Abstract
Autore:
Giordana Emanuele
Titolo:
"L’Afghanistan visto dall’Asia Centrale"
Kazakhstan, Kirghizstan,
Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan define
a human and political space strongly influenced
by its bordering territories: obviously
Russia but also Pakistan, Iran and, most
importantly, Afghanistan, a country wretched
by forty years of war and generally seen as
a threat rather than as a resource. However,
interactions between the former five soviet
republics and Kabul are natural: the Islamic
common denominator, the porosity of
borders, the presence of shared norms and
practices and the existence of communities
often speaking the same language, reinforce
the existence of such relations. Furthermore,
in the light of future infrastructural developments
of road networks, railway lines and,
possibly, energy vectors, partnerships among
the five republics and Afghanistan seem the
most obvious outcome. Even if each country
deals with Kabul in its unique way, Kazakhstan,
Kirghizstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan
and Uzbekistan all fear the contagion of war
or of jihad and explain the spread of the Islamic
tendencies within their territories. Such
statement is contested both from inside (the
Afghan government refuses to validate the
jihadi narrative) and from outside (many
observers have highlighted that the “Afghan
danger” is better understood as a political
tool used to repress possible challenges to the
political establishment, rather than as a real
and existent threat).
Nevertheless, some positive developments
are under way: negotiations regarding
a seemingly difficult partnership between
Kabul and the five republics is now ongoing
and is supported by manifestations of international
support, fostering and financing the
expansion of bilateral agreements.
