THE FOUR BIG ISSUES CENTRAL ASIA FACED

 

Here's a look at four of the most important issues reverberating in the region: the five countries and their bilateral trade, the energy resource managemnet, how governments can impede the flow of information by controlling the Internet, and the soviet legacy.

LACK OF BILATERAL TRADE

The intraregional trade is about five percent which is the lowest in the world. The regional border conflicts and other skirmishes with neighboring countries lead to the closure of borders, subsequently lesser trade. Furthermore, the lack of road and rail infrastructure adds to lower connectivity and trade. Various countries have employed tariff barriers to the commodities and services of other countries. These tariffs along with other barriers downgrade the potential of bilateral trade among various countries of the region.

 

ENERGY RESOURCES MANAGEMENT

The central Asian economies largely depend upon the energy potential of the region, almost all the energy resources are found in abundance in various countries of the region. The central Asian republics are blessed with resources of oil, gas, coal, and other renewable resources. To tap these resources, countries require great regional cooperation and effective management. These countries lack permanent institutional structures responsible for overseeing the effective utilization of energy resources. The countries have an underdeveloped legislative framework to undertake larger energy projects. Due to prevalent corruption, there are transparency issues in the areas of management and regulation. Moreover, billions of dollars are needed to undertake energy projects, almost all the countries of the region lack appropriate financial instruments for this purpose. 

GOVERNANCE 

The central Asian region contains authoritative governments which are hesitant to embrace open decision making, public input, and scrutiny are discouraged. The authoritative regimes are mostly corrupt and give very little importance to poverty reduction, and to the improvement of the lives of people. The governance landscape of these countries is marred by poorly functioning legal systems, depleting health, and educational infrastructure. 

THE SOVIET LEGACY

The former Soviet republics faced numerous problems because of the soviet legacy. Other than the border disputes, the soviet legacy saddled the region with various political and economic. The central Asian republics carried out the work of providing Russia with raw materials. This led to total reliance on Russia. Over time, these countries struggled to be economically independent. 

Most of the political crises in central Asia are of soviet legacy. These countries inherited nonresponsive authoritative rules from the Soviet Union, communist party officials ascended to presidencies across central Asia. These regimes guided by former communist autocrats experienced rampant corruption, human rights abuses, and civil unrest.