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Can Central Asia Engage With the Taliban Over Access To Water?
August 27th, 2023
Via Real Clear World, commentary on whether Central Asia can engage with the Taliban over water: Recently, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported the progress of Afghanistan’s Qosh Tepa Irrigation Canal, $670 million, 285-kilometer canal to irrigate 550,000 hectares of land by diverting 25% of the flow of the Amu Darya River. Irrigating northern Afghanistan has been a […]
Read more »Navigating Water Conflict in Central Asia: The Amu Darya River and the Qosha Tepa Canal Project
August 24th, 2023
Via Modern Diplomacy, an article on growing water tensions in Central Asia: In the post-Soviet era, Central Asia experienced a pronounced upsurge in geopolitical tensions, significantly shifting the focus toward the pressing matter of the water conflict between Uzbekistan and Afghanistan. At the crux of this contentious issue lies the Amu Darya River, a pivotal […]
Read more »Water: A Barrier to Central Asia’s Rise?
August 23rd, 2023
Via Geopolitical Futures, a look at how Central Asia’s growing role could be hampered by a long-standing problem – water scarcity: Amid growing Western pressure and changes throughout Eurasia, regions that were once considered on the Eurasian periphery are now gaining significance. Chief among them is Central Asia, a region that was historically considered part […]
Read more »The Water Wars Coming to Central Asia
July 31st, 2023
Via Foreign Policy, a report on rising water tensions in Central Asia where the situation has been bad for decades, but the Taliban threaten to make them worse: In Turkmenistan, household faucets are running dry and locusts are devouring crops. In Kazakhstan, a state of emergency has been declared as the Caspian Sea shrinks to […]
Read more »The Taliban’s New Canal Threatens Water Security in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan
July 6th, 2023
Courtesy of The Diplomat, commentary on how the Taliban’s rush to complete the Qosh Tepa canal is placing Central Asia’s water security at risk: On March 30, 2022, Taliban Deputy Prime Minister Mulla Abdul Ghani Baradar launched the construction of the Qosh Tepa canal, which will divert significant amount of water from the Amu Darya – a […]
Read more »Climate Change and Water Resources in Central Asia: Growing Uncertainty
January 12th, 2023
Via the Central Asian Bureau for Analytical Reporting (CABAR), a look at the impact of climate change on water resources in Central Asia: “Unpredictable water availability with more frequent and severe natural floods and droughts, a growing population and increasing water withdrawals outside the region mean that today’s actions are critical for a sustainable future,” […]
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