Central Asia at the Crossroads of Stability and Geopolitics

New Eastblog Article by Hannes Meissner and Johannes Leitner in the Austrian Newspaper Der Standard

The Central Asian states are increasingly caught between authoritarian stability and new geopolitical challenges. Since Russia’s war against Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan have grown in importance for European companies. Behind the promising economic figures, however, lie political risk structures shaped by the interests of elites and limited rule of law. At the same time, these regimes face security risks such as Islamist terrorism and shifting regional power dynamics. Despite these threats, however, all five post-Soviet states remain resilient. Their enduring stability is the result of targeted state strategies aimed at maintaining control and public order. The following article by Hannes Meissner and Johannes Leitner examines the foundations of this resilience—and the political risks that remain relevant for international companies.