Others, like trafficking in illicit commodities, often entail the use of intimi- dation and force, but violence is not integral to the criminal activity itself.4 Criminal groups engaging in both types of crime began to appear in the 1990s in Central Asia, as the breakup of the Soviet union left weak states and unregulated political economies in its wake. [...] The strength of the state vis- à-vis criminal actors, the nature of political economies, and the degree and specific configuration of state collusion in crime combine to condition patterns of organized criminal violence. [...] According to an interview in Tajikistan, the police wounding of two men in November 2018 led to widespread protests in Khorog, despite a ban on public gatherings.44 These incidents are emblematic of the struggle between the government and the region’s smuggling networks run by the former members of the opposition to the regime. [...] Tackling the influence of organized crime and lessening the risk of violence requires wider recognition of the fundamental threat of organized criminal interests to the political order of Central Asian republics.45 This recognition is essen- tial for the success of these and other recommendations, and for the ability of governments, international agencies, foreign donors, and civil society groups. [...] One example of the conflict between state and criminal interests where the state prevailed is the case of Kuandyk Bishimbayev, the former minister of economy and a graduate of the famed Bolashak Programme, which allowed him to get an MBA from George Washington university in the united States.
- Pages
- 24
- Published in
- United States of America
