Publication

This briefing warns that Tajikistan might slide back into large-scale violence if certain problems aren't addressed. The latter include 1) President Rahmon’s autocratic undermining of the internal 1997 peace agreement, which legalized the socio-political role of Islamists; 2) the government’s crackdown on Islamic practices and, by extension, the growing influence of the so-called Islamic State; 3) a long, porous border with Afghanistan; and 4) internal violence, corruption and economic hardship. As Tajikistan’s growing fragility impacts a brittle region, the author(s) of this text argue, the country must become a more prominent conflict-prevention priority.