Central Asia

Central Asia has recently reemerged as a region of global strategic interest. The international community is paying increasing attention to it because of the security threats it contains in the form of drug trafficking terrorism and the potential for instability in its ruling regimes.

Until the mid-1990's Central Asian leaders perceived the drug issue as a problem affecting other countries and local authorities mainly relied on international assistance to address drug trafficking issues through law enforcement interception. Since 1995, when heroin processed in Afghanistan began transiting Central Asia, burgeoning local drug markets have prompted its governments to address the issue of drug problems among the local population as well as to combat drug trafficking within and across their territories.

The phenomenon of drug trafficking in Central Asia has three root causes: Afghanistan's enormous production capacity; large worldwide demand for opiates; and Central Asia's geographic location, including a total border length with Afghanistan of 2,387 km. A number of factors within Central Asia compound these. Firstly, poverty leaves many Central Asians with few viable avenues for economic advancement. Secondly, rampant corruption hinders the fight against drug trafficking and at times threatens to turn it into a virtually state-sponsored business. Thirdly, labor migration sets vast numbers of people in motion amid legal uncertainties and provides ready-made channels for smuggling.

Hugely destructive side effects of this are rising drug addiction and a widening plague of HIV/AIDS. With regard to the latter, the countries of Central Asia are still in the earliest stages of an epidemic. However, there is cause for serious concern due to the steep growth of new HIV cases in the region, the increase in injecting drug use, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and tuberculosis (TB) and the low levels of knowledge on the epidemics.