Central Asian security

Central Asia has emerged as a key region with significant security challenges. In recent years the five Central Asian states—Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan—have experienced conflicts over borders, political revolutions, violent labour unrest and inter-ethnic violence. There are concerns about the growth of transnational extremist networks that link Central Asia to neighbouring states, notably Afghanistan. As the NATO-led international coalition looks to withdraw from Afghanistan, regional powers—particularly Russia—are stepping up their military involvement in the region.

SIPRI and the Open Society Foundations (OSF) are collaborating to promote better understanding of key security developments in Central Asia and to bring forward practical ideas about how the states and societies of the region and the international community can enhance human security in Central Asia. They will jointly publish a series of working papers and policy briefs by leading experts various aspects of Central Asian security.