Across the globe, the COVID-19 pandemic is challenging assumptions held by many for years about the capacity and capability of their governments. Unfortunately, not all countries in Central Asia have taken the threat of the virus seriously. Tajikistan and Turkmenistan have chosen to gamble that they can both weather the storm and minimize the damage to their power and economy.
All in Central Asia
No one expected Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev to step down. The 78-year-old is one of the last Soviet-era political leaders who has remained in power for almost 30 years. Despite resigning from the presidency in March, he will remain the power behind the ‘throne,’ with wide-ranging consequences for the region.
Both Europe and China recognize the potential for economic growth at home and abroad by bringing the two ends of Eurasia closer together. Yet Beijing and Brussels have diverging views for Eastern Europe and Central Asia and are poised to compete for infrastructure investment. Connectivity — and the means to control it — is the new currency of geopolitics.