The radical change in the situation in Afghanistan, brought about by the return to power of the Taliban in August 2021, raised the question of the further development of the jihadist terrorist movements in the region, as well as the participation of citizens of Central Asian countries. Experts’ assessments, made immediately after the fall of Kabul, that Central Asia would be the target of direct coercive pressure from international groups, which would receive Taliban protection and funding, have not yet come true.
Download report
The Japanese economy is a highly developed market economy, often de8ined as an example of East Asian economic model. It ranks third in the world in nominal GDP and fourth in purchasing power parity (PPP). Japan's economy soared in the second quarter of 2023, posting growth at an annualized 6 percent rate, one of the best 8igures that Japan has seen since the mid-1990s and good enough to make it the top performer among major global economies. The Japanese government actively welcomes foreign investment and has set ambitious goals for increasing inbound foreign direct investment (FDI).
Download report
We studied the cost and financing of national immunization programs in lower and middle-income 28 countries: their immunization legislation, sorting them according to responsible parties for financing, stakeholders, functioning programs, covered vaccines, promotion, donor organization and implementation processes. Based on the analysis, 6 countries have been identified as optional best practices: Sri-Lanka, Bolivia, Costa-Rica, El-Salvador, Mongolia and Vietnam. Furthermore, several other lower and middle income emerging countries immunization programs have been studied, like Moldova, Azerbaijan, Bhutan, Ghana, Armenia, Georgia and Indonesia. These countries immunization programs have covered almost all points: timeline, supply, storage, applying, prevention, monitoring, training of the staff, financing programs and circumstances of obeying the rules. In addition, the process of immunization financing is well defined in their national legislations.
Download report
Afghanistan’s unique geographical position allows the country to be a link between Central and South Asia and the Middle East. However, for the last twenty years, during Hamid Karzai and Ashraf Ghani’s reign such potential was not actually realised. This was largely seen as a consequence of the increasing year-on-year instability caused by the insurgent and terrorist activities of the Taliban and ISIS-Khorasan. It, thus, increased investment risks and threats related to the safety of cargo and the safety of personnel. At the same time, the Taliban’s take over the country in August 2021 and the cessation of large-scale hostilities in the country created the prerequisites for considering all the factors pros and cons of the likelihood of realising the transit potential of Afghanistan at a practical level.
Download report
The paper considers the possibilities and important aspects of the construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway; changed intra- and extra-regional conditions that contributed to the acceleration of negotiations on the project; the positions and motives of the three sides of the project were analyzed in detail; as well as a SWOT analysis of the KKUZhD; recommendations were given for more sustainable implementation of the future project.
The publication is intended for young experts and consultants, researchers, decision makers, as well as a wide range of readers interested in politics and international relations in the Central Asian region.
Click to download
