The Security Situation for Central Asia: Afghanistan, Water, and Uzbek Stability

Central Asia has emerged on the global stage after spending decades in isolation. As developing nations, most of Central Asia possesses the resources to spur rapid development. Things would seem to be in the region\u27s favor. There are, however, a few events that could derail the region. Afghanistan is on the periphery of the region and presents a series of difficult dilemmas such as creating a functioning government from a country that has been at war for nearly 30 years, the problem of the insurgency in the south, and narcotics trafficking. Water is scarce in the region, the leaders cannot agree on a water sharing treaty, and the downstream and upstream nations have different water usage needs and patterns. Lastly, Uzbekistan presents some challenges due to its centrality in the region, clan infighting, the unresolved issue of succession, and the tenuous stability in the country