Performing statehood

What is it about?

Three Central Asian states border on Afghanistan: Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. This article looks at their participation in processes related to the drawdown of NATO forces in Afghanistan and various peace initiatives for Afghanistan. It surveys their participation in border management programmes and the Northern Distribution Network and other forms of bilateral cooperation with Afghanistan, as well as their participation in the Istanbul process.

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Why is it important?

We take issue with the tendency to depict Central Asian states as either 'weak' or 'strong' and descriptions of their engagement in regional initiatives as mere window-dressing. By emphasizing the important state effects of the performance of the Central Asian neighbours to Afghanistan, we argue that their participation in international processes on Afghanistan is constitutive of their sovereignty and confirms their relevance to the international community, and ultimately their statehood.