Publication Name

Environment and Security

Introduction

Regional context

The situation of the Ferghana valley can only be under-

stood within the broader context of the three countries

– Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan – which meet in

the valley. In this chapter we will look at some of the over-

all trends characterizing Central Asia since the end of the

Soviet Union.

Political and security factors

With the collapse of the Soviet Union the newly independent

states of Central Asia had to face several major challenges,

in particular the

creation of a national identity

. Although the

Soviet Union had already promoted a sense of national

identity and distinctiveness, national agendas developed

further after independence, making the

defence of per-

ceived national interest

a reflex response when dealing with

regional issues. Central Asian states have consequently

preferred bilateral, case-by-case solutions so far. This has

exacerbated competition between regional players and

reduced the impact of regional cooperation institutions and

initiatives. On the other hand case-by-case mechanisms

have also prevented interstate crises from escalating into

open violent conflict.

With independence it was also necessary to determine

and stabilize the

complex national borders

inherited from

tsarist and Soviet administrations. The presence of seven

enclaves

in the Ferghana valley increases the complexity

of the border question. Though states have generally solved

the main questions, within the Ferghana valley there are still

several unresolved questions related to border delimitation

and demarcation.

Several factors have heightened Central Asian regimes’

sense of insecurity: armed incursions by opposition

groups harboured by neighbouring countries; penetration

by transnational organized crime networks (drugs, arms,

human trafficking); the alleged success of radical Islamic

organizations such as the Hizb-ut-Tahrir or Bayot (“Oath”),

mainly in specific areas of the Ferghana valley.

Stability

and security are consequently high on the political agenda

Central Asian states, their main neighbours and the US

share a similar interest in security. The “war on terrorism”

that followed the US-led intervention in Afghanistan has

added to this concern.

The states of Central Asia have mainly joined multilateral

regional organizations such as the Central Asia Coopera-

tion

, the CIS Collective Security Treaty and the Shanghai

Cooperation Organization to strengthen cooperation in the

fight against terrorism, extremism and trans-border organ-

ized crime but also to promote economic cooperation and

trade. At the same time the legitimate need to establish

state control over national territory and the security agenda

outlined above encouraged states in the region to pursue

unilateral policies, with increased militarization of border

areas such as the one in the Ferghana area. Establishing

checkpoints has already prompted armed violence in 2002-

3 in the Batken (Kyrgyzstan) and Isfara (Tajikistan) regions,

after which the authorities had to back off (Oxford Analytica,

Daily Brief, 14.01.2005).

Central Asian states are multicultural countries, each with

its own national minorities in other states (including China)

Managing minorities is not only an issue of concern within

states but also between them.

The international borders

between sovereign states, following independence, not

only hinder the ordinary flow of goods and people, but

also contribute to shaping or at least reinforcing ethnic

identity

. Language and alphabet

policies and changes not

only affect the relations of minorities with the titular state,

but also contribute to the fragmentation process affecting

present-day Central Asia.

Islam has for a long time been part of the Central Asian

culture. Under Russian imperial and later Soviet rule Islam

was in many ways isolated from Islamic development in

the rest of the world. Official policies on Islam changed

over time, from efforts to undermine it to a more accom-

modating stance, with officially approved clerics, after

World War II. The result of Soviet policies was secularisa-

tion to a significant extent, although this was coupled with

a popular identification with Islam as somewhat more of

an ethnic/identity determinant than an indicator of reli-

gious belief or practice. After independence, both the new

states and society groups have used Islam as a vector of

The Saihun River commonly known as the Wa-

ter of Khujand, comes into the country from the

northeast, flows westward through it and after

passing along the north of Khujand and the

south of Fanakat, now known as Shahrukhiya,

turns directly northand goes to Turkistan. It does

not join any sea but sinks into the sands.