Uzbek unrest reflects wider regional instability, new book

17 May 2005

The current unrest in Uzbekistan has highlighted the precarious position the Central Asian republics find themselves in after independence. Whilst the invasion and subsequent democratisation of Afghanistan has been a qualified success, the US and UK face the worrying possibility of serious internal conflict within Afghanistan's neighbour Uzbekistan, which could lead to wider instability in the region.

Issues surrounding Uzbekistan and wider issues of regional conflict prevention and resolution and strategies for promoting stability in Central Asia and Afghanistan were explored in a Central Asian conference convened by Chatham House last year. The conference's proceedings are published in a book available today from Chatham House.

The book, Regional Conflict Prevention/Resolution and Promoting Stability in Central Asia and Afghanistan, also covers the implications for the Central Asian states of their strategic partnerships with the US in the war on terror. Copies are available on request from Chatham House.

Notes for editors:
Regional Conflict Prevention/Resolution and Promoting Stability in Central Asia and Afghanistan
Edited by Alisher Faizullaev and Roy Allison. Proceedings of a joint conference supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, 23-24 November 2004.

For a copy of the book or for general comment on the political unrest in Uzbekistan please contact:

James Nixey
Russia and Eurasia Programme
Chatham House
Tel: +44 (0)20 7957 5716 or +44 (0) 7899 955 426

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