Emomali Rahmon

A first-of-its-kind Central Asian summit boosts regional connectivity and authoritarian domestic agendas.

Authoritarian consolidation might have accelerated border deal-making on the paper, but it may also impede deal-making on the ground.

Dushanbe’s parliamentary polls, held on March 2, took place without external scrutiny and turned up an expected landslide for the ruling party.

Without guarantees that observers would be accredited, and an apparent lack of engagement by Dushanbe, the OSCE has chosen to cancel its monitoring mission.

Given the classified nature of the trial, the details of the alleged plot are unknown.

Prosecutors are asking for 20-30 year sentences for eight defendants presumably accused of a coup plot about which there are very few details available.

The alleged coup plot features every one of President Emomali Rahmon’s personal bêtes noires.

As long as people have limited opportunities in the socioeconomic and political arenas, and adherence to a religious lifestyle is restricted, pilgrimages will remain as an accessible means of self-fulfillment. 

Although they don’t share a border, budding autocratic dynasties Turkmenistan and Tajikistan are close political neighbors.

Conflicts have intensified across the former Soviet Union, now in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. It’s a worrying and disillusioning development for the region. 

The recent outbreak of hostilities on the Kyrgyz-Tajik border represents a dangerous escalation from previous tension and skirmishes to a distinct act of aggression.

Tajik President Emomali Rahmon is expected to make a visit to GBAO in early September, though no official announcement has been made.

The world has changed profoundly since the last Central Asian Consultative Meeting, yet the new regional grouping carries on.

European leaders concerned with Afghanistan’s security situation may see Tajikistan as a useful partner to limit refugee flows to Europe.

Both Russia and Pakistan have reportedly urged Tajikistan and the Taliban to cool off their war of words, concerned about conflict on the border.

Presidential meetings in Central Asia are often dismissed for a lack of concrete results and for their exclusively ceremonial character. But there are good reasons to take the latest meeting seriously.

Tajikistan’s leaders declared the country COVID-free back in January, but the recent death of the president’s sister, reportedly from COVID-19, exposes the reality: The pandemic isn’t over.

A return to the pre-April status quo is preferable to continued violence, but a lack of progress on border negotiations isn’t a long-term solution to instability on the border.

Tashkent seems to have delicately removed itself from discussing Dushanbe’s Rogun dam, instead offering alternatives.

The Tajik president commented that “Tajikistan today is without COVID-19" -- close regional observers (and common sense) disagree.

Another seven year term for Tajik President Emomali Rahmon.

The upcoming presidential election in Tajikistan underscores a worsening human rights crisis. 

What's at stake in Tajikistan's election isn't the presidency, but what comes next.

A coincidence? When IRPT leader Kabiri spoke this week in an online event his message was cut off from Tajikistan by “technical glitches.”