James Durso
When war in Afghanistan ended in 2021, the Central Asian republics could now focus on investments in human development and physical infrastructure without the prospect of violence spilling over the border from Afghanistan.
One of the republics, Uzbekistan, pursued what Yunis Sharifli has called a “multi-vector transport strategy” coupled with a “good neighbor” foreign policy.
The region has seen many proposed regional transport links, such as the Kabul and Kandahar corridors through Afghanistan to Pakistan, the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, the China-Kazakhstan railway, and the Intentional North-South Transport Corridor, and the Middle Corridor.
Though these corridors will facilitate investment and trade, they are a significant incentive for smuggling and illicit trading.
The International Institute for Central Asia in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, recently queried “whether greater connectivity could create new vulnerabilities for the movement of illicit goods, extremist networks, and transnational crime.”
The smugglers – they are really transport specialists – may move narcotics today, weapons next week, then branch into humans, rare animals, and antiquities. As a side note, antiquities trafficking may be a new concern for Uzbekistan as it raises its profile as a destination for cultural tourism and the restoration of historic sites.
Presidents Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan and President Tokayev of Kazakhstan had successful meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump that were capped with, as Trump prefers, the announcement of big contracts for U.S. businesses. Both presidents invited Trump to visit their countries.
But there was another meeting in September that got less attention and fewer tweets: the director of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation met Pakistan’s Federal Minister of Interior and Narcotics Control, and we can anticipate more cooperation and intelligence sharing between American and Pakistani police.
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