at the highest level, which certainly indicates its importance. Experts said that the arrival of the Taliban in itself did not cause much concern either in Moscow or in the Central Asian states (What will be the relations of Russia and Central Asia with Taliban Afghanistan. Moscow Carnegie Center. URL: https://carnegie.ru/commentary/85223 ). Tajikistan may be an exception. However, in combination with other factors, this creates a difficult situation. The crisis in Kazakhstan, the events in Uzbekistan, the border conflict between the CSTO members, and the difficult socioeconomic and religious situation may worsen under the influence of a dysfunctional Afghanistan. Finally, the intensification of the confrontation between Russia and China with the West and, in particular, the conduct of a special military operation by the Russian Federation in Ukraine, all this creates new challenges in Central Asia. Until recently, the security of this region was provided with the help of the CSTO, or rather, by the Russian Federation. However, today China has appeared in this area, which will increasingly influence security in this region.