BLOG
Breaking Afghanistan’s Hydro-Political Trap
June 15th, 2026
Courtesy of The Diplomat, a look at how – since its neighbors rely on unregulated river flows – any unilateral Afghan attempt to develop water infrastructure is perceived as a threat, risking regional destabilization: Situated at the headwaters of major river systems feeding Iran, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan, Afghanistan is the mountainous hydro-hub of Central […]
Read more »Central Asia and Afghanistan: Water Cooperation at a Critical Juncture
June 4th, 2026
Via SIWI, a look at how water cooperation in Central Asia and Afghanistan is entering a critical new phase. As climate pressures intensify and demands on shared water resources grow, a new SIWI report explores how stronger and more inclusive regional cooperation could help reduce risks and support long-term stability across the Amu Darya Basin. […]
Read more »Central Asia’s Thirsty Future Industries
June 3rd, 2026
Via The Diplomat, commentary on whether Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are yet grappling with the water needs of next-generation industries: Central Asia is home to one of the most infamous human-caused ecological catastrophes: the dramatic drying-up of the Aral Sea. That disaster was rooted in systemic mismanagement of the region’s water resources in pursuit of cotton […]
Read more »Central Asia’s Next Growth Story Runs on Water It Does Not Have
June 3rd, 2026
Courtesy of The Diplomat, a look at how Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are committing billions to mining, nuclear power, data centers and AI infrastructure at the same time that the region’s water supply is becoming less abundant, less predictable and more legally constrained: MINEX Kazakhstan 2026, held in Astana on April 15-16, brought together roughly 1,000 participants from […]
Read more »Confluence Beyond Borders in a Changing Climate: Dialogue for Cooperation in Central Asia and Afghanistan
April 9th, 2026
Courtesy of SIWI, a new report examining water cooperation in Central Asia and Afghanistan: The region of Central Asia and Afghanistan faces growing water insecurity and natural hazards amidst a rapidly changing climate with rising temperatures, extreme weather events, and glacial melt affecting the volume, peak, and variability of river flows. Increased water scarcity and […]
Read more »Qosh-Tepa Looks Like a Disaster. Uzbekistan Thinks Otherwise.
April 3rd, 2026
Via Havli substack, commentary on how Central Asian countries are able to use their position as power exporters for leverage as Taliban-run Afghanistan presses ahead with an ambitious canal project. If Shavkat Khamroyev is feeling nervous these days, he is doing a good job of hiding it. After all, Uzbekistan’s water resources minister would have […]
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