The West Needs Central Asia To Be a Strategic Partner | Opinion

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, many international observers naively believed that the 15 newly emerged states would develop democracies and spring markets and Western-style institutions overnight. In some cases, this held true. Georgia pursued aggressive political and economic reforms, and the Mikheil Saakashvili administration fought hard to eliminate structural corruption. Throughout its journey, Georgia always was supported by the West. Other states in Eurasia, however, were less successful. Many suffered from corruption and squandered their nations’ potential. Kyrgyzstan has writhed in political acrimony, Belarus regressed into a facsimile of Soviet misrule, and Tajikistan is plagued by corruption. For…